The 11th edition of Cinetica, the Rencontres du film d’animation de Bastia, kicks off today, November 6, 2026, at the Centre Culturel Una volta and Cinéma Le Régent. The festival promises a deep dive into the vibrant world of author-driven animation, showcasing some fifteen feature films and a host of shorts for audiences of all ages, reported isula.corsica.
This year’s event, a partnership with Cinem’Associu, Le Régent, and UNA VOLTA, highlights the explosive creativity within the animation industry. With feature-length productions never having been more numerous, Cinetica 2026 offers a curated selection that blends traditional techniques with bold aesthetic choices. The festival will run through November 8th, with school groups also welcome from November 6th to 14th upon registration.
Showcases French Animation
- Cinetica 2026, running November 6-8 in Bastia, showcases French animation in particular, alongside films for all audiences.
- The festival emphasizes art-house animation for adults alongside family-friendly programming and a focus on student competition.
- Beyond screenings, it features director meet-and-greets and hands-on animation workshops for all ages.
A French Affair with Global Flavors
For this eleventh edition, the spotlight shines brightly on French animation. According to agenda.bastia.corsica, the lineup includes titles designed for family sharing, such as Louis Clichy’s Le Corset and Sébastien Laudenbach’s Carmen, l’oiseau rebelle. Olivier Clert’s Lucy Lost is another highlight in this national celebration.
But this isn’t just a children’s matinee. Programming gives significant screen time to films for adolescents and adults, proving animation’s broad appeal. Kohei Kadowaki’s We are aliens, Phuong Mai Nguyen’s In waves, and the hilariously titled Jim Queen by De Marco Nguyen and Nicolas Athan represent the more mature edge of the art form.
From Stop-Motion to Student Shorts
The aesthetic range on display is staggering. Cinetica 2026 champions the physical, handmade craft of animation. Expect to see marionettes and clay brought to life through stop-motion, intricate paper-cut animations, and a dynamic mix of 2D and 3D techniques, often blended into a singular artistic language.
The commitment to nurturing new talent is equally strong. The festival’s Compétition internationale de courts métrages étudiants will screen a selection of student films, offering a platform for the next generation of animators to be discovered.
The Directors and the Dough: Beyond the Projection
The cinematic experience is only half the story. Cinetica’s true magic happens in the spaces between the screenings. Des rencontres—meetings and Q&A sessions—with the directors themselves are woven throughout the weekend, providing rare, intimate insight into their creative process.
Practical, hands-on engagement is another pillar of the festival. A series of ateliers, or workshops, will be held for all ages. Attendees can try their hand at stop-motion, create a flip book, or even learn the basics of voice dubbing in the Corsican language with the artist Fiura Mossa.
| Event | Date & Time | Location | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screenings & Meetings | Nov. 6-8 | Centre Culturel Una volta / Le Régent | Family, Student, Adult Programs |
| Screening of Blaise | Nov. 7, 8:45 PM | Bastia | With Directors Dimitri Planchon & Jean-Paul Guigue |
Celebrates Diverse Techniques
While Bastia buzzes with celluloid and clay, the festival’s programme underlines how diverse the techniques of animation have become: stop-motion puppets and clay, paper-cut animation, and 2D and 3D form a wide range of artistic languages, sometimes used in combination. That diversity allows for strong and original aesthetic choices, the very spirit Cinetica celebrates in its eleventh year.
With a selection of some fifteen author-driven features and shorts programmes designed to give the youngest viewers a taste of cinema, the event champions original voices and the raw, emotional power of drawn or sculpted stories.
Question for Emerging Creators
The most compelling story at Cinetica 2026 isn’t on the main screen; it’s in the competition for student films. The question that lingers long after the credits roll is: what will these emerging creators do next?
