Lights, Camera, Animation! This is LIAF’s annual showcase of the most dazzling animated student films selected from the best animation and film schools from all around the world. This is the first step on the animation ladder for these talented filmmakers, and the first time their wild and wonderful imaginations have been unleashed. Stop-motion, drawn animation, collage, cut-out, CGI, clay, ink and almost every other technique these animators can dream up are all on display here. 34 wondrous films in 3 hour-long programmes from the future stars of our animation universe.
Several of the filmmakers will be in attendance. Come along and help us celebrate this incredible work and to gain insights into their creative processes, inspirations, and the challenges they faced while bringing their visions to life.
This is the second of three student programmes at The Horse Hospital. Buy venue tickets for all 3 at a reduced price in our Triple Screening Special!
Each, All and Every – Nikoletta Veress, Hungary
Overwhelmed by the endless possibilities of who he could become, Mr Rabbit retreats into his imagination, creating tiny versions of himself to explore every path. But when one possibility is lost through his own mistake, his boundless world of choices begins to unravel.
2026 11’30 min
MOME, Hungary
Things that I Was Gathering – Ekaterina Zhuzhleva, Portugal
I am gathering things for my detained friends, who were protesting against the war — books, plush toys, food. Once, twice. Now the list never ends, and I am gathering my own things.
2025 6’30 min
Universidade Lusófona – Centro Universitário de Lisboa, Portugal
Compost – Erik Semashkin, France
A maggot emerges from an apple in search of new food.
2026 2’20 min
University Paris 8, France
The Exchange – Yuan Fern, UK, China
A sensory journey of a fox and an otter as they discover that their tastes in alcohol are fundamentally incompatible. They try to get close, swap drinks, hurt each other, and finally say goodbye.
2026 2’10 min
University of The Arts London, UK
Pickled – Fanny Prytherch Capu, UK
All Edie has ever known is her Granny’s world, where they pickle everything around them, preserving their family history forever. But when Granny joins their ancestors, Edie has to decide if she’ll continue their tradition, or live for herself.
2026 8’40 min
National Film and TV School, UK
Inlands – Zsófia Fanni Pethő, Hungary
An inner landscape in constant motion, where traces of the world around us summon the passage of time. Here, collective memory dissolves into personal nostalgia; places and moments drift beyond their concrete form, surrendering to a fluid, emotional logic.
2026 5’05 min
MOME, Hungary
Michelle is Feeling Subpar – Aaliyah Hussain, UK
A lonely young chef in New York retreats into an obsessive pursuit of culinary perfection, using the kitchen to escape the awkwardness of starting over. But when a friendly neighbour reaches out, Michelle must decide whether to keep hiding behind her craft – or let someone in.
2025 4’00 min
Arts University at Bournemouth, UK
The Pit – Yiru Deng, USA
Longing to be accepted, a disfigured little boy descends into a mysterious pit that promises improvement, but as his body transforms, he begins to lose the very self he set out to improve.
2026 6’00 min
University of California, Los Angeles, USA
Houses – Paula Socías Villanueva, Netherlands
The emotional journey of creating a new home and the challenges that come with it.
2025 3’25 min
Avans University of applied sciences, Netherlands
When the Mountains Shook – Daiyu Li, Japan
The world that appears calm on the surface is, in fact, quietly changing. One day, a man as unshakable as a mountain fell because of a toothache.
2025 2’25 min
Tokyo University of the Arts, Japan
Left Handed – April Leong, USA
An unearthly creature falls into a playground, and falls some more.
2026 5’25 min
Rhode Island School of Design, USA
The Host – Xing Chen, UK
On her wedding day, a young bride notices a parasitised caterpillar and is drawn into a series of dark imaginings. As the ceremony unfolds, her fears of marriage, pregnancy, and childbirth begin to merge with memories of family trauma.
2026 3’15 min
London College of Communication, UK
Our Funding Partners
With Special Thanks to The Elf Factory, official sponsor of LIAF 2026.
With Special Thanks to the Arts Council England
Event supported by Film Hub London, managed by Film London. Proud to be a partner of the BFI Film Audience Network, funded by the National Lottery.
Venue
The Horse Hospital is a three tiered progressive arts venue in London providing an encompassing umbrella for the related media of film fashion, music and art. For more information about The Horse Hospital and how to get there, find out more.
Horse Hospital, Online
