16th StopTrik IFF: Official Selection announced - Stop Motion Animation, Borderlands, Panorama

With great excitement we present the results of StopTrik 2026 Official Selection consisting of 68 films selected for following programmes: “International Competition: Stop Motion Animation”, “International Competition: Borderlands”, “Panorama: Open Frame”, and “Panorama Dead Media”. Two competitive programmes are judged by the StopTrik Audiences and Maribor Student Jury. Non-competitive “Panorama Open Frame” further explores the freshest and most exciting qualities found in contemporary stop motion animation around the world. Also non-competitive “Panorama Dead Media” is a curated programme deriving from the Festival’s main theme this year that is inspired by Bruce Sterling's 1995 manifesto. Dead media are those (…) that died on the barbed wire of technological advance, media that didn’t make it, martyred media. StopTrik 2026 will thematize the transformation of media (fading of communication technologies that are essential for understanding of 20th and early 21st century artistic creation) as well as the transformation of information society into misinformation society. The Festival will be held on September, 23. – 27. in Maribor, Slovenia.

Except for the Festival itself, the announcement of the Official Selection is probably the most exciting moment of the year. It is only possible thanks to the Filmmakers who submit their works for our consideration. Without their willingness to share their films and the trust they place in us, there would simply be no festival. Our gratitude to all 407 Submitters this year is immense.

The selection process is never easy. Comparing works of different styles, artistic intentions, genres, and approaches to storytelling is a challenge in itself. Beyond technical and artistic quality, we also consider the intellectual depth, social awareness, and the values communicated through the films. The Festival carries a responsibility towards its Audiences, who seek not only outstanding animation but also meaningful stories that can inspire change. Ultimately, selection is inevitably subjective. The Selectors approach every submission with open minds and hearts, yet their own perspectives on animation naturally shape their choices. While proud and excited to present the final programme, the selectors also do so with a sense of regret, knowing that many remarkable films that will stay with them could not be included in this year’s Official Selection.

Claudia Munksgaard-Palmqvist, who joined the team this year and gently but decisively conducted the pre-selection phase, says: This year's submissions have surprised me tonally, thematically, and in the filmmakers’ attention to the materiality of the medium. I have been moved by the filmmakers’ audacity and spirit. Most of the films require us to lean forward and participate, rather than lean back and relax. Congratulations to the artists, producers, and craftspeople for making this year’s festival program special.

Michał Bobrowski, StopTrik Programme Director responsible for the final selection, fully agrees. He also notes certain wider tendencies that can be found in this year’s StopTrik line-up. As has already been observed, stop motion continues to rule over Latin and South America – this year we will present 10 films from Mexico, Colombia, Uruguay, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, and Cuba, among them works by Karla Castañeda (Mexico), Joseph Specker Nys (Brazil),Ivette Ávila Martín (Cuba), and Juan Camilo González Moreno (Colombia), artists of great renown and even greater imagination.

 Perhaps we are also witnessing the rejuvenation of stop motion in Czechia, where the traditions of stop motion are outstanding, but which has been a little quieter in recent years in this regard. This time especially strong wind blows from the direction of FAMU (films by Laura Boráros, Katerina Ku, and Barbora Vanická are present in both “Stop Motion Animation” and “Borderlands” competitions). Alos, there might be a new shining star on the horizon – Hungary. While Milán Kopasz and Tamás Patrovits are quite “usual suspects” across art-house animation festivals, it is with great pleasure that we discovered that MOME, where previously stop motion was not really explored, have apparently just unlocked great potential thanks to the work of students Csanád Baksa-Soós, Janka Pálma Bácsi, and Hanna Mária Skultéty. Finally, we are also proud that StopTrik IFF is a platform where Ukrainian animation is visible and vivid through the excellent works of Oleksandr Isaienko and Yuliia Tabenska.

The selected films will speak best for themselves when encountered on the screen in Maribor!

OFFICIAL SELECTION – FULL FILM LISTS (in alphabetical order)

International Competition Programme: Stop Motion Animation

1.     Action Bog, dir. Winston Hacking, prod. Rubber Cement Films, 2025, Canada, 1’23’’

2.     Agathe Must Go / Agathe doit partir, dir. Dylan Hall, Maya Matar, prod. Atelier de Sèvres, 2025, France, 8’52’’

3.     Avant de rentrer… , dir. Arthur Bonneau, prod. Lycée René Descartes, 2026, France, 15’50’’

4.     Ball Face, dir. & prod. Laurence Thérien, 2026, UK, Canada, 4’32’’

5.     Blessed, dir. & prod. Birute Sodeikaite, 2025, Canada, 7’41’’

6.     BOUM, dir. Titouan Tillier, prod. Frigo Films, 2026, France, 2’40’’

7.     Cold Home / Zimny dom, dir. Alicja Liss, prod. Magdalena Abakanowicz University of Fine Arts in Poznań, 2025, Poland, 8’22’’

