‘Iron Boy,’ ‘Tangles’ and ‘The Violinist’ Among Animation Is Film’s 2026 Festival Line-Up — SkimNews
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- Animation Is Film will hold its ninth edition October 16–19 at TCL Chinese 6 Theaters in Hollywood, Calif., featuring competition screenings alongside studio presentations, retrospective screenings, filmmaker talks and works-in-progress.
- Dana Terrace's "Knights of Guinevere" will open the festival with a world-first theatrical premiere of its first two episodes — the first time in AIF history the festival has commenced with a TV series premiere.
- Competition titles include Leah Nelson's "Tangles," Louis Clichy's "Iron Boy," and Ervin Han and Raúl García's "The Violinist," alongside Masanao Kawajiri's "Cherry and Virgin," Shingo Natsume's "Ghost – End of Night," and Nicolas Athané and Marco Nguyen's "Jim Queen."
- Additional competing films include Sébastien Laudenbach's "Viva Carmen!" Louise Bagnall's "Julián," and "O filho da Puta (Son of a Bitch)" from Otto Guerra, Érica Maradona, Tânia Anaya, and Sávio Leite.
- Studio presentations and works-in-progress include Walt Disney Animation's "Hexed," Paramount's "Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender," a theatrical presentation of Yoshiaki Kawajiri's "Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust," and a look at Matt Braly's "Clara and the Below."
- AIF Director Matt Kaszanek called the Terrace premiere an "otherworldly excitement" moment, while CITIA CEO Mickael Marin said AIF extends "the international journey of the films and talents revealed and celebrated in Annecy" to Los Angeles audiences.
Why it matters: The opening-night premiere marks Animation Is Film's first-ever TV-series theatrical launch, elevating Dana Terrace's streaming-era 'Knights of Guinevere' to feature-level prestige alongside its competition slate. Independent and international animators gain a Hollywood showcase that extends their Annecy-circuit reach into U.S. audiences through the October 16–19 event.
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