Animation First
Festival
10th Edition of Animation FirstÂ
February 2-7, 2027Â
Animation First Festival is celebrating its 10th anniversary! Â
To celebrate this important landmark, the festival will be back for a vibrant and plentiful program of feature films, shorts, artist talks, workshops, Virtual reality and special surprises. With programs for audiences of all ages, from children to adult. Save the date!Â
About the festivalÂ
L’Alliance New York’s popular Animation First Festival is the largest animation festival in the U.S. and the only festival in the country dedicated to showcasing the enduring legacy and trailblazing innovation of French and Francophone animation.Â
This multi-day celebration features screenings of feature-length and short films, artist talks, virtual reality experiences, first looks, a Student Short Film Competition, an Animation Speak/Easy night, and a juried competition across the New Francophone Shorts programs. Â
Past Animation First Festival highlights include the U.S. premiere of Dandelion’s Odyssey by  Momoko Seto, a special screening of Arco with Ugo Bienvenu and an artist talk with Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski in 2026; the East Coast premiere of The Most Precious of Cargoes with the Academy Award-winning director Michel Hazanavicius in 2025; the New York premiere of director Jérémie Périn’s Mars Express as the 2024 Opening Night feature; award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker Anca Damian as the festival’s Guest of Honor in 2023; a 30th-anniversary screening of Beauty and the Beast presented in partnership with The Met, as well as a special appearance by Florence Miailhe, in 2022; a selection of favorite films curated by Wes Anderson in 2021; and a panel discussion on the Academy Award-nominated I Lost My Body with editor Benjamin Massoubre in 2020.
The Animation First Festival is curated by Delphine Selles-Alvarez and Chloé Dheu, L’Alliance Film Manager. All films are in French with English subtitles (unless otherwise noted), and all talks are in English.
To see a list of former Animation First features, please visit our Event Archive.
