Brace yourselves, the fifth edition of Rise & Shine Animation pitching Lab is coming! We are thrilled to announce the call for the projects and participants of 2026!
The three-part storytelling, development and pitching lab is going to take place again in June 2026 at World Festival of Animated Film – Animafest Zagreb in Croatia, in October 2026 online and culminate in December 2026 at Animateka International Animated Film Festival in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
We are searching for inspiring short animated films in development, made by young talents. We will choose 10 teams and the 11th team will be coming as the direct selection from our partner event Pitch, please!, organized by Animest International Animation Film Festival.
Event format
Eleven selected projects will be invited to Animafest Zagreb in June 2026, where they will receive a programme of lectures, workshops, individual and group sessions with experienced film professionals in the field of animation.
A special focus will be on the story of the project, which they will work on individually with an experienced mentor. Additionally, they will also be exploring production specifics for their projects under the guidance of animation industry professionals.
The second part will take place online in October 2026, where the participants will start to prepare and work on their pitch.
The participants will complete the final stage of the workshop at Animateka in December 2026, where the teams will receive lessons focused on pitching preparations and improving their presentation skills. The culmination of the experience will be a live pitch session in front of an international audience and a selected panel of animation professionals, where they will compete for various awards.
Awards
Rise & Shine Audience Award
Award for the audience’s favorite project. It entails invitation to the next edition of Animafest Zagreb and Animateka festivals in 2027, with festival badge and accommodation.
CEE Animation Forum Award
Direct selection to the Short Film pitching category at the next edition of the CEE Animation Forum in 2027.
Rise & Shine Film Centre of Montenegro Award
A monetary award in the amount of €1,500 is awarded and sponsored by the Film Centre of Montenegro.
Short Film Market Clermont-Ferrand Attendance
Five projects will receive the opportunity to attend the next edition of the market in 2027.
Skills & Networking
All teams will benefit from having access to renowned experts to help them gain the skills and knowledge to successfully develop and present their work. In addition, the filmmakers will have the opportunity to introduce their project to a wider international professional audience connected to both festivals.
Call for submissions is closed!
