– The Marché du Film-hosted platform offers an early look at upcoming animated features seeking sales agents, distribution and festival exposure
Insectario by Sofía Carrillo
The Annecy Animation Showcase, the industry-focused strand co-organised by the Marché du Film and the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, returns to Cannes on 17 May. As part of the broader Cannes Animation programme (15-17 May – see the news), the showcase brings together five projects in post-production, offering an early look at some of the most promising animated features currently in the pipeline.
This year’s selection reflects the wide thematic and stylistic spectrum of contemporary animation, spanning action-driven narratives, historical epics, intimate dramas and imaginative comedies. The projects explore memory, identity, survival and transformation, while demonstrating a strong emphasis on visual storytelling and cross-cultural collaboration.
The showcase will take place at Palais K within the Palais des Festivals, where the creative teams behind each project will present their films to an audience of sales agents, distributors and festival programmers. Designed as a launchpad for nearly completed works, the session aims to facilitate international circulation and festival exposure.
Among the highlights with European involvement, Vergine Keaton’s Bataille offers an abstract and philosophical approach, depicting a Renaissance battlefield where the chaos of war gradually gives way to existential reflection. Lighter in tone but equally inventive, Alain Gagnol’s (A Cat in Paris, Nina and the Hedgehog’s Secret) Dog My Cats! blends family adventure with comedy, as two children uncover a hidden legacy under the guidance of their eccentric grandmother. Meanwhile, Sofía Carrillo’s Insectario combines fantasy and coming-of-age elements, imagining a world without insects, where a young girl’s mistake brings a fragile ecosystem back to life.
Beyond the showcase, Cannes Animation expands its footprint this year with an enhanced programme of panels, workshops and networking events, with a particular focus on the global influence of Japanese animation.
Here is the full line-up of projects selected for the 2026 Annecy Animation Showcase:
Insectario – Sofía Carrillo (Mexico/Spain)
Producers: Nicolás Celis, Sofía Carrillo, Mónika Revilla, Victor Leycegui
Dog My Cats! – Alain Gagnol (France/Canada/Belgium)
Producers: Jérôme Duc-Maugé, Brice Garnier, Cédric Iland
Wasted Chef – Takayuki Hirao (Japan)
Producers: Ryoichiro Matsuo, Yunosuke Uno, Kosuke Arai
Hidari – Masashi Kawamura (Japan)
Producers: Noriko Matsumoto, Mie Onishi-Shimooka
Bataille – Vergine Keaton (France/Canada/Italy/Belgium)
Producers: Manon Messiant, Vanessa Buttin-Labarthe, Jean Bouthors
