iACADEMY

Pixar veteran Andrew Gordon’s new short An Epic Yarn, Avery Kroll’s The Piano and Nicolás Solé’s Cap Al Cel (Shoji Films) are among the animated short films selected to shine at the Animayo Gran Canaria: La Isla de mi Vida (“The Island of My Life”) festival next week (May 6-9). As previously announced, Disney animation icon Tony Bancroft (The Lion King, Mulan), who is executive producer of The Piano, will chair the 2026 edition of the animation event.

Overall, 75 short films were selected from nearly 2,000 works submitted from 78 countries to be part of the four official 2026 Competition Sections. The 21st edition of the festival will feature 34 premieres and special screenings. Animayo Gran Canaria is the only animation festival in Spain with double qualification for the Academy Awards and, as recently announced, the Annie Awards.

Among this year’s other announced programs:

• The directors of An Epic Yarn, The Piano and Cap al Cel will be on hand to discuss the creation of their new shorts at a special panel titled “Small Great Stories” scheduled for Saturday (May 9) at 4:30 p.m.
• Liane-Cho Han Jin Kuang and Maïlys Vallade’s Oscar-nominated feature Little Amélie is also scheduled for Wednesday (May 6) at 4 p.m.
• Finnish animation studio Gigglebug Entertainment will offer a special family screening showcasing the studio’s animated family comedies, including 101 Dalmatian Street, Bat-Fam, Super Duper Bunny League, Moominvalley Christmas and The Unstoppable Yellow Yeti. Saturday (May 9) at noon.

The final selection of shorts also offers a great overview of the fantastic animated work produced by talented students from international schools, universities and training centers including Gobelins (France); ESMA (France); Supinfocom/Rubika (France); Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg (Germany); National Film and Television School (United Kingdom); iACADEMY (Philippines); Universidad de Artes Digitales (Mexico); Escena, Escuela de Animación y Arte Digital (Spain); and Dr. Shariati National University of Skill (Iran).

The Animayo Gran Canaria 2026 International Palmarès will be made up of the winners of its four Official Competition Sections: International; Animación con Ñ (Best Spanish-Speaking Nationality Short Film); Cinematics, VFX and Commissioned Films, films aimed at adult audiences (16 years of age onwards), and the children and youth section My First Festival, which grants the Children’s Audience Award. Always in original version with subtitles, the 75 selected short films will be screened in different sessions at Teatro Guiniguada in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria during the four days of the festival.

Animayo’s four official competition sections will be voted on by the public and by the International Jury, chaired by Tony Bancroft. The 2026 International jury includes Brooke Keesling, ASIFA-Hollywood vice president; Arslan Elver, animation supervisor, Framestore; and Sarah McDonald, character supervisor, Skydance Animation. The Animación con Ñ jury is composed of Elena Najar, Nicolás Solé, Mario Serrano, Elena Velasco and Santiago Vélez Alfonso, and the Cinematics, VFX and Commissioned Films Jury members are Arslan Elver, Brooke Keesling, Sarah McDonald, Avery Kroll and Andrew Gordon.

The 2026 edition of Animayo will feature 40 animation guest speakers, 13 master classes; 12 educational talks; 6 workshops, and the World Premiere exhibition “The Visual World of Alan Bodne,” around 20 stands from artists, schools and universities; more than 20 hours of recruitment sessions, portfolio reviews and signings, and three panels and talks.

As the event’s award-winning filmmaker, producer and director Damián Perea points out, “There are festivals where stories are screened, and there are festivals where they begin. And that is Animayo, a project made by and for people where talent is not only shown, it connects.”