Yesterday I received disturbing news from the Fredrikstad Animation Festival
Yesterday I received disturbing news from Festival Director Anders Narverud Moen that the Community Committee of Fredrikstad Municipality has drastically reduced the festival’s operating budget making the festival’s future as a leading Scandinavian festival up in the air.
Anders says it is too late to do anything to reverse the decision this year but he would like International support for next year’s application. Letters can be sent to:
The Community Committee of Fredrikstad Municipality has decided to cut Fredrikstad Animation Festival’s operational grant by nearly 60%, from NOK 360,000 to NOK 150,000. This will have consequences for the leading animation film festival in the Nordic region.
After the Fredrikstad City Council decided on significant cuts to cultural funding before Christmas, many watched with concern and anticipation to see what priorities the municipal administration and politicians would make. For all the city's festivals, the result was devastating. With such a drastic cut, it will, of course, be difficult for the animation festival to maintain the level of activity it has had in recent years. And the reactions throughout the cultural sector are akin to being hit by a massive wave, knocking them off their feet.
2025 marks the festival’s 25th anniversary in Fredrikstad, a celebration that will now have a bittersweet taste and raise many questions about the festival’s future. Although several other festivals are experiencing even more dramatic cuts than FAF, and some municipal support remains, the reduction makes it harder for the festival to develop in its desired direction. Since 2018, the festival has undergone significant growth, but these cuts come just after it has survived and adapted following both the pandemic and economic hardship. The substantial cuts, as well as the local attitude toward cultural institutions that these reductions signal, shake the foundation of a festival that bridges the local and the international: the festival as the central arena for animation in the Nordic region.
The cuts will force the festival board of Norsk Animasjonsforum to discuss reductions in programming, venues, and focus areas. The administration will also need to spend more time applying for suitable project funding. This will, in turn, shape the festival program when the festival takes place in October 2025.
Fredrikstad locals in and close to the animation community have expressed their support for the festival. Here are some of those voices:
(oringial statements on the Norwegian page of this article)
Statements of Support for Fredrikstad Animation Festival:
As an animator and filmmaker with roots in Fredrikstad, I strongly oppose the municipality’s funding cuts to Fredrikstad Animation Festival. The festival has made Fredrikstad a key gathering point for the animation industry in Norway and the Nordic/Baltic region, greatly enriching the city's cultural offerings with short film programs and animated films outside of regular cinema programming.
Throughout my upbringing and education, I participated in many of the festival’s workshops, which were incredibly valuable to me as an animator. I have also showcased four different short films at the festival, which I either directed or co-directed. In 2022, Havnesjefen, my graduation film with Mia L. Henriksen, won the audience award at FAF, which qualified it for an Amanda nomination. The film later won the jury prize for a student film at the Annecy Animation Festival—the world’s largest animation festival.
This recognition helped kickstart my career, and having such an important and large animation festival in my hometown has been incredibly significant for both myself and many others.
Konrad Hjemli
Animator, Director
Fredrikstad Animation Festival is a unique meeting place for animators, filmmakers, producers, and creative professionals from all over Norway and internationally. The festival provides a rare opportunity for industry professionals to showcase their work, exchange experiences, and build networks in an environment that values animation both as an art form and as a commercial medium for communication and entertainment.
Through a diverse program—including screenings, high-level international seminars, workshops, panel discussions, and social events—the festival serves as a catalyst for creative development and innovation in the industry.
For those of us running commercial animation businesses in Fredrikstad, the festival is particularly important because it gathers a significant part of Norway’s animation community here once a year. This puts both our companies and Fredrikstad itself on the national and international map in an industry that, for most of the year, is centered in Oslo.
The top professionals in the field, both Norwegian and international, come here for discussions, professional development, inspiration, networking, and potential collaborations—literally right outside our doorstep. This is an invaluable opportunity for us at Netron and for the entire animation industry in Fredrikstad. Over the years, a significant portion of our international and national professional network has been built through our participation in the festival. That is why we at Netron have consistently supported the festival in various ways—through sponsorship, jury participation in competition programs, and hosting workshops.
Organizing a festival at this level, with top-tier international speakers and guests, requires resources. The festival has the network, reputation, and workforce, but financial support is also necessary to make it happen. The proposed drastic funding cuts are concerning, as they will inevitably impact the event in a negative way.
Torgeir Holm
Creative Director 3D & VFX | Netron
Berlin, Zagreb, Ottawa, Annecy, Fredrikstad.
Once a year, the international and cross-disciplinary film industry turns its gaze toward Plankebyen. Every autumn, the animation festival takes a deep breath, drawing in life and energy from across the globe into the streets and spaces of Fredrikstad. The city buzzes with creatives from every corner of the world, all hungry for knowledge, experiences, and new networks.
And when the festival exhales a week later, its participants return home carrying awards, new perspectives, fresh projects, and unforgettable experiences. They spread the word about where they have been, while the industry’s top news sources report on what happened, who won what, and the highlights of the festival. What an honor it is when Fredrikstad is mentioned alongside the world’s biggest animation festivals.
When FAF came to Fredrikstad over 25 years ago, it opened up a whole new world for me. From the start, I was fortunate to contribute and experience an inspiring whirlwind of possibilities—opportunities that are central to my career today.
Since then, the festival has grown into the key hub of the animation industry. Students and professionals alike now instinctively travel to my hometown, wandering the same streets where I grew up. International colleagues ask me, Are you going to Fredrikstad this year?—and every time, I feel a rush of excitement and pride.
The thought of losing any part of this is unimaginable.
Kristian Pedersen
Director
As a Fredrikstad-based author, illustrator, and filmmaker, I find great value in the Fredrikstad Animation Festival. My appreciation for this international event extends beyond my profession, as I attend FAF every year, first and foremost