Sections

International Competition 2026

The Fantoche 2026 programme was assembled in the wake of the death of Marjane Satrapi, creator of the seminal comic book “Persepolis” and co-director of the animated film adaptation.

Swiss competition 2026

Animal lovers can look forward to the sensual appeal of an erotic bestiary (“Sensual”), the audacity of an intrusive frog (“Cold Bathroom”), a forest inhabited by haunting creatures (“The Rootman”) and even the sudden decline of our messengers of yesteryear (“Pigeons”).

Kids Film Competition 2026

Who am I? How do I interact with the world? What impact do my actions have on the people, animals and nature around me?

Panorama

The “Panorama Festival Gems” programme showcases some of our favourite films from the current festival season. They have been captivating audiences on major festival screens around the globe for months now, generating buzz, touching hearts, surprising viewers or leaving them smiling.

Calling Planet Earth

“Calling Planet Earth” focuses on the relationship between humans and nature.

Focus Egypt

With “Mish Mish Effendi”, the Frenkel brothers not only created one of the region’s first cartoon heroes but also brought Africa’s first animated film to cinemas in Cairo in 1936. Egypt is widely regarded as a pioneer of African animated film.

Kids & Family

Fantoche shows animated films made by children and young people in the "Kids for Kids" and "Toons by Teens" programmes. All Fantoche guests can try their creative hand at the walk-in workshop. 

Animation goes multimedia

We are expanding our horizons and pushing the boundaries of animation and beyond: ‘Animation goes Multimedia’ encompasses various formats that explore the interface between animation and gaming. For the second time, the Game Pop-Up will take place on the Saturday of the festival, offering up-and-coming game developers a platform to present their games to a wider audience.

For professional audiences

The Artists’ Brunch takes the form of a relaxed morning discussion with animation filmmakers. Moreover, Swiss producers will have a chance to network with filmmakers at the “Find a Producer” event. The motto of this year’s Industry Day is “Think Outside the Frame”.

Artists Present

This year, top animation filmmakers visit Fantoche to present their work. Nina Gantz, Lucija Mrzljak, and David Szauder feature in "Meet the Artist". Making-ofs include Lesbian Space Princess, Le Parfum d'Irak, and the stop-motion game Harold Halibut. The retrospective honours Jesús Pérez, and Nicolas Mahler and Stefan Holaus showcase their One Minute Movies.

Extras

The Fantoche Grab Bag: the film programme at Bagno Popolare, the Royal Fish, the beloved Music Video Darlings or our "Midnight Snacks" – everyone will find a favourite here!

SAIA

Exhibition

In cooperation with local museums such as the Aargauer Kunsthaus, the Gluri Suter Huus in Wettingen, the Badener Kunstraum and other partners, Fantoche presents various exhibitions and creates crossovers between art, animation and illustration.