8.     Deep End / 《深水区》(Shen Shui Qu), dir. Puzhen Zhang, prod. NFTS, 2026, UK, 7’39’’

9.     Emechiche, The Rebirth of White-Headed / Emechiche, El renacer de los cabeciblancos, dir. Juan Camilo González Moreno, prod. Little Bears, 2025, Colombia, Argentina, 11’28’’

10.  Frankie the Rabbit’s Final Preparations / Ostatnie przygotowania krolika Frania, dir. Marianna Mrożek, prod. Lodz Film School, 2026, Poland, 3’10’’

11.  Fructus Fliegus, dir. Emilia Zieser, prod. Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF, 2025, Germany, 4’48’’

12.  Hatker, dir. Alejandro Ariel Martin, prod. Epirenov, 2025, Argentina, 7’30’’

13.  Imagination, dir. & prod. Diane Lindo, 2025, Canada, 1’55’’

14.  Imago, dir. Tom Petitprez, prod. Ecole Européenne Supérieure d'Art de Bretagne, 2025, France, 6’30’’

15.  Liminal, dir. Fernando Silva De la Cruz, prod. Cigoto, 2026, Chile, 2’30’’

16.  Making It Fit, dir. Mariana Leal, prod. Animate Projects, 2025, UK, 4’30’’

17.  Momma Doesn't Notice Shit, dir. Sonya Nikitina, Vitaly Ushakov, Juliette Gangl, prod. BAU Art and Design College in Barcelona, 2025, Spain, 4’14’’

18.  Mud / Lodo, 2026, dir. Joseph Specker Nys, prod. Cuenco Cine, Cafeína Produções, 2 Plátanos Filmes, MEI, Brazil, Uruguay, 15’55’’

19.  Night Sky Elevator, dir. Csanád Baksa-Soós, prod. MOME, 2025, Hungary, 9’02’’

20.  Night Song / Canción de noche, dir. Karla Castañeda, prod. IMCINE, 2026, Mexico, 9’21’’

21.  Nun / Jeptiška, dir. Katerina Ku, prod. FAMU, Echo Stories, 2026, Czechia, 8’20’’

22.  Pembe & Eflatun, dir. Alix Bortoli, Dal Park, prod. Minem Sezgin de Boer, 2025, The Netherlands, 7’04’’

23.  Porridge Monster / Owsiankowy potwór, dir. Izabela Plucińska, Las Sztuki Foundation, Wait a Second!, PERI FILM, 2026, Poland, Germany, Azerbaijan, 9’33’’

24.  Procrastination Yoga, dir. Paulina Ziółkowska, prod. Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF, Wait a second!, 2026, Germany, Poland, 7’36’’

25.  Raptus, dir. Ivette Ávila Martín, prod. Aramís Acosta Caulineau, 2025, Cuba, 10’12’’

26.  Tar, dir. Fariba Farzanfar, Kaveh Sistani, prod. Fariba Farzanfar, Kaveh Sistani, Amirreza Kavianmehr, 2026, Iran, 5’

27.  The Flesh Dress / La Robe Peau, dir. Joachim Hérissé, prod. Komawe, 2026, France, 15’10’’

28.  Thousands of Hours / Tisíce hodin, dir. Barbora Vanická, prod. FAMU, 2026, Czechia, 6’19’’

29.  Wild / Divlji, dir. Miloš Tomić, prod. SET SAIL films, Luma films, 2026, Serbia, Croatia, 7’40’’

International Competition Programme: Borderlands

1.     An American Portrait of a Ukrainian Artist on an Early Spring Afternoon, dir. & prod. Oleksandr Isaienko, 2026, Ukraine, USA, 3’49’’

2.     Banana Soup / Labouyi Bannann, dir. Geena Gasser, prod. Schattenkabinett, 2025, Switzerland, 7’03’’

3.     Fly Train / 《褪色的透明列車》(Tuise de touming lieche), dir. & prod. Ria Riwen Zhang, 2025, Hong Kong, 3’44’’

4.     Impromptu, dir. & prod. Steven Subotnick, 2025, USA, 6’09’’

5.     Microcosmos. A Cabinet of Curiosities / Microcosmos. Un gabinete de curiosidades, dir. María Lorenzo, prod. Enrique Millán, 2026, Spain, 9’04’’

6.     Next Step, dir. & prod. Tamás Patrovits, 2025, Hungary, 5’05’’

7.     No One Ever Looked at Elephants As You Do / Nihče ni nikoli gledal slonov kot ti, dir. Sandra Jovanovska, prod. STARAGARA, 2026, Slovenia, North Macedonia, 9’57’’

8.     Paper Dream / Snovník, dir. Laura Boráros, prod. FAMU, 2024, Czechia, 4’25’’

9.     She Dolls with Dollies, dir. Karin Fisslthaler, prod. Karin Fisslthaler, Anna Clementi, Thomas Stern, 2024, Austria, 2’46’’

10.  The Truth Rejects You, Cornelius / La veritat et gira l'esquena, Cornelius, dir. Khris Cembe, Marc Torices, prod. Hampa Studio, Mr. Miyagi, Ruibarbo, TPO, 2026, Spain, 17’18’’

