Animatou is the leading animation film festival in French-speaking Switzerland, dedicated to showcasing the best of contemporary animated cinema and championing bold, author-driven works that rarely find space in traditional theatres. Both locally rooted and internationally recognised, the festival brings together generations, cultures and sensibilities through a rich programme of competitive short films, special screenings, feature films, retrospectives, workshops and masterclasses. With a strong commitment to education and year-round activities for schools and the wider public, Animatou has become a key platform for animation in Geneva and beyond.

Genève,
Switzerland
{"title":"Animatou","description":"\u003Cp\u003EAnimatou is the leading animation film festival in French-speaking Switzerland, dedicated to showcasing the best of contemporary animated cinema and championing bold, author-driven works that rarely find space in traditional theatres. Both locally rooted and internationally recognised, the festival brings together generations, cultures and sensibilities through a rich programme of competitive short films, special screenings, feature films, retrospectives, workshops and masterclasses. With a strong commitment to education and year-round activities for schools and the wider public, Animatou has become a key platform for animation in Geneva and beyond.\u003C\/p\u003E","start_date":"2026-10-01","end_date":"2026-10-10","date":"1 - 10 October","timings":[{"timing_start_date":"20261001T110000Z","timing_end_date":"20261001T190000Z"},{"timing_start_date":"20261002T110000Z","timing_end_date":"20261002T190000Z"},{"timing_start_date":"20261003T110000Z","timing_end_date":"20261003T190000Z"},{"timing_start_date":"20261004T110000Z","timing_end_date":"20261004T190000Z"},{"timing_start_date":"20261005T110000Z","timing_end_date":"20261005T190000Z"},{"timing_start_date":"20261006T110000Z","timing_end_date":"20261006T190000Z"},{"timing_start_date":"20261007T110000Z","timing_end_date":"20261007T190000Z"},{"timing_start_date":"20261008T110000Z","timing_end_date":"20261008T190000Z"},{"timing_start_date":"20261009T110000Z","timing_end_date":"20261009T190000Z"},{"timing_start_date":"20261010T110000Z","timing_end_date":"20261010T190000Z"}]}
Photo Credit: Animatou

You might also like

Sunday 6 September

Organized with BDS, CETIM and the Lebanese Film Festival, this programme reflects on the cultural and political reasons for boycotting an Allianz‑sponsored cinema day. It presents a curated shorts programme (Some Strings), whose formal experiments and intimate textures examine memory and connection; and the feature Un monde fragile & merveilleux, introduced live and followed by a videoconference with director Cyril Aris and actress Mounia Akl. Discussions include activists from BDS and aim to situate the cinematic work within broader political debates. Proceeds from the shorts session will be donated to the YAFFA association for Palestine.

In Arabic with French subtitles.

17:00 – SOME STRINGS de AA. VV. (short films)
Followed by a discussion on the reasons for the boycott with guests (in partnership with BDS Geneva).

19:00 – UN MONDE FRAGILE & MERVEILLEUX by Cyril Aris
Followed by a video conference with director Cyril Aris and actress Mounia Akl.

29 March – 4 October

Climb aboard a vintage tram and ride through the city in a 1920s convoy. Hear wooden wheels click, bell chimes ring, and feel the gentle sway as the streets roll past. Children can spot bright colors, old signs, and unexpected details while imagining stories from long ago. The trip mixes movement, sound, and history so kids can explore, ask questions, and share discoveries with family in a lively, sensory journey.

3 September – 10 October

Ciel Sourdeau’s eight-minute, seventeen-second video unfolds as a subversive tutorial: part gore, part experimental film, it repurposes pedagogical forms into an improvised, transgressive bricolage. Mixed by Adrien Kessler, the piece layers tactile sound and rough-edged visuals to probe bodies, identity and the limits of instruction. Its stripped, confrontational aesthetic alternates shock and dark humour, inviting a re-examination of learning rituals and the politics of representation through intimate, unsettling imagery.

Opening: 3 September, 18:00

Sunday 6 September, 19:00

Uli M. Schueppel’s 1987 debut feature plunges into an apocalyptic nocturne of despair, mysticism and a stark Berlin underground aesthetic. Rendered in raw, expressionistic images, the film follows fragmented lives on the edge of collapse, blending documentary grit with poetic surrealism. Alexander Hacke’s original score—rooted in industrial textures and haunting melodies—underscores the film’s hypnotic atmosphere; his live re-creation heightens the visceral drama and the work’s otherworldly intensity.

Sunday 6 September, 17:00

Augusto Zegarra’s Runa Simi follows Fernando, a radio host from Cusco, who dreams of dubbing The Lion King into Quechua to advocate for his endangered indigenous language. Filmed with tender realism and intimate father‑son close-ups, the film balances gentle humor and quiet determination as the pair confront setbacks. Runa Simi is a story of transmission, linguistic reclamation and cultural resistance, a warm, humane portrait of love, memory and communal resilience.

Monday 7 September, 20:00

Romain Girard’s documentary is an intimate immersion into the theatrical creative process, following rehearsals and performance to expose the labour behind a staging of Molière. Through a careful, observant lens it deciphers Tartuffe and the mechanisms of domination the play interrogates, tracing how a director’s intentions shape the actors’ relation to the text. The film privileges close observation and theatrical detail, offering a reflective, textured portrait of language, control and the pulse of live theatre.

In presence of Jean Liermier and Romain Girard, and by producers Chantal Bernheim and Patrick Siegenthaler (Actua Films).

Oops! It seems there
are no events matching your selection!

Please adjust your criteria to see more results.

Password was reset

Your password has been reset successfully. You can now log in with your new password.

Check your Inbox

We’ve sent you a password reset email to the address provided. Please check your inbox and/or spam folder.

Thank you!

Please check your inbox for a verification email to complete your sign-up.

Newsletter

Culture, curated weekly.

Add to Calendar

Select the date to be saved in your Google calendar.

calendar placeholder

Done!

Event removed from your CoolAgenda.

Yeah!

Event Saved to your CoolAgenda

Add to CoolAgenda

In your CoolAgenda

Date

Title

Location

Description

calendar placeholder

Reset password

Forgot your password?

Sign Up

Create your Account and Culture Up!