Paving the Way for Green Animation and a Co-Development Mechanism
CEE Animation Conference GO! 2025
The recent CEE Animation Conference GO! 2025, organised by CEE Animation and the Slovene Animated Film Association (DSAF) in partnership with Animar_BCN European Animation Convention (PROA-ProAnimats) and Animation in Europe, marked a significant moment for the animation industry in Central and Eastern Europe. Held in March 2025, the conference brought together over 100 professionals representing film funds, animation associations and production studios from around 20 European countries to discuss two central themes: sustainability in animation and the creation of an international co-development support mechanism. This rare gathering of funders, industry bodies and creators fostered direct dialogue, ensuring that those shaping animation policy and financing could engage with the professionals bringing projects to life – laying the groundwork for meaningful change in the industry.
Held in picturesque Goriška Brda as a part of the European Capital of Culture GO! 2025 official programme, the combination of natural beauty and state-of-the-art facilities at the Vila Vipolže venue provided an exceptional backdrop for dialogue and creative exchange, reinforcing the connection between cultural heritage and contemporary innovation in the wider Goriška region. Likewise, the event’s supporters – the Slovenian Film Centre, AIPA - Collecting Society of Authors, Performers and Producers of Audiovisual Works of Slovenia, Creative Europe MEDIA, and the Ministry of Public Administration of the Republic of Slovenia – reflect the broad spectrum of industry and institutional stakeholders invested in the future of animation.
It’s worth examining some of the event's outcomes because we can find many examples of good practices that can be useful in other fields of activity in the cultural and creative industries.
The Burgeoning Animation Hub in Nova Gorica and Gorizia
The ECOC GO! 2025 presented a unique opportunity not only to invest in the regional animation industry but also to bring the member countries of CEE Animation to Nova Gorica and Gorizia. It’s no secret that the region, mainly thanks to the well-situated University of Nova Gorica School of Arts and initiatives such as the RE-ACT Co-development Funding Scheme, among others, is becoming a vibrant hub for animation, blending a legacy of past creative endeavours with a promising future. The School of the Arts programme is the only one in Slovenia that offers 1st and 2nd level degrees with a focus on digital arts that also includes education in animation.
The region’s strategic location offers emerging talent and established professionals easy access to Italy, Croatia, and Austria, making it ideal for international co-production projects. Concurrently with the conference, the CEE Animation Workshop and RE-ACT Animation Lab training programmes also took place.
A New Perspective on AI in Animation
At the conference, AI engineer Alba Meijide’s (ES) standout keynote opened up a fresh perspective on how state-of-the-art studios are implementing AI in their production processes. Rather than focusing on generative AI, her address highlighted how she is using the often forgotten operative AI to help animation studios streamline their energy-intensive digital workflows, saving both energy and money. With rendering processes sometimes consuming between 400,000 and 1.2 million kilowatt-hours of electricity for a single feature film, rethinking production needs using AI engineering is an approach that offers a pragmatic way to integrate and utilise technology to its full potential, demonstrating that innovation and efficiency can go hand in hand with sustainable practices.
Spotlight on Green Animation
Like other artists and cultural producers, the animated film industry is questioning how to be more sustainable in its production practices. This question is not just one of being “green,” as it also pertains to issues of social and economic sustainability, which go hand in hand with environmental sustainability. For anyone from any area of the CCI applying for national and supranational funding, strategically implementing “greening strategies” can significantly impact a project’s access to funding.
With this background in mind, working group leaders Alissa Aubenque of Ecoprod (FR) and Mar Saez Pedrero of ANIMAR (ES) focused on understanding the current practices and needs of CEE countries working in the field of animation. Attendees agreed that the escalating environmental crisis demands concrete action and that establishing industry-specific green guidelines is crucial. They also highlighted the importance of an approach that allows studios and producers to start “where they are” on their greening journey.
Key discussions included:
- Developing Standards Tailored to the Animated Film Production: Participants proposed guidelines that address the unique demands of the animation industry’s digital workflows and international production networks, remarking that guidelines for live-action films usually do not address their needs and challenges.
- Inclusivity in Sustainability: There was a strong call for flexible mechanisms that support studios in regions with lower production capacity and resources.
- Facilitating Access to Funding: European funding bodies, such as Creative Europe – MEDIA, are increasingly prioritising sustainability, meaning that studios that adopt green practices are better positioned to secure funding. Conference attendees warned, however, that access to funding shouldn’t be a handicap for the so-called low-production capacity countries.
