Open World Animation Festival

Now that the dust has settled and all of our final decisions have been made, here are the winning films of Open World Animation Fest 2025!!!

BEST STUDENT FILM - Apocalypse YASSS: Two Girls, One Rapture
Directed by Amy Hewett -
United States

MUSIC VIDEO - My Algorithm
Directed by Benjamin Efrati & Balazs Turai -
France & Hungary

IMMERSIVE AWARD - Noises
Directed by Diana David .xicolami
Portugal

BEST SCREENPLAY - PINA
Directed by Jeremy Depuydt & Giuseppe Accardo
Belgium

BEST COMEDY SHORT - BurgerWorld
Directed by Maddie Brewer @ astudiodigital
United States

BEST ANIMATED SHORT - HIDARI
Directed by Masashi Kawamura
Japan

VOYAGER AWARD (BEST IN SHOW) - Return to Hairy Hill
Directed by Daniel Gies
Canada

Congratulations to all of our winners from around the World! We can't wait to see what you create next!

For those who missed Open World Animation Fest 2025, stay tuned for future screening dates featuring these films and more!

#2025 #2026

FILM SPOTLIGHT: KILLA MAID! (2025)
Country: United States

Killa Maid! is a Japanese-style commercial for a murder scene clean-up service with a magical twist.

Director: Chonnajun Waitayawinyoo


Chonnajun "Bambam" Waitayawinyoo is a filmmaker, 3D animator, and CG generalist from Bangkok, Thailand. She recently graduated from Ringling College of Art and Design with a major in Computer Animation and a minor in Film Studies. Her thesis film, KILLA MAID!, is a 3D animated short that reflects her passion for both Western animation and Japanese anime, and marks her directorial debut.

See this film and SO MUCH MORE at Open World Animation Fest 2025 November 6-9th at the Roxy Theatre. ✌️

FILM SPOTLIGHT: The Tornado Outside (2023)
Country: United Kingdom

Anna lives in a perfect house, but living on the edge of a tornado can be difficult. When she ventures outside, she is forced to face the chaos that she usually hides away from.

Director: Maria Tomazou


Maria is an animation director born in Cyprus. With a background in illustration and animation she now graduated from The National Film and Television School studying an MA on Directing Animation. Maria is specialising in stop-motion animation and is interested in capturing characters' emotional journeys. She is interested in visual storytelling with limited dialogue. She tackles themes of home, perfectionism, perspective and questions about life and existence!

See this film and SO MUCH MORE at Open World Animation Fest 2025 November 6-9th at the Roxy Theatre. ✌️

Announcing our FIRST film playing in competition at Open World Animation Fest 2025!

Sphere Supreme (2024)
Country: Belgium

Follow Arama, guided by a mystical pomegranate tree, meeting a mysterious man. Along the way, Arama faces parts of himself, slowly putting together the puzzle of his identity. But before he is able to put everything together, will he manage to keep himself in one piece?

Director: Hasan Pastaci
https://www.hasanpastaci.com/spheresupreme

Hasan Pastaci is a Turkish animation film director who recently got his master's degree from the School of Arts in Ghent, Belgium. Specializing in traditional hand-drawn animation, Hasan creates films that delve into themes of spirituality, consciousness, sexuality, immigration and the human psyche through a Jungian lens. His work is rich with symbolism and often carries profound political messages, reflecting his deep engagement with both personal and societal issues. While doing so, he thinks that in a world where everything is becoming extremely fast and digital, it is a delight to work analogue style and enjoy the process of making.

See this film and SO MUCH MORE at Open World Animation Fest 2025 November 6-9th at the Roxy Theatre. ✌️

Let the trip begin! 🚀🪐👽

The official poster of Open World Animation Fest 2025 by artist Roberlan Paresqui aka This is Blasé Studio, based in Brazil! 🇧🇷 The psychedelic work of This is Blasé Studio perfectly captures the surreal and mind-bending spirit of the festival, which features cutting edge animated works from across the planet.

Open World Animation Fest 2025 takes places Nov. 6-9 at the Roxy Theatre! Tickets on sale this Summer!