Hungary As Guest of Honor at Annecy Animation Festival

Hungary will be the guest of honor at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, starting on June 8, in celebration of the 110th anniversary of Hungarian animation. The National Film Institute (NFI) unveiled the official Hungarian visual identity for the festival, designed by Levente Szabó.

This year’s festival will highlight Hungarian animation’s creators, studios, producers, and rich history while also providing a platform for emerging Hungarian talents. The Hungarian visual identity combines Annecy’s globally recognized, iconic rabbit symbol with key elements of Hungarian visual culture. It pays tribute to the deep-rooted traditions and dynamic development of Hungarian animation while offering a fresh, contemporary approach.

Illustrator Levente Szabó expressed his honor at participating in the project, emphasizing that Annecy is renowned worldwide. “Beyond the exciting theme, it was a real challenge to create a visual concept that reflects both the uniqueness of the festival and the distinctive characteristics of Hungarian animation,” said the designer of the visual identity.

Szabó graduated from the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design (MOME) with a degree in graphic design. Since 2006, he has worked as a freelance graphic designer and illustrator and is an internationally recognized professional. He also designed the posters for the BAFTA Awards in 2016.

Levente Szabó has already dressed the rabbit in the colors of Hungary, and the official poster of the Annecy Festival will be unveiled in the coming days,”

stated Marcel Jean, the festival’s artistic director. Paying tribute to Hungarian animation is a celebration of a rich cultural tradition that has continuously evolved from generation to generation, Jean added.

Csaba Káel, Government Commissioner for Film and President of the National Film Institute, emphasized that the unveiling of the official Hungarian visual identity marks the beginning of an exciting and meaningful period, the first step in preparing for the festival.

In Annecy, the entire Hungarian animation industry—its dynamic present, rich heritage, and promising future—will be in the spotlight,”

he said. Leading up to the festival, Friss Hús Budapest International Short Film Festival, supported by the National Film Institute, will organize a pitch forum to select young Hungarian talents who will present their projects in Annecy. Based on the decision of a pre-jury, 12 projects will be showcased at the first Hungarian Animation Pitch Forum on March 28, at the Toldi Cinema in Budapest.

The organizers of the animation festival recently announced the short film selection for the June event. Among the invited films from Hungary are Dog Ear (Kutyafül), the latest animated film by Péter Vácz, Capriccio by Gábor Ulrich, and The Last Drop (Az utolsó dobás), a graduation film by Anna Tőkés from MOME.