The festival will also introduce a competition of Slovak films for the first time, at part in recognition of the large number of Slovak animated films - 44. The 2014 competition will screen ten short Slovak animated films. “Not only do we want to promote domestic animation, but we also want to support it,” said festival director Eva Pavlovičová. The festival is launching the Anca Slovak Award with a 600 EUR prize.

The festival also has competitions of short animated films, children’s animated films, and animated music videos.

The festival is expected to double in size this year, in the number of films and events, as well as by adding one more festival day. A highlight of the festival will be the screening of the oldest preserved animated film, The Adventures of Prince Achmed created by German director Lotte Reiniger in 1926, presented with original music created for the festival. Nearly 1,100 films were submitted from 70 countries. According to programme director Maros Brojo, films will come from countries as diverse as Ecuador, Nigeria and Cameroon.

The industry side of the festival includes a pitching forum for Slovak animation projects, as well as workshops on teaching animation and preparing students for professional careers. And in a new twist, the festival is partnering with the popular Slovak website Sektor.sk to network with creators involved in the local gaming community, a growing industry in Slovakia