Showcasing all the diversity of this cinema: 32nd edition of the National Animation Festival this week in Rennes

Several thousand spectators are expected throughout the week in Rennes.

Credit: Gwendal Le Flem

Animated films are in the spotlight this week in Rennes. Starting this Tuesday, April 7, and throughout the week, until Sunday, April 12, the 32nd edition of the National Animation Festival will take place. This date has become the second most important in France after Annecy. “This year, we have selected nearly 150 films, 69 of which will be in competition. These works can be seen in over 80 sessions until Sunday. The goal is really to take a snapshot of what has happened in 2025 for French animation,” explains Jeanne Frommer, the festival’s programmer.

During the previous edition, over 21,000 spectators came to theaters in Rennes, because animation cinema in Brittany is a success story.

“In fact, there are two flagship studios here. They give this tone to the Breton territory, and it means that many technicians have settled in Brittany and work in both of these studios. Let’s say that this structures the Breton animation ecosystem. There are also animation schools in this region, which means that there are many students who then stay in Brittany and become professionals. So, Brittany is indeed identified as a strong territory for animation in France,” says Isabelle Vanini, general delegate of the French animation cinema association.

Several Highlights

Among the important moments of this week, the festival opening is certainly a highlight. It starts this Tuesday, April 7, at 8:30 PM at the National Theater of Brittany with the premiere screening of the film Bouchra.

Another highlight of this edition will be on Wednesday, April 8, at 4 PM, with the screening of Michel Ocelot’s latest animated film, Les Lapins 3 Oreilles.

“He directed Kirikou and the Sorceress, Azur et Asmar, and Princesses and princesses. In short, he is a very big name in animation cinema. It will be great to have his latest film, which is a very special project, since it is a production made only to be shown either in a dome or in a planetarium. And so we will be able to screen this film in the Rennes planetarium! For us, it’s really an event to be able to offer this and showcase the diversity of formats in this cinema,” describes Jeanne Frommer.

Then, the film will be shown from Thursday to Sunday with one session on Thursdays and Fridays and four sessions on Saturdays and Sundays, always in the Rennes planetarium.

If the National Theater of Brittany will be the epicenter of the festival, many other places will be honored, such as the Museum of Fine Arts of Rennes, the Champs Libres, and the Arvor Cinema. They will all be key locations in this 32nd edition.