Budapest will become one of the key meeting points for the Central and Eastern European animation industry in the summer of 2026. From 27 July to 2 August, Hungary will host one of the on-site modules of the CEE Animation Workshop. Nearly 50 international animation professionals will gather in Budapest for the third module of the 2026 programme to take part in collaborative project development, professional consultations, mentoring sessions and networking activities throughout the week.

The CEE Animation Workshop is one of the leading international animation project development programmes in Central and Eastern Europe. Every year, it provides producers, directors and creative teams with the opportunity to develop animation film projects, exchange professional knowledge and build international partnerships. The programme aims to support the development of European animation projects while fostering international co-productions and long-term professional collaboration.

As part of the workshop programme, the CEE Animation Industry Day will take place on 30 July at the Auditorium of Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design (MOME). Open to the wider Hungarian animation community, the event will provide insight into the international development programme. Visitors will have the opportunity to discover the international animation projects currently being developed within the workshop, while Hungarian animation studios will also have the chance to introduce themselves to the international participants.

The CEE Animation Workshop is a year-long international programme that helps animation filmmakers transform promising ideas into feasible projects with international market potential. Throughout the programme, participants receive guidance from internationally renowned experts on story development, production planning, financing strategies and international co-production opportunities.

The 2026 mentoring team includes internationally recognised script development experts Phil Parker (United Kingdom) and Rita Domonyi, as well as producers Annemie Degryse (Lumiere Group / Beast Studio, Belgium) and Réka Temple (Cinemon Entertainment, Hungary), who serve as group leaders supporting participants throughout the development process.

“Hosting this event marks an important milestone in strengthening the international presence of the Hungarian animation industry. As host city, Budapest offers professionals from across the region and Europe the opportunity to discover Hungary’s animation scene, its studios and creators. One of the programme’s greatest strengths is its emphasis on international collaboration and shared thinking, creating lasting professional relationships between animation professionals from Central and Eastern Europe and beyond,” said Réka Temple, producer, President of the Hungarian Animation Producers Association (MAPSZ).

The Budapest meeting represents the third module of the 2026 workshop programme, during which participants continue developing their projects through group sessions, professional consultations and mentoring.

For the 2026 edition, 12 animation projects were selected from 55 applications submitted from 27 countries. The selected projects involve 31 professionals from 18 countries and include six feature films, three television series and three short films. While the workshop continues to place special emphasis on creators from Central and Eastern Europe, it also welcomes participants from across Europe, further strengthening international professional cooperation.

This year’s selection includes projects by creators from Poland, Norway, Denmark, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary and Slovenia, among others. The films and series under development cover a wide range of genres and themes—from contemporary fairy tales and family stories to historical, socially engaged and deeply personal narratives—reflecting the diversity and creative vitality of Central and Eastern European animation.

Among the selected projects is a Hungarian co-production, The Ghost of the Riverbend, produced by Bella Szederkényi (CUB Animation) and directed by Bálint Gelley, which is being developed as a Slovenian-Hungarian co-production. Its selection demonstrates the increasingly active role of Hungarian animation in international co-production partnerships.

The Industry Day programme on 30 July will also feature masterclasses by two internationally acclaimed filmmakers. Anita Doron, the Hungarian-Canadian writer and director best known as the screenwriter of the Academy Award- and Golden Globe-nominated The Breadwinner, and Hisko Hulsing, the Dutch director and visual artist who has worked on Netflix’s The Sandman and the acclaimed animated series Undone, will share their creative experience with participants and audiences.

“The Budapest programme of CEE Animation Workshop 2026 further strengthens Hungary’s position within the European animation industry and contributes to establishing Budapest as one of the region’s key professional meeting points for the international animation community,” said Dr. Ildikó Takács, Board Member of the Hungarian Animation Producers Association (MAPSZ).

The Budapest module is organised in cooperation between CEE Animation and the Hungarian Animation Producers Association (HAPA /MAPSZ), with the support of Creative Europe MEDIA and the National Film Institute – Hungary.