Telefilm, NFB, CMF Drive Canadian Animation on Annecy 2026

With more than eleven films in competition and six additional titles in out-of-competition and special programs sections, Canada is once again a standout at France’s Annecy Animation Film Festival and the lakeside market, MIFA.

Confirming the momentum provided by Canada’s leading cultural institutions last year, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and Téléfilm Canada are joining forces with the Canada Media Fund (CMF) to create a new initiative, Canada Morning!, that highlights Canada’s innovation and collaboration capabilities while positioning themselves as pioneers in the global animation market.

A year after their last performance in Annecy, Suzanne Guèvremont, government film commissioner and chair of the NFB, and Julie Roy, executive director and CEO of Téléfilm Canada, are joined by CMF president and CEO Valerie Creighton, who leads the country’s largest financier of screen-based content, including animation.

Before the festival, Variety spoke with the three executives, aligned with their goals and missions: building the future of Canadian animation, empowering Canadian companies and championing both animation veterans and emerging artists, while preserving its legacy for both national and international audiences.

From idea to screen: nurturing and investing in Canadian talent

At the core of NFB’s creative strategy, “from idea to screen” is more than a motto for Suzanne Guèvremont. “As a producer, NFB has a long history of nurturing talent and helping new voices explore the animated medium, an art form that travels well and resonates with global audiences.”

Building on the recent success story of the Academy Award-winning short film ‘The Girl Who Cried Pearls’, which debuted in Annecy last year, Guèvremont underlines that each NFB film benefits from the combined expertise of the creative and strategic teams, carefully tailored to reach the widest possible audience while retaining its individuality.

This year, NFB brings two projects to Annecy, ‘Ultra Strong’ by filmmaker and multidisciplinary artist Catherine Lepage (featuring Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson and Arcade Fire co-founder Régine Chassagne) and ‘The Shiatsung Project’, a feature film directed by Brigitte Archambault and Eva Cvijanovic, produced by ‘Death Does Not Exist’ director Félix Dufour-Laperrière.

In addition to NFB, nurturing and investing in Canadian talent is also at the core of Téléfilm Canada’s mission, joined in that regard by CMF.

Last year, Julie Roy unveiled a new initiative in Annecy for the development and export of animated films. Ahead of the 2026 edition, Roy confirms: “Following the success of this initiative, we are pleased to say that these envelopes will remain in place going forward as the number of animated films sent to Téléfilm Canada continues to grow.”

Meanwhile, CMF production funding for animated linear content increased from C$16.8 million ($11.9 million) to C$29.4 million ($20.9 million) between 2024-2025 and 2025-2026. A direct result of strategic actions taken to facilitate the financing of content for children and young people (much of which is animated), according to Valerie Creighton.

“This push for animation comes at a crucial time as the industry faces headwinds such as AI, rising costs and a changing broadcast landscape,” she adds. “CMF actively supports creators and producers with a wide range of programs, such as a Digital Creators Pilot, Sector Development Support and targeted programs for creators from Indigenous, Black, racial, regional and official language minority communities, all of which contribute to the growth of the next generation of Canadian animation talent.

CMF’s Distributor Program, designed to provide more flexibility to CMF applicants, is responsible for much of that increase.

Beyond the project: empowering Canadian companies and encouraging (inter)national co-productions

With a record number of 88 Canadian executives and creators from 36 different companies brought to Annecy thanks to Téléfilm Canada and its partners, the Canadian delegation is one of the strongest in this year’s market.

That is a testament to the efforts of Julie Roy and her teams. “It’s part of our mission to promote Canadian studios and producers and bring co-productions to life across feature film, TV and other industry categories. As part of our international promotional program, we’re bringing professionals to Berlin, Cannes and now Annecy on an unprecedented scale, with a special focus on broadcasters this year.”

As part of Canada Morning, six Canadian broadcasters (CBC, Knowledge, Radio-Canada, Télé-Québec, TVO, TFO) will present an ongoing project open to co-producers and international investors, before discussing their strategies and engaging with international counterparts France Télévisions and RTBF.

“We are very excited to bring all these broadcasters together in Annecy,” continues Roy. “Animation is a medium that fits very well with the co-production model, especially when it comes to linear content. I am convinced that once our guests are introduced to Annecy and MIFA, they will include both events in their annual calendar. It is also the result of projects we have been working on for months, if not years, bridging the gap between events such as Cartoon Movie and Forum, and it is very rewarding to see these initiatives finally come together.”

