The world’s leading animation festival, the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, has named Colombia as its 2027 Country of Honor, recognising the South American nation’s rapidly growing animation industry and expanding global influence.
The announcement was made as the 2026 edition of the festival concluded on June 27 with its awards ceremony. The honour is jointly conferred by the 66-year-old festival and its industry market, Mifa (Marché International du Film d’Animation), regarded as the premier global gathering for animation creators, studios, distributors, buyers, investors and other industry professionals.
With the recognition, Colombia joins a distinguished list of previous Countries of Honor that includes Japan, Canada, Ireland, Spain, Mexico and Brazil.
Over the past four decades, Colombia has steadily built a vibrant animation ecosystem, now home to more than 30 animation and digital content studios producing internationally distributed feature films, television series and short films. The capital, Bogotá, serves as the country’s primary animation hub, hosting studios including Team Toon Studio, Caballo Loco Studio, Dinamita Animación, Piragna, Hierro Animación, Lucy Animation Studio and Ikartoons Animation.
“Over the past decade, Colombian animation has gained remarkable momentum, both through the quality of its artistic output and its efforts to strengthen its international presence through co-productions and participation in major industry events,” said Annecy Artistic Director Marcel Jean.
Jean recalled visiting Colombia’s Bogoshorts festival, where he witnessed “the enthusiasm driving a promising new generation of young talent” developing ambitious short and feature-length animation projects.
Among the emerging voices is filmmaker María Cristina Pérez, whose experimental short Once in a Body (Una vez en un cuerpo) is competing at Annecy this year. Her earlier works, including The Plastic Turtle (2019) and The Bitch (2023), have also earned recognition on the international festival circuit.
Jean said the 2027 tribute to Colombian animation comes at an ideal moment to celebrate the country’s creative diversity and highlight an industry model that continues to support innovation across the audiovisual sector.
Colombia’s participation as Annecy’s Country of Honor forms part of a broader international promotion strategy led by Proimágenes Colombia, which also serves as the country’s film commission.
Claudia Triana, executive director of Proimágenes Colombia, described the recognition as the result of decades of work by artists, producers, studios, institutions and industry associations that have helped establish a dynamic and globally competitive animation sector.
She said the invitation would provide an opportunity to showcase Colombia’s creative talent, strengthen international co-production partnerships, expand the global reach of Colombian animated content and inspire a new generation of creators.
The honour further underscores Colombia’s emergence as one of Latin America’s fastest-growing animation hubs and signals increasing international recognition of its creative industries.
