Annecy announces Colombia as country of honor 2027
The world’s most prominent animation festival, Annecy, has named Colombia a Country of Honor next year, a major nod to the South American country’s fast-growing animation industry.
The honor was bestowed by the 66-year-old festival and its market, Mifa (Marché International du Film d’Animation), long considered the premier global gathering for animation creators, studios, buyers, distributors, platforms, investors and industry professionals.
With this recognition, billed as the seven-day event concluding with the awards ceremony on June 27, Colombia joins the ranks of Japan, Canada, Ireland, Spain, Mexico and Brazil, all of which were previously recognized as honorary countries.
After more than four decades of growth, Colombia now boasts more than thirty animation and digital content studios, producing a range of internationally distributed series, feature films and short films. Bogotá remains the main hub and is home to studios such as Team Toon Studio, Caballo Loco Studio, Dinamita Animación, Piragna, Hierro Animación, Lucy Animation Studio and Ikartoons Animation.
Reflecting on the announcement, Marcel Jean, artistic director of the Annecy Animation Festival since 2012, said: “Over the past ten years, Colombian animation has gained a remarkable boost, both through the quality of its artistic output and through its efforts to strengthen its international presence through co-productions and participation in major industrial events.”
He cited a visit to the Bogoshorts festival in Colombia, where he “witnessed firsthand the enthusiasm that drives a promising new generation of young talent working on ambitious short and feature films currently in production.”
Mária Cristina Pérez represents this new generation of talent whose fourth short film, the experimental drama “Once in a Body” (“Una vez en un cuerpo”) is competing in Annecy. This follows notable short films such as “The Plastic Turtle” (2019) and “The Bitch” (2023), which screened at festivals around the world.
“For these reasons, a tribute to Colombian animation in 2027 is particularly timely – an opportunity to celebrate this creative diversity and highlight the power of a model that supports entrepreneurs in the moving image sector,” Jean added.
Colombia’s participation as host Country of Honor in Annecy is part of a broader international promotional strategy led by Proimágenes Colombia, which also serves as the Colombia Film Commission.
Claudia Triana, executive director of Proimágenes Colombia, sees the recognition as “the result of decades of work by artists, producers, studios, institutions and industry associations who have helped build a strong, innovative sector with a global outlook.”
“This invitation will allow us to showcase the diversity of Colombia’s creative talent to the world, strengthen co-production opportunities and open new avenues for the international circulation of Colombian animated content. It is also an opportunity to inspire new generations of creators and demonstrate that Colombia can compete and collaborate at the highest levels of the global animation industry,” she noted.