Creighton fully agrees with her colleague and underlines the importance of co-production for Canadian companies in this highly competitive market.

The force behind many co-production agreements already in place, the latest of which was signed in April between Canada and the Republic of Korea, CMF is also behind the push for greater international cooperation between Canadian producers and broadcasters and their international counterparts. “Last year, we launched the Canada-Asia Pacific Co-Production Accelerator (CAPCA), sponsored by CMF’s Sector Development Program. And it’s one of many initiatives CMF has for Canadian broadcasters and international co-producers, facilitating financing to create unique content for children and young viewers. A strategy I’ve been working on with our board and the Canadian government over the years, and it’s paying off today.”

With Canadian co-productions such as Cartoon Saloon’s ‘Julián’ and Reza Memari’s ‘The Last Whale Singer’ (both funded by CMF) selected in the Annecy Presents section, along with several TV series, CMF’s role in pushing the boundaries for Canadian animation is evident and provides clear support for Canadian projects, including those produced by NFB and/or supported by Téléfilm-Canada.

Canadian animation sells worldwide

Continuing her speech last year, Julie Roy underlines the efforts of Téléfilm-Canada and its partners to bring Canadian stories to children and adults both nationally and internationally.

“Canadian adult animation is growing within our own audience,” she adds. “I have always advocated considering animation beyond the children’s perspective, and with feature films like Félix Dufour-Laperrière’s ‘Death Does Not Exist’ I am happy to see that people are increasingly open to such artistic proposals.”

Canadian-led, family-friendly projects are also doing well both in and outside Canada, with the most recent example being the blockbuster ‘Night of the Zoopocalypse’, produced by Copperheart Entertainment and co-produced with France and Belgium.

According to a recent Parrot Analytics study commissioned by CMF, the average demand for Canadian animation is twice the national average for all Canadian shows domestically, and 1.25 times internationally. “While finding an audience is always a struggle for any form of content, these numbers seem to indicate that animation is and remains a strong Canadian cultural export,” Creighton underlines. A conclusion that reflects the statistics of Téléfilm-Canada, where international sales represent 83% of total turnover for animated titles, compared to 63% for live-action films.

At MIFA on June 25, the two executives will share the stage to dive deeper into these statistics before opening the floor to broadcasters in a panel “Beyond Borders: Canada’s Global Network of Partners,” preceded by an exclusive showcase of six Canadian animated series projects actively seeking partners.

Preserving legacy

Looking to the future, Canada’s pioneering institutions are also taking care of their vibrant legacy. With more than 87 years of experience in the animation medium and more than 14,000 titles in its collection (7,000 of which are available for free on NFB.ca), the NFB not only produces films, but also protects Canada’s audiovisual heritage and shares it with the world.

Last year, weeks after “The Girl Who Cried Pearls” won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film, NFB completed its expertly curated campaign by releasing the film globally on its streaming platform, giving thousands access to Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski’s stop-motion short film. “At NFB, we have a very clear desire to make our films available to Canadians, and then internationally. All of our films are hosted there and accessible to Canadians, making our platform an incredibly rich archive for both animation enthusiasts and young filmmakers looking for inspiration.”

Guèvremont’s favorite short film, “Ryan” by Chris Landreth, is also available on the NFB platform, along with the thousands of memorable works by respected Canadian authors and animation veterans.

Bridging the gap

What will 2027 look like for Canadian animation studios, broadcasters and producers alike. With its author-driven strategy, NFB aims to bring back strong independent visions and talented artists to the festival, such as Catherine Lepage, Brigitte Archambault and many others.

On the business side, both Téléfilm Canada and CMF are confident that this push towards broadcasters will create new opportunities for co-productions, a push that will continue during this year’s edition of Cartoon Forum, where Canada will be the host country.

“With applications for animation development funding continuing to rise, I am excited to see what projects will emerge from our vibrant Canadian industry,” concludes Julie Roy. “Additionally, we also host animation projects in our Talent to Watch program, another sign of the rich and thriving community that makes up Canada’s animation scene.”

Bridging the gap and building connections between artists, producers, broadcasters and international partners will be on the agenda for each of these top executives in the coming week, all hailing from the welcoming Canadian Pavilion at the heart of MIFA.