Siggraph, the premier conference on computer graphics and interactive techniques, is many things to many attendees. It is a gathering place to share ideas, to learn new technical advancements, to meet up with old friends and colleagues, and so much more. It is also where practitioners of all levels can appreciate visual storytelling at its best through the annual Computer Animation Festival and Production Sessions.
The Computer Animation Festival is an Academy Award-qualifying festival for its Best in Show short film. This year, films longer than 10 minutes are now eligible to qualify for this top prize. In addition to naming this year’s Computer Animation Festival’s Best in Show winner, two other winners—Best Student Project and Jury’s Choice—have been named as well.
Best in Show: “Apart”
Pola Maneli, Social Popcorn Films (South Africa, United States)
In apartheid South Africa, a forbidden friendship between two boys is tested by a life-saving act that forces them to confront the hate dividing their world. Written by Spike Lee and brought to life by a team rooted in South African culture and history, the film blends four animation techniques—traditional 2D frame-to-frame, cut-out, 3D, and 2.5D—across roughly 18,000 frames crafted by a team of more than 250 creatives.
Best Student Project: “Beyond Words”
Antoine Barbannaud, Théo Merlet, Cyril Buisson, Damien Poncelet, Anthonin Haüy, Timothée Vergught, Mathis De Sauvecanne, Thémys Cheynel, Lilou Tiprez, Leandro Leijnen, and Romain Gueusset with Creative Seeds (France)
In a Viking world, a girl’s mother goes to battle following her husband’s death, and the emotions stemming from that distance haunt them as mysterious wolves appear. Built on the team’s proprietary “Hunter” pipeline with in-house motion capture, the student film delivered over 130 shots featuring fur and cloth simulation and complex facial animation across six hand-modeled characters.
Jury’s Choice: “18 Months”
Paulo Garcia and Natalia Gouvea (United States)
A true story about the unexpected paths to becoming a family: When Danny and Pete find a newborn in a subway station, their journey to adopt him is retold to mirror the stages of pregnancy, challenging traditional definitions of what it takes to build a family. The film was crafted with stop-motion animation, using handmade puppets and sets, with only minimal use of software for editing and cleanup.
“Stories about how the past shapes the present and our future were really at the forefront this year, with filmmakers exploring social justice, inclusivity, and environmental stories,” said Marina Antunes, Siggraph 2026 Computer Animation Festival director. “They are using the past as a starting point, looking back not to forget what has come before, but to shape what is happening now and what is coming in the future. The Computer Animation Festival consistently sets the bar for where technology and creativity converge, so you are guaranteed to see the best of the best.”
The Computer Animation Festival includes screenings of the Electronic Theater and Animation Theater, giving attendees multiple ways to experience emerging trends in animation from across the globe. Several of the top films will also be featured in SIGGRAPH’s Computer Animation Festival Traveling Show, a touring collection that brings the Electronic Theater to campuses, festivals, and communities worldwide.
Complementing the Computer Animation Festival is the Production Sessions program, which takes attendees behind the scenes of some of the world’s most ambitious productions, offering a rare look at the artistry and innovation of today’s blockbuster films, immersive experiences, and scientific visualization.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? LIKE THIS STORY? TELL YOUR FRIENDS, TELL US.
