The Hunimation–Hungarian Animation Pitch Forum will be held again this year, aiming to support the development and international visibility of Hungarian animation projects.
The Budapest final will take place on Friday morning at the Toldi Cinema, followed by an international masterclass in the afternoon at Magvető Café. After last year’s edition, the event is once again organized by the Hungarian Animation Producers Association and the Friss Hús Budapest International Short Film Festival with the support of the National Film Institute Hungary.
According to the organizers, the initiative builds on the recent successes of Hungarian animation, particularly Hungary’s role as guest of honour at the 2025 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, which helped create new professional opportunities for Hungarian creators. The forum aims to give selected projects the opportunity to present themselves at one of the most important global animation industry events in June, through the MIFA Partner Pitch programme in Annecy. 12 projects have been selected for the Budapest final, and around five are expected to be chosen to represent Hungary at the international event. A professional jury will make the decision at Friday’s pitch forum.
Members of the jury include Head of MIYU Distribution Luce Grosjean; Founder and Director of Friss Hús Dániel Deák; Éva Konrád; Researcher at the National Film Institute Anna Ida Orosz; and Áron Gauder.
Organizers said the selected projects reflect the diversity of Hungarian animation, ranging from short films and series to feature-length works, documentary animation and immersive formats. The finalists include projects by Gergő Arany, Fábián Balogh, Réka Bucsi, Nikolett Fábián, Júlia Farkas, Eszter Kajlik, Csaba Klement, Anna Katalin Lovrity, Eszter Molnár, Adél Szegedi, Balázs Turai and Zsófia Zelles-Görgey.
Réka Temple, president of the Hungarian Animation Producers Association, said recent successes show that Hungarian projects are competitive internationally. She added that the organisation aims to help creators reach major industry forums and build professional connections.
Dániel Deák also emphasized that one of the main goals of the Friss Hús festival is to provide opportunities for emerging talent and support their careers over the long term, adding that the quality and originality of the submitted works highlight the growing strength of Hungarian animation.
This year’s forum will also introduce a new element: an international masterclass led by Grosjean. Her company has distributed several festival-winning films, including the Cannes Palme d’Or-winning short film 27 by Flóra Anna Buda.
The masterclass, scheduled for 27 March at the Magvető Café, will focus on co-production opportunities, financing options, and festival and distribution strategies for animation projects.
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