Annual Animation Trainers Meeting
FAN will organise two editions of Annual Animation Trainers Meetings, scheduled for 2025 and 2026, with the aim of promoting collaboration and knowledge exchange among educators and animation professionals from Southern European countries.
The 2025 Annual Animation Trainers Meeting, held in a hybrid format, was hosted by Animasyros – International Animation Festival, on the island of Syros, Greece.
This Animation Trainers Meeting brought together animation professionals, educators, and institutional representatives to present best practices and pedagogical methods. The programme featured contributions from the partner festivals of the FAN network, the AWG – the educational section of ASIFA International (the International Animated Film Association), the Hellenic Centre of Audiovisual Media and Creation, and the Portuguese educational organisation ANILUPA, aiming to exchange knowledge and experiences on education through animation.
In 2026, the meeting will be coordinated and helded by CINANIMA – International Animation Film Festival of Espinho.
Guest Panel
Cristina Novo
CINANIMA- educational programs project manager PT/EU
Coordinated by CINANIMA (Portugal) with partners in Spain, Italy, Greece, and Cyprus, FAN develops initiatives under the tagline To Watch, To Expand. Its activities include the Film Program Tour, the European Young Talent Award, the Perspectives on European Animation Symposium, the FRAME educational project, the International Trainers Meeting, the FAN.HUB platform, and a dedicated app. Together they promote European animation, foster collaboration, and highlight the educational power of the medium.
Denise Nikolakou
Creator of the Cinematherapy Programme GR/EU
Cinematherapy by the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center– Creative Hub GR uses cinema as both a pedagogical and therapeutic tool, offering an innovative model that can inspire educators, students, and those working with vulnerable social groups. Through film screenings and guided discussions, participants cultivate empathy and self-awareness while strengthening social cohesion. The programme opens new pathways for integrating the art of cinema into education and creative learning.
Carla Correia
CLIA ANILUPA of Associação de Ludotecas do Porto PT/EU
For three decades, ANILUPA has integrated animation into schools and community settings, empowering learners through participatory film-making and creative audiovisual practices. Its projects foster critical thinking and self-expression across generations. Recent initiatives include school collaborations and intergenerational workshops, highlighting the educational and cultural value of animation.
Yiorgos Tsangaris
Artist, Animator, Educator- Countryside Animafest Cyprus CY/EU
Countryside Animafest Cyprus team uses year-round workshops and trainings with children, teenagers, and adults to cultivate animation in Cyprus. In a country with a complex past, where the practice and culture of animation are still emerging, these initiatives aim to build a strong foundation for young artists—helping them understand the medium, embrace its expressive potential, and contribute to the growth of a new creative field.
Ilias Tasopoulos
CINEDU Coordinator/ Hellenic Film & Audiovisual Center GR/EU
CINEDU is a digital platform that integrates cinema into education. It offers a diverse catalogue of short and feature films (fiction, documentaries, animation) with curriculum-linked resources, while best practices from its second year highlight its growing impact in regional schools.
Alkistis Tsikou
Secretary AWG GR/EU
Since 1971, ASIFA’s Animation Workshop Group (AWG) has involved children worldwide in creative animation projects. Through annual workshops on shared themes, it fosters artistic expression, cross-cultural dialogue, and collaboration. This presentation highlights AWG’s methodology, achievements, and challenges, showing how animation serves as an educational and communicative tool for children of all backgrounds.
Elena Pavlakis
Director, Animator, Educator
Through its ANIMASYROS Education programme, the Animasyros International Animation Festival has, for the past 18 years, designed and implemented informal education activities using animation techniques for diverse social groups, with a special focus on people with disabilities and seniors. Rooted in the principles of equality and respect, the workshops cultivate creative skills for the digital age and foster inclusion at both local and broader levels. The Animasyros trainers share their experiences.
Anna Oikonomou
Director, Animator, Educator
Through its ANIMASYROS Education programme, the Animasyros International Animation Festival has, for the past 18 years, designed and implemented informal education activities using animation techniques for diverse social groups, with a special focus on people with disabilities and seniors. Rooted in the principles of equality and respect, the workshops cultivate creative skills for the digital age and foster inclusion at both local and broader levels. The Animasyros trainers share their experiences.
Beatrice Mazzone
Animation Director, Coordinator of Educational Activities Imaginaria Animation Festival ΙΤ/EU
Imaginaria Experience, the year-round outreach programme of the Imaginaria Festival, has engaged over 3,000 children and teens from underserved areas with the power of animated cinema. Through workshops, school screenings, and residencies, animation becomes a tool for education, inclusion, and community building—where young people not only watch films but also create, evaluate, and grow with them.
Eirini Andriopoulou
Director of Creative Hub at the Hellenic Film & Audiovisual Center, Executive Director CIFEJ GR/EU
As head of Creative Hub GR at the Hellenic Center for Cinema, Audiovisual Media and Creativity (E.K.K.O.ME.D.), Eirini Andriopoulou leads educational initiatives that merge creativity, critical viewing, and visual culture. With long-standing expertise in audiovisual education policy, she demonstrates how the “3 Cs” approach empowers educators, media professionals, and learners, fostering a vibrant culture of critical and creative engagement with audiovisual media.
Anastasia Dimitra
President ASIFA International GR/EU
Since 1971, ASIFA’s Animation Workshop Group (AWG) has involved children worldwide in creative animation projects. Through annual workshops on shared themes, it fosters artistic expression, cross-cultural dialogue, and collaboration. This presentation highlights AWG’s methodology, achievements, and challenges, showing how animation serves as an educational and communicative tool for children of all backgrounds.
Deanna Morse
Animation artist, emeritus professor, past president of ASIFA US
Since 1971, ASIFA’s Animation Workshop Group (AWG) has involved children worldwide in creative animation projects. Through annual workshops on shared themes, it fosters artistic expression, cross-cultural dialogue, and collaboration. This presentation highlights AWG’s methodology, achievements, and challenges, showing how animation serves as an educational and communicative tool for children of all backgrounds.
Margarita Simopoulou
Director, Animator, Educator
Through its ANIMASYROS Education programme, the Animasyros International Animation Festival has, for the past 18 years, designed and implemented informal education activities using animation techniques for diverse social groups, with a special focus on people with disabilities and seniors. Rooted in the principles of equality and respect, the workshops cultivate creative skills for the digital age and foster inclusion at both local and broader levels. The Animasyros trainers share their experiences.
