The Animation Agora Days were successfully held for the third consecutive year on June 4 & 5, 2025. Organized in collaboration with AKTO Art & Design College and supported by Enterprise Greece, the event took place at the AKTO premises and was attended by professionals of the audiovisual sector, students, partners, journalists and friends of the Festival.

Stella Kirimi, CEO and Chairwoman of the Academic Committee of AKTO opened the event and warmly welcomed all participants. Following her welcome, Fotini Nakou, head of the Creative Industries department of the Investment Approach directorate of Enterprise Greece, presented extroversion initiatives that strengthen the presence of Greek animation in international markets. Maria Anestopoulou, artistic director of ANIMASYROS, and Sylvain Grain, head of MIFA Talent Projects at the Annecy Festival, joining via teleconference, took the floor to present the MIFA Campus programme. Launched for the first time last year by ANIMASYROS in collaboration with the Annecy Festival, the initiative aims to showcase emerging creators from the Mediterranean region. They also announced the upcoming edition of the programme, which will take place this September in Syros, as part of the Agora Pitching Forum. Director Yiannis Skouras represented last year’s MIFA Campus participants, who will soon be traveling to Annecy with their projects currently in development, with the support of SKY express, Official Partner and Air Transport Sponsor. As part of the “New Voices of Greek Animation” section, director Kostas Firinidis shared excerpts from his work while reflecting on his personal creative journey and the challenges of the artistic process. He was followed by director Sergios Kotsovoulos, who introduced his work-in-progress project, The Bunnymen, Hare and Back Again. The first day of Animation Agora Days concluded with French director and animator Vincent Tsui, who offered an in-depth look into the creative process behind the highly acclaimed opening titles of the series Common Side Effects.

The second day of Animation Agora Days began with a preview of the upcoming tribute "Great Greek Masters", which will be featured at ANIMASYROS 2025, in the presence of pioneering and legendary figures of Greek animation, Yiannis Koutsouris and Iordanis Ananiadis. The discussion was moderated by the tribute’s curators, Kleopatra Korai and Dimitris Bellos. This was followed by a masterclass delivered by Ioanna Giakoumatou, production manager at TROUT Studio and lecturer at AKTO, focusing on the challenges and unique aspects of managing animation production in Greece. Next, Michalis Tsagkarakis, director of investments in the creative and audiovisual sector, Maria Ladaki, deputy director of monitoring and audits, Stefanos Mondelos from the department of investment scheme design and documentation, and Eleni Salamani from the department of evaluation and support of investment projects at the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center – Creative Greece (EKKOMED), gave a detailed presentation on funding opportunities for animation productions, the application process, and the newly introduced Cash Rebate GR – ANIMATE programme. Following this, Konstantinos Kakarountas, president of ASIFA Hellas, presented the Greek delegation set to travel to Annecy this year, while also highlighting the emerging creative voices shaping the future of Greek animation. The two-day event of Agora Days concluded with the annual big Greek Animation Party in the courtyard of AKTO Art & Design College.

Thank you for joining us! See you in September in Syros :)

Until then, stay tuned as the open call for participation in both the Agora Pitching Forum and MIFA Campus 2025 will be announced very soon.