- Promoting Collaboration: A unified approach across the industry could help standardise sustainable practices and pave the way for a greener future.
The working group drafted a position statement emphasising the commitment of CEE Animation members to working towards sustainable guidelines in conjunction with the European-wide ANIMAR association. Ecoprod is also conducting a regional survey on green practices in animation, which will contribute to setting forth straightforward, easy-to-implement, and easy-to-track guidelines. The survey is open through the end of April 2025, and anyone working in the animated film industry is encouraged to participate.
They will also soon host a webinar on the recently released Carbulator.org carbon footprint tool, which is designed specifically for the animation industry. This tool differs from live-action film calculators and is hoped to be a viable alternative for animation producers.
Advancing Co-development in Animation
Alongside sustainability, the conference tackled the urgent challenges faced during the early development of animation projects. Unlike live-action films, where much can be adjusted on set, animation requires extensive planning before production even begins. Although production co-financing is well established, most CEE creators find they lack adequate support for development, which means that more complex and ambitious projects like animated feature films or series never make it off the sketch pad.
In discussions led by expert Jožko Rutar (SPOK Films, SI) and Matija Šturm (DSAF, SI), the Co-development Support Mechanism working group explored the possibility of creating a new international framework to support animated projects from the outset.
Key outcomes from these discussions included:
- Recognising the Funding Gap: Sending the message to national film funds that current schemes do not sufficiently cover development for animation projects.
- International Cooperation: Emphasising the benefits – and necessity – of cross-border collaboration to enrich project development and bolster the creative ecosystem. While this sounds like a given, international cooperation projects often have trouble getting off the ground precisely because national funding bodies are usually not keen to fund projects outside their national purview, and few supranational funding schemes support development, especially without national funding commitments.
- A New Support Structure: Proposals were made for a joint mechanism with a membership-based structure, aiming to offer balanced financial support for what is known in the field as majority and minority coproductions.
- Case Studies and Best Practices: Insights were drawn from initiatives such as the Italian-Baltic Development Prize (involving Italy, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and announced annually at Trieste’s East Meets West) and the RE-ACT Co-Development Funding Scheme (bringing together Italy, Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia), which serve as potential models for future projects. Representatives from the Horizon-supported REBOOT (REviving, BOosting, Optimising and Transforming European Film Competitiveness) and ANIMA MUNDI (forthcoming) projects reminded that relevant data on industry practices is key to making informed changes.
Artistic Programme Highlights – An Important Reminder of Creativity
Conference participants also spent an afternoon at Kinemax Gorizia (IT), where the programme showcased the forthcoming animated feature film Tales from the Magic Garden, followed by a case study of this European co-production that exemplifies the power of international creative exchange. The film’s producers from Czechia, Slovakia, Slovenia (represented by Kolja Saksida of ZVVIKS) and France shared their eight-year production journey to create a unique narrative. We can only wonder how the film’s producers might have benefited from having access to a co-development support mechanism like the one the conference proposes to launch.
Screening alert for Slovenian audiences! Following its premiere at Berlinale and upcoming screenings at other international festivals throughout the summer, rumour has it that the film will screen in Slovenia at the Animateka International Animated Film Festival later this year. In addition, the creators have also slated a making-of exhibition at Kinoteka for this autumn.
Equally notable was Sandra Jovanovska’s exhibition Organic Stop Motion Animation, which demonstrated ecological approaches to stop-motion techniques and sustainable production practices.
The (Greener) Road Ahead
The CEE Animation Conference GO! 2025 has indeed set the course for significant, positive change. The next steps? Interpreting the results of the regional survey on current sustainable practices to integrate the CEE countries’ position into the Animar working group on green animation and the forthcoming Green Animation Guide, which Ecoprod, in collaboration with Green Film, CineRegio and Animar, will announce at Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June 2025.
CEE Animation members will also continue working together to develop the proposal for a Joint Co-development Mechanism, following a well-defined course for its launch in the near future.
The conference has also reinforced the necessity of discussions among industry professionals from different countries and different parts of the industry. Only together can all the stakeholders drive innovation and create frameworks that benefit the entire European animation community. As the CEE Animation consortium moves forward, these steps promise to open up new avenues for international collaboration and help shape a greener, more resilient animation industry.
See also
- Slovene Animated Film Association
- Nova Gorica–Gorizia, European Capital of Culture 2025
- Slovenian Film Centre
