ReA 2025: Armenia’s Biggest Animation Festival Brings Global Artists to Yerevan

Yerevan will once again become the center of creativity and imagination as it welcomes the 17th “ReA” International Animation Film and Visual Arts Festival from October 19 to 25. The week-long event will bring together artists, filmmakers, animators, and audiences from around the world, including members of the Armenian diaspora who continue to play an important role in global animation and comic art.

The festival will open on October 19 at the Cinema House with the screening of The Glorious Life of Marcel Pagnol, a French-Belgian animated film by acclaimed French director Sylvain Chomet. Throughout the week, Armenian and international audiences will enjoy screenings of this year’s best competitive and non-competitive animated films.

A major point of ReA is the MarAni platform, a professional space that promotes collaboration and innovation within the animation industry. From October 22 to 24, the MarAni Forum will take place at the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) in Yerevan. International and local experts will share their experience through discussions and workshops.

Among the special guests are Pascal Charrue, Cécile Ergo-Esseyme, and Aurélien Resancourt, members of the creative team behind Netflix’s globally celebrated Arcane series. For the first time, ReA will also host Madeline Sharafian, one of the directors of Pixar’s upcoming film Elio. She will lead a masterclass at the TUMO Center, and Elio will be specially screened for the Armenian audience.

Another key guest is Oscar-winning director Michaël Dudok de Wit, known for his poetic films The Red Turtle and Father and Daughter. His works will be shown during the festival, alongside his participation in the MarAni Forum.

ReA’s CoReAct co-production platform will present 11 animation projects by Armenian creators. These participants will have the opportunity to showcase their work to international industry professionals, with winners receiving financial prizes. The initiative is supported by the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund, shows the continued involvement of the Armenian diaspora in nurturing creative industries in Armenia.

This year’s ReA will also feature world-renowned artists from the fields of comics and illustration. Italian artist Lorenzo Mattotti, who designed the festival’s poster, will attend the event and present an exhibition as part of ReA Comics. Armenian-born artist Charles Berberian, a leading name in the comic world and a celebrated member of the diaspora, will hold a workshop on October 20, sharing his artistic process and career insights.

Spanish creators Fermín Solís and Javier Recio Gracia will also join the festival. Solís will conduct a workshop on October 22, while Gracia will lead a masterclass on October 24 at the Union of Cinematographers of Armenia.

The ReA Comics National Competition will showcase 15 comic projects from October 21 to 26 at the National Center of Contemporary Art. The best works will receive financial support from the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport of Armenia.

As part of the festival, five graphic novels have been translated into Armenian and will be presented during ReA. These include:

• Misak, Meliné, and the Manouchian Group: The Suicide Fighters of the Red Poster by Jean-David Morvan and Thomas Cherkezian

• Eastern Upbringing by Charles Berberian

• Bunuel in the Labyrinth of Turtles by Fermín Solís

• Fires and Whispers by Lorenzo Mattotti

• Mkhitarank by Lena Deruntsi

  
  

The 2025 ReA Festival continues to strengthen Armenia’s place on the international animation and visual arts map. Supported by the Yerevan Municipality and the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport, the event not only celebrates artistic excellence but also brings together Armenian and diaspora creators in a shared space of innovation, storytelling, and cultural pride.

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