11.  With Coffee (Tales With the Letter C) / Con café (Cuentos con la C), dir. María Manero Muro, prod. Beniwood Producciones S.L, Aquí y Allí Films S.L, Lardux Films, 2026, Spain, France, 11’30’’

12.  Women's Club, dir. Anđelina Petrović, prod. University of Nova Gorica School of Arts, 2025, Slovenia, 3’59’’

Panorama Open Frame

1.     Children of Wind / Otroci Vetra, dir. Tina Furlan, prod. University of Nova Gorica School of Arts, 2026, Slovenia, 4’17’’

2.     Day of Happiness / Boldogság napja, dir. Janka Pálma Bácsi, Hanna Mária Skultéty, prod. MOME, 2026, Hungary, 3’04’’

3.     emory "dirt", dir. Julia Fernandez, prod. Julia Fernandez, Ben Wittkugel, 2025, USA, 3’30’’

4.     Ink & Paint, dir. Lino Brunmayr, Maria Horvath, prod. Digital Arts Campus Hagenberg University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, 2025, Austria, 2’26’’

5.     Lichenlike / Lišaja, dir. Brina Fekonja, prod. University of Nova Gorica School of Arts, 2026, Slovenia, 8’01’’

6.     Made with Peace & Love, dir. & prod. Sara Jekely, 2024, USA, 3’08’’

7.     Polish Lullaby / Kołysanka, dir. Natan Lidia Bohdanowicz, prod. Lodz Film School, 2024, Poland, 3’33’’

8.     Scream / Grita, dir. Ulises Rivera, prod. Yulaiket, 2025, Spain, 3’00’’

9.     Talk to Me / Mów do mnie, dir. & prod. Yuliia Tabenska, 2025, Poland, 2’49’’

10.  The Body and Its Stories, dir. Mihaela Pounova, prod. New Bulgarian University, 2026, Bulgaria, 1’26’’

11.  The Care Package, dir. & prod. Vera Shysh, 2025, Denmark, 7’11’’

12.  There Is Plenty of Fish in the Sea / Wszystkie rybki śpią w jeziorze, dir. Joanna Szlembarska, prod. Likaon, 2025, Poland, 10’10’’

13.  Tulipomania: I've Been Told, dir. & prod. Cheryl Gelover + Tom Murray, 2024, USA, 3’35’’

14.  What Is, Is Now / Wad Is, Is Nu, dir. Jikke Lesterhuis, prod. Valk Productions, 2025, The Netherlands, 2’15’’

15.  WildBait, dir. & prod. Lee Oz, Eliška Oz, 2025, Czechia, 3’06’’

16.  Winter in March / Lumi Saadab Meid, dir. Natalia Mirzoyan, prod. Rebel Frame, Artstep, 2025, Estonia, Armenia, 16’22’’

Panorama Dead Media

1.     A Man Who Takes Pictures of Flowers / 《꽃 사진을 찍는 남자 》(Kkot sajineul jjinneun namja), dir. Yoo Lee, prod. Yoo Lee, Shinae Kim, Shengluo Zhang, 2025, USA, South Korea, 13’02’’

2.     decay / decaer, 2025, dir. Juan Camilo González, prod. Bibiana Rojas, Colombia, 7’08’’

3.     Do You Know, Where The Birds Live?, dir. & prod. Anja Paternoster, 2025, Slovenia, 2’59’’

4.     Factory Reset, dir. & prod. Ludo Hoffstetter, 2026, France, 7’32’’

5.     Fantasmagoria, dir. Michał Niemier, prod. Magdalena Abakanowicz University of the Arts in Poznań, 2026, Poland, 13’

6.     Grenfell Adrift on an Iceberg, dir. John Hollands, prod. Kenji Yukinaga-Paradis, 2024, Canada, 10’01’’

7.     Hum, dir. & prod. Milán Kopasz, 2026, Hungary, 2’53’’

8.     Marrow of My Bones, dir. & prod. Karly McCloskey, 2024, Canada, 2’12’’

9.     Mindfullmess, dir. Niina Suominen, prod. Force Majeure Films, 2026, Finland, 5’50’’

10.  Minimal 2.0, dir. & prod. Jakub Majchrzak, 2024, Poland, 4’03’’

11.  Rolling Eyes, dir. Zeynep Sıla Demircioğlu, prod. Hochschule für Bildende Künste Hamburg, 2025, Germany, 3’43’’

Selectors: Michał Bobrowski (Poland), Claudia Munksgaard-Palmqvist (Denmark)

SCREENING DATES (might be a subject for change)

VENUE: Vetrinjski dvor Big Hall, ul. Vetrinjska 30, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia

Thursday, 24. 09. 2026, 19:00 - International competition programme: Stop Motion Animation I

Friday, 25. 09. 2026, 18:00 - International competition programme: Stop Motion Animation II

Friday, 25. 09. 2026, 20:00 - International competition programme: Stop Motion Animation III

Saturday, 26. 09. 2026, 16:00 - Panorama Open Frame

Saturday, 26. 09. 2026, 18:00 - Panorama Dead Media

Saturday, 26. 09. 2026, 20:00 - International competition programme: Borderlands