The program coordinator for the international event ongoing in Espinho until Sunday, André Ramada, disclosed that among 2,231 films from 148 countries that entered the 49th edition of this festival in the Aveiro district and Porto Metropolitan Area, 17 were from 10 African nations.
Of these, Egypt had the highest number of entries, with five films, while the remaining 12 works came from countries like Ghana, Lesotho, and Uganda, each submitting one film.
Although these numbers may seem small, André Ramada asserts they are “significant,” and avoiding comparisons with older editions of the festival, back when African representation was minimal, he backs this claim with recent data: “A good point of reference is that in 2020, we received submissions from only four African countries, whereas in 2025, that number has increased to 10.”
The Cinanima programmer links this increase to partnerships with European festivals: “The trend of a growing number of films from Africa is connected to the animation workshops that European festivals have been conducting on the continent. This means that creators there are learning new things, gaining an interest in animation, and starting to produce more.”
André Ramada acknowledges that the sophistication level of these productions is not yet on par with films created in Europe and other regions with a longer tradition and experience in animated cinema, but he remains optimistic about their progress.
“It’s apparent that African filmmakers still lack access to sophisticated equipment, especially in terms of 3D computer drawing and modeling software. But, if financial institutions invest in this, considering even the potential of animation for the advertising market, I believe that in 10 to 15 years, Africa will have films closer to the European quality level and they will be selected to compete in Cinanima,” he opined.
According to André Ramada, the themes are “very diverse,” favoring the everyday lives of different peoples: “The films represent their reality, their daily life, the problems they face—more portrait than pure fiction or fantasy, for example.”
As for the six African countries where Portuguese is the official language, none submitted entries to the festival.
However, Brazil had 93 submissions, two of which were selected for competition. One in the short films category and another in the features category (in this case coproduced with Peru).
The short film is titled “Como Nasce um Rio,” directed by Luma Flôres, and utilizes 2D cutout animation and computer drawing to tell an eight-minute story of self-discovery during a mountain exploration. The feature film, “Nimuendajú,” directed by Tania Anaya, is drawn in 2D using rotoscope technology and narrates the 84-minute story of Curt Unckel (1883-1945), the German ethnologist, anthropologist, and writer who lived with Brazilian indigenous peoples for 40 years.
The 49th Cinanima – International Animated Film Festival of Espinho began last Friday and showcases over 430 films from 50 countries, continuing to focus on themes of war, but also addressing female rebellion and “a lot of loneliness.”
