Does the Cannes Film Festival shape the cinematic process and, even more so, film history? Does one of the long-time programmers of the Cannes Festival feel like a gatekeeper, whose decision – to include a film in the festival program – can change the fate of the film and its creators? Why have the world’s most significant festivals always prioritised live-action films? Animation and the Cannes Film Festival – the most striking experiences and perspectives. These and other topics will be addressed in a discussion moderated by Matīss Kaža with Christian Jeune.

Writer, director, animator Signe Baumane details her journey from working in Latvia to making a career in New York, illuminating the key differences of making films between the two countries, and her source of the particular resilience needed for independent filmmaking in New York.

AAA Creative is one of Estonia’s leading production companies, specializing in dark comedies across both short and feature formats. Their independent shorts have screened at top-tier festivals worldwide including Sundance, Clermont-Ferrand, Rotterdam, AFI Fest, and Palm Springs ShortFest. Most acclaimed short Sierra (2022) was shortlisted for the Oscars, won 52 awards at over 200 festivals, and is the only Estonian film featured on the Criterion Channel.

Contacts:
aurelia@aaacreative.ee
aaacreative.ee

Akis bado is an independent film production company based in Vilnius, Lithuania. Founded in 2019 by producer Giedrė Burokaitė and director-animator Robertas Nevecka, the studio is dedicated to telling raw, unexplored stories through both animation and live-action. Akis bado champions original voices and supports the most distinctive local talents. In 2024, the studio released Toxic, the debut fiction film by director Saulė Bliuvaitė, which won the prestigious Pardo d’oro at the Locarno Film Festival. The company is currently developing several new animated and fiction films.

Contacts:
burokaite.giedre@gmail.com
akisbado.com

Film studio Animācijas brigāde founded in 1966 in Riga by puppet film and theatre director Arnolds Burovs, is Latvia’s longest-standing stop-motion puppet animation studio. The studio has produced over 140 films, series, and commercials, often based on original scripts inspired by literature, folklore, or comics. Handmade puppets, intricate sets, and detailed mechanisms bring the stories to life. Most films are 5–10 minutes long and use a fictional language so stories are universally understandable. Today, the studio continues to create imaginative works for children and families, keeping classic puppet animation alive worldwide. 

Contacts:
emilija.lenkevicha@gmail.com
dace.riduze@inbox.lv
animacijasbrigade.jimdofree.com/

Art Shot is a Lithuanian animation production company that was founded by producer Agnė Adomėnė in 2012. The production company focuses on developing and co-producing artistic animated films for an international audience. High production value, artistic sensibility and wide-ranging cooperation are the 3 main principles of the company. Most of the films produced by Art Shot are international co-productions that have been recognised at festivals such as Sundance, TIFF, Annecy, Locarno, Rotterdam, Clermont-Ferrand, and have received numerous awards, including 4 Silver Cranes, Lithuania’s national film awards.

Contacts:
agne@artshot.lt
artshot.lt

Atom Art is an independent, award-winning animation studio based in Riga, Latvia. Established in 2001, Atom Art has focused on two main areas: creating high-quality content for children’s audiences across various formats, including shorts, TV series, TV specials, and feature-length animated films, as well as producing short author films. Atom Art often serves as a platform for young, talented animators. In recent years, the studio has produced and co-produced a diverse range of films such as In the End (2023), Hush Hush Little Bear (2022, premiered at Berlinale), Misaligned (2022, premiered at Locarno), Guard of Honour (2021, featured at Clermont-Ferrand), Jacob, Mimmi and the Talking Dogs (2019). Currently, their second feature-length film Born in the Jungle is in post-production.

Founded in 2016, Broom Films is a Lithuanian production company working across feature films, documentaries, and animation. Collaborating with a wide range of talents, the company is always in search of stories that inspire and resonate. Guided by its motto “Making pictures, moving people”, Broom Films aims to bring bold, creative voices to the screen and explore themes with cultural and social impact. Its recent work includes a diverse slate of short and feature films, showcasing a variety of perspectives and reflecting the company’s commitment to fresh storytelling and artistic innovation.

