This year’s “Animahenasyon,” the country’s premier annual animation festival, aims to build on the Philippines’ position as a trusted center for outsourced creative talents and animation houses and studios, and transform it into a new international animation hub that can produce world-class original titles and content.
Organized by the Animation Council of the Philippines Inc. (ACPI), in partnership with the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) – CREATEPhilippines, the festival’s 19th edition will be staged on November 24-26 at multiple points across Metro Manila.Â
According to the ACPI, the Philippines contributed approximately USD60 million in revenue to a USD413 billion-worth global animation market and employed over 7,500 professionals locally in 2024. The Filipino animation industry is also projected to be worth USD141 million and employ over 15,000 professionals by 2028.
Since its inception in 2007, the festival has provided both veteran and emerging animators with a platform where they can showcase their works and keep updated on global industry trends. Its signature activities make a return this year, not just to champion Filipino animation talents but also to make independent Filipino-made titles accessible to the public.
Animahenasyon 2025 opens on November 24 with the film screening ceremony AniSine at The Shangri-La Red Carpet Cinema. On November 25, it will hold AniTalk, a conference discussing the latest trends and developments in animation, at The Samsung Hall of SM Aura Premiere in Taguig. Following this, on the same day and at the same venue, will be the annual AniKompetisyon Awards, a prestigious ceremony that recognizes and gives Filipino animators the impetus to further push their skills and combine artistry and storytelling with technical excellence.
This year, the award-giving body received more than a hundred entries, each one vying to be part of the top 10 finalists for the chance to win in the following categories: the Animahenasyon Audience Choice Award, the Toon City Choice Award, and the Grand Prize in the Student and Professional divisions.
With CREATEPhilippines as its co-presenter, the festival’s 2025 edition will bring in international and local buyers, producers, and publishers who could potentially do business with local creatives. The B2B convention AniBusiness, to be held at Seda BGC on November 26, will be the concluding activity for Animahenasyon 2025.
This trade component is a first for the festival, and it will open up new avenues for international partnerships, outsourcing solutions, and co-production ventures for all players in the local animation ecosystem. Original Filipino content will also get the necessary exposure to be spotted by potential investors and distributors, which could help raise the country’s profile as a veritable animation intellectual property (IP) generator.
With the support of different Philippine Trade Investment Centers, CREATEPhilippines will invite foreign buyers and prospective investors and offer them incentives for joining the animation festival, as well as promote the event internationally. Networking and business-matching services will be complemented with the signature Filipino hospitality, giving guests a closer look into the rich Philippine history and culture that inspire the local talents’ imagination.
In particular, a bleisure (business plus leisure) program will be offered to foreign buyers as part of the buyer incentive package. Through AniXperience, guests will be taken on a tour through some of the country’s premier destinations to take in the sights and enhance their visit to the Philippines while also meeting and networking with local animation studios and creatives. The first stop will be an exclusive tour through Intramuros on November 27, hosted by Intramuros Administration, one of Animahenasyon’s government partners. Other destinations will be San Fernando and Bacnotan in La Union, which buyers will visit on November 28.
“Filipino animators and creatives have long been key players in bringing some of the most favorite animated titles to life on the web and in film and television. It’s high time that the local industry gets the recognition it deserves as a major force in the global animation scene,” CITEM Executive Director Leah Pulido Ocampo says. “Through this partnership with the ACPI, we hope that this year’s Animahenasyon is the start of the country making that leap toward the next stage of the Philippine animation industry’s evolution.”Â
