The 2026 LINOLEUM Contemporary Animation and Media Art Festival will be held offline on September 30–October 4 in Kyiv.
In 2026, the LINOLEUM Contemporary Animation and Media Art Festival will be held offline on September 30–October 4 in Kyiv.is the theme of the 13th edition, and we are starting to accept films for the competition programs.
Blind Spot — is a space or an area that a person cannot see or perceive, even when trying to.In physiology, it is the point on the retina that lacks photoreceptors, where the image simply disappears from the field of vision.In a metaphorical sense, it is the zone of our unconsciousness — the place where we fail to notice our own biases, doubts, or distortions of reality.
It is there, in the shadow, that comfortable illusions are born — where each of us chooses not to see what’s difficult to face.The past few years have shown how easy it is to lose the ability to distinguish truth from manipulation, how fragile our critical thinking can be.We’ve grown accustomed to simple answers, loud slogans, and collective “concerns” that too often hide an absence of real action.
This year’s theme is an attempt to see what we usually avoid — to recognize our own zones of insensitivity in how we perceive the world, politics, and art.To learn to call things by their names and stop hiding behind silence or linguistic clichés.Only then can we regain clarity — in our personal field of vision and in our collective view of the world.
The visual concept will be created by an award-winning Ukrainian animation director, Stas Santimov (). Authors can submit their works to the International Competition or the Commissioned Films Competition.Films made in any animation technique, including works combining animation with acting and documentaries, are eligible.The animated part should be at least 50% of the film and not exceed the running time of 20 minutes.
The films must be produced after January 1, 2025. For British-produced films, please note that LINOLEUM is a BAFTA Qualifying Festival.The program of the 13th edition will also include Ukrainian competition and retrospective, experimental films and video art, animation for and by kids, lectures and master classes, as well as diverse networking events.Films are accepted via the FilmFreeway festival platform.
The call is open till May 1st.The festival regulations are available at the following link:
https://linoleumfest.com/en/about/regulation