Contacts:
j.michailinaite@gmail.com
facebook.com/BroomFilmsLT/

Ego Media, established in Riga in 2005, is a Latvian production company dedicated to high-quality films, including animation. The studio achieved international recognition with the award-winning animated documentary My Favorite War (2020) by Ilze Burkovska-Jacobsen, the recipient of the Annecy Contrechamp Award. Building on this success, in cooperation with their long-time partners from Norwegian Bivrost Film & TV Ego Media is developing Roach Coach by Ilze Burkovska-Jacobsen, an original animated project that reflects the company’s commitment to innovative storytelling, distinctive visual style, and the exploration of meaningful social and personal narratives.

Contacts:
guntis@egomedia.lv
egomedia.lv

Until 2005 A Film Estonia was mainly a sub-contracting studio. It has worked for many major European and US production studios including Columbia Pictures, Warner Bros. Feature Animation, Anima Vitae etc. In 2005 A Film Estonia started their own first production: a short animated film for children. Since then the studio has produced feature films Raggie (2020) and Poop, Spring and the Others (2023), an animated documentary Goricaturist (2023), several short films and TV-series. A Film Estonia animators and designers have also created illustrations for various publications and designed logos and produced over 200 commercials. 

Contacts:
afilm@afilm.ee
afilm.ee

Studio Kadrų skyrius, based in the cultural hub SODAS2123 in Vilnius, Lithuania, is dedicated to stop-motion film production. While primarily focused on stop-motion creation – whether for films, commercials, or other visual projects – the studio also specializes in building sets, puppets, and props, and offers a fully equipped 130 m² workspace supported by a team of skilled handcraft perfectionists. The studio remains open to collaborations that embrace its distinctive DIY approach.

Contacts:
juste@kadruskyrius.lt
kadruskyrius.lt

Nukufilm, established in 1957, is the largest stop-motion animation studio in Northern Europe, distinguished by its studio size, technical resources, and team of professional employees. The studio features a 400 m² soundstage for classical puppet animation, dedicated pavilions for cut-out animation, and fully equipped workshops for puppet, decoration, and prop making, along with office spaces and storage facilities. All puppets are produced in-house using Nukufilm expertise and technologies, with continuous exploration of new methods and innovations. Its puppet makers, prop makers, and set builders bring decades of experience, capable of fulfilling the most demanding design requests. Nukufilm works are regularly screened in competition programs at film festivals worldwide. While the studio primarily produces art-house short films, it has also completed several feature-length projects over the years.

Contacts:
vkerdi@nukufilm.ee 
nukufilm.ee/en

RebelFrame is an Estonian film studio focused on animated film and documentary production. It is run by producer and documentary director Kadriann Kibus together with animation director Sergo Kibus. The studio currently has a slate of animated shorts as well as several long-form projects in different stages of development and production. RebelFrame works with a variety of traditional stop-motion techniques, such as cut-out, painted animation, and puppet animation, alongside drawn animation, digital 2D, and 3D. The studio also has a black-box space equipped for techniques ranging from cut-out to painted animation. Over the years, RebelFrame has built long-term relationships with local talent and continues to welcome international co-productions.

Contacts:
kadriann@rebelframe.ee
rebelframe.ee

The studio Studija Kokles was founded in 2019 by art historian Sniedze Kāle as a family-based initiative and is creatively led by director and artist Kārlis Vītols. Dedicated to artistic freedom and the support of emerging talent, the studio is currently producing Vītols’ animated feature The Northern Star and Ella Mežule’s debut short The Nature of Tide. The studio focuses on family-friendly films that celebrate cultural and historical diversity, combined with a distinctive and sophisticated visual style. Specializing in 2D animation and collaborating with experienced animators, Studija Kokles is an ideal partner for artistic co-production projects and related service work.

Contacts:
studija.kokles@gmail.com
studijakokles.com