The European Film Market (EFM) is getting animated. Berlin’s international film market, which runs Feb. 12-18 next year alongside the 2026 Berlin International Film Festival, is joining forces with Annecy, the world’s leading animation film festival, to launch EFM Animation Days, a three-day program focused on the global animation industry.
The inaugural Animation Days will run Feb. 12-14 and bring together animation creatives, studios, producers, buyers, financiers and cross-IP partners for pitch sessions, workshops, case studies, curated showcases, and networking opportunities.
Annecy and MIFA, its associated animation market, will curate a selection of animated works in progress, presented as the Annecy Animation Showcase EFM. The works will be productions set to deliver in the second half of 2026 and the selection will target buyers and festival programmers.
“The EFM Animation Days is a vital new initiative that champions a very creative and dynamic sector, in which Europe also provides a very export-ready world-class pipeline,” said Tanja Meissner director of Berlinale Pro, the umbrella group overseeing all the Berlinale’s industry events. Noting that the European animation industry is “an industrial, economic and cultural imperative,” she said the EFM was committed to “support producers and studios as they navigate transformation.”
Also new at next year’s market will be EFM Beyond, a program targeting producers and focusing on cross-media collaboration opportunities between the film, animation, gaming and “adjacent creative sectors.” The heart of EFM Beyond will be practice-oriented workshops on subjects including creating additional revenue streams by expanding IP across multiple media. The program follows on this year’s showcase at the EFM Innovation Hub, set up at the Berlin market as a venue for exhibiting cutting-edge production technologies. The Innovation Hub returns in 2026.
Also returning, for its 12th edition, is the EFM Startups program, which will present 10 international media-tech entrepreneurs, and the EFM Investors Forum, which brings together film and media finance leaders for a day of exchanges focused on developments in private and public funding.
Morocco has been picked as the EFM’s Country in Focus for 2026, with curated pitching sessions, showcases and networking events highlighting the country’s production landscape and co-production opportunities.
Other EFM programs for 2026 include the EFM Frontières Focus, which will highlight five international genre projects in late financing or production; the new Berlinale Film School Summit (on Feb. 17), which will give up to 100 directing and producing students access to the EFM and Berlinale Pro services; the EFM Far East in Progress program showcasing Asian films in post; and the Berlinale Series Market (running Feb. 15–18), which focuses on TV productions.
For nonfiction, DocSalon (Feb. 13–17) continues as a key networking hub, and the Archive Market (Feb. 17) spotlights restored classics, archival research, and heritage re-releases. Last but not least, the EFM Conference Programme (Feb. 13–16) will again offer four days of talks, masterclasses and panels on global filmmaking.
“The work that Tanja Meissner and her team at European Film Market deliver is an absolutely vital part of the Berlinale,” said Berlin Festival Director Tricia Tuttle. “They support film businesses that ensure cultural cinema reaches audiences around the world. It’s also great to see the energy that EFM is putting into the future – from focusing on digital innovation and expanded emphasis on different forms to creating pathways into the business for new talent. This is why it continues to be a must-attend market bringing tens of thousands of professionals from over 130 countries to Berlin during the festival each year.”
