Melbourne International Animation Festival 2026 (MIAF 2026) starts tomorrow and will screen hundreds of Australian and international animated films over its eight days. Among them are almost 40 from France.
Across the French and Canadian selections at MIAF, animated shorts cover subjects like oceanic floods overtaking a taxidermist’s solitude, scientists battling alien forces, and rage-fuelled volcanic awakenings. Missing children tied to family secrets, hypersensitive inner landscapes, hungover Alpine mishaps, entranced knights with crescent moons, and punishing cohabitation with idiots reveal a penchant for human drama amid the bizarre.
Mercy debates on freezing nights, Olympic limit-pushing, Chernobyl Instagram quests, musical fame’s traps, time as elusive currency, beauty-obsessed doll societies, demonic egg hauntings, and jazz struggles in 1930s Harlem further populate these programs with inventive, often perilous everyday encounters. We tell you about all of the films from France showing at MIAF 2026 below.
International Competition Program 1 (Repeat session – original session sold out)
Au Gré de L’iode
Léa Deprez, Pierre-Luis Bordes, Elliot Desmarets, Jeanne Finet
France, 7’40, 2025
The ocean begins to slowly consume the world of a lonely fish taxidermist in a beautifully rendered tide of colour and light.
ZgurlOdyssee
Leon Chamelot
France, 3’10, 2025
A group of scientists stranded on an alien planet struggle against a mysterious force that holds them in its grip.
Carcassonne-Acapulco
Marjorie Caup, Olivier Heraud
France, 13’49, 2025
An oddly elegant screwball drama of intrigue rolls out high in the skies when it becomes clear someone outside wants in.
International Competition Program 2 and repeat session
Ira
Rozenn Busson
France, 7’25, 2025
In the depths of a seething world, Ira does not realise that her rage has the power to awaken the volcano that harbours her.
International Competition Program 3 and Repeat session
Who Killed Narin G****?
Ayçe Kartal
France, 4’00, 2025
She was 8 when she went missing and the investigation revealed her family’s involvement. Narin had seen something she shouldn’t have.
Kosmogonia
Karolina Chabier
France, 16’00, 2025
An intriguing friendship emerges between The Great One, – a bison goddess, – and The Small One, – a goat-like deity.
International Competition Program 5 and Repeat session
Hypersensitive
Martine Frossard
Canada, 6’45, 2024
A young woman navigates her surreal inner landscape, resisting a world that demands she silence her feelings.
International Competition Program 6: Beyond Story
Still Time
Baptiste Ratajski
France, 4’00, 2025
Time is the ultimate currency, the most vivid fluid that flows through our realm; it cannot be caught, captured, or held, but it can be marshalled to shape the way we live.
International Competition Program 7: Darker visions
The Song Of The Sheep
Jules Marcel, Anaïs Castro de Angel, Juliette Bigo, Evan Lambert, Alex Le Ruyet, Jeanne Bigo, Anaïs Ledoux
France, 7’48, 2024
At dawn, in the Alps, Frank wakes up hungover. There’s only one cure for that kind of headache: another drink. But misfortune strikes! His cellar has been emptied overnight.
Echoing White
Kha-Anh Le
France, 8’09, 2025
A mysterious wounded knight finds a crescent moon in the forest; entranced by its light, she cannot look away.
Life With An Idiot
Theodor Ushev
France, 18’06, 2025
Accused by the authorities of not working hard enough, Vladimir is forced to live with an idiot as punishment. He chooses Vova, an idiot capable of pronouncing only a single syllable.
International Competition Program 9: Character Studies
Dying Embers
Lea Pulini
France, 4’01, 2025
On a treacherous, freezing night, a mother and daughter take in a man close to death and must decide for themselves the limits of forgiveness and mercy.
Courage
Margot Jacquet, Nathan Baudry, Marion Choudin, Jeanne Desplanques, Lise Delcroix, Salomé Cognon
France, 5’21, 2024
Winning is everything in the Olympics; Anna reaches deep to push herself beyond limits she never knew existed.
Atomik Tour
Bruno Collet
France, 13’03, 2025
For Hugo, Chernobyl isn’t a tribute—it’s Instagram fodder. But his quest through radioactive ruins uncovers a haunting history.
Niccolò
Clémentine Di Prizio, David Florian, Axelle Granet, Sirui Liu, Hugo Michalet, Njolai Pachomius
France, 5’35, 2025
A gifted musician’s pursuit of fame traps him in the audience’s demands – until a broken violin forces him to choose between hollow applause and true artistic freedom.
International Competition Program 10: Friday Extreme (18+)
Sublime
Marie Heribel, Candice Yernaux, Juliette Buysschaert, Camille Leroy, Joséphine Vendeville, Martin Laurent, Lucas Foutrier
France, 8’02, 2024
In a society where beauty is revered like a deity, a doll seeks to find her place but the rules – nor the consequences – are well signposted.
The Exploding Girl
Caroline Poggi, Jonathan Vinel
France, 19’00, 2025
Life can never ever be normal when you explode several times a day, losing parts of yourself along the way.
Um
Nieto
France, 8’28, 2025
The bird people have fallen into violent ultra-chaos, prey to a disturbing phenomenon: their eggs seem to be haunted by demonic faces.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ANIMATION FESTIVAL
Program #1
Catch That Fish!
Florent Delay, Ilona Laouchez, Hector De Ghaisne De Bournmont, Julia Ragot, André Yu, Gabrielle Montané
France, 6’25, 2025
Little Naya turns to her favourite fishing show to help her reel in the ultimate catch – her absent father.
Program #3
The Sandwich Is Good, I Don’t Want To Die
A. Hlagund, M. La Casta Aramburu, E. Lasseigne, S. Rapin, L. Toupance
France, 5’00, 2025
Before everything, there was nothing. A radiant, quiet nothing! Don’t you find that appealing? Philosophy and lunch all wrapped up together.
Program #4
The City Of Silence
M. Cornemillot, M. Finet, A. Garde, M. Girouard, M. Laporte
France, 7’34, 2025 [ESMA]
In the city of silence sometimes it pays to listen to the noise.
Banana Ninja
S. Charles, C. Derieux, J. Faure, C. Tawale, G. Vaneecloo
France, 7’24, 2025 [ArtFX]
In feudal Japan, populated by fruit and vegetables, Citron Sensei prepares his apprentice Banana Ninja for his final mission.
Aphelion
Y. Col, E. Girod, L. Stasse, V. Toscanelli
France, 6’04, 2025 [ArtFX]
June and Micah, lifelong friends, have always shared their passion but a looming decision threatens what they once took for granted
Where Love Lied
G. Chalmet, E. Guinet-Elmi, S. Hatef, S. Kumar, J. Kidangan, O. Leriche, L. Maestracci, V.H. Nguyen, M. Vanderweyen
France, 8’08, 2025 [ESMA]
Two worried dogs drive through a dark, film-noir-like night towards a moment of existential understanding for each of them.
Do Not Disturb
E. Arbona, T. de Courville, E. Handjian, C. Rault, A. Vincent, C. Vives–Ginies
France, 4’44, 2025 [ArtFX]
Iso and Shutter, a couple of wild ermines, lead a peaceful life in the meadow until Walter, an overly intrusive wildlife reporter, abruptly forces his way into their lives.
Program #5
Master Of Chords
K. Bengrine, E. Malgras, Mei Linda Pichetto, J. Pitot de la Beaujardiere, P. Pradal
France, 6’05, 2025 [ArtFX]
A helpful little spider helps Gaelle recover from a failed audition, and sets her on an alternative path to success.
Gone Wrong
M. Arnould, A. Butel, A. Colombe, Y. Dinguidar, A.l. Jerome, J. Houel, R. Saunier, A. Villeda
France, 6’27, 2025 [ESMA]
It turns out the real world is ill-prepared for an invasion of game character fugitives.
Cursed
M. Boitelle, L. Bouguerch, M. Brandao Serseri, A. Daniel, M. Deculty, A. Mamessier Degrange, N. Paoli, A. Pigerol, M. Seve
France, 8’12, 2025 [ESMA]
Long ago, the crystal of philosophy had the power to foretell the destinies of all new-born things.
Blossom
Creative Seeds Student Group
France, 5’40, 2025 [Creative Seeds]
Down in the insect kingdom a new hero emerges
Et Après
Raffin, A. Collin, L. Baux, B. Nguyen, N. Delory, N. Petit
France, 5’50, 2025 [MOPA]
The trail runner’s misadventure had only one witness; the glacier she thought she could cross.
#6
Grip
Y. Harraca, A. Lopez-Raulin, L. Mugnier-Bajat, M. Raoul
France, 4’17, 2025 [ArtFX]
Ollie, a passionate young skateboarder, practises alone in an abandoned shopping mall, where she faces her own failures and self doubts – but her skateboard is on her side.
Orchid Square
A. Padmanaban,A. Mainetti, E. Hattenberger, H. Wong, I. Benacer-Gaud, L. Giraud, M. Metivier, S. Landais, T. Chernichenko
France, 7’11, 2025 [ESMA]
For better – and sometimes for worse – life is different in the club.
Wisdom Tooth
A. Barbetti, L. Pons, Z. Deleersnyder, E. Greze, N. Fanfant, R. Gimenez, P. Ridel, I. Constantinou, E. Sornin
France, 7’55, 2025 [ESMA]
It takes more than losing a tooth to gain wisdom.
The Way
L. Duchold, B. Legrand, H. Leroy, S. Marquant, C. Portelette, P. Vigier
France, 4’31, 2025 [ESMA]
In the attic above a dilapidated alleyway a little DIY owl, not yet able to fly, wants to follow in her mother’s footsteps and prove her worth.
Dubious Garden On The Beauty Of Things
L.M. Xuân Codet, M. Tetuanui, M. Aprin, C. Bègue, N. Butz
France, 5’09, 2025 [MOPA]
Dubious gardens are being grown in a strange space, and their gardener will have to fight for their beauty.
The Devil’s Blues
E. Anelli, E. Bobineau, K. Eidukaite, A. Haplieznick-Bakha
France, 3’31, 2025 [ArtFX]
In 1932 Harlem, aspiring jazz trumpeter Ethel Franklin struggles to get her foot in the door.
KEY INFO FOR MIAF 2026
WHAT: Melbourne International Animation Festival 2026 (MIAF 2026)
WHERE: Treasury Theatre, Melbourne and The Backlot Studios, South Melbourne
WHEN: 17 – 24 May
HOW: Purchase tickets via the links above or the International Student Animation Festival Pass here.
HOW MUCH:
Individual tickets (per session): $20 full price or $17 concession
International Student Animation Festival Pass $16 – Access to everything at the International Student Animation Festival at Backlot on Saturday 23 May. One ticket to see it all. Limited tickets.
Which films do you want to see at MIAF 2026?
For more events with links to France and the Francophonie happening in Australia this month, check out our What’s on in May
If you’re in Melbourne, you may also be interested in:
Fondue Chalet 2026 is here: Raclette skis onto the menu, joining fondue
Damon Herriman on friendships, art and ego in Yasmina Reza’s Art the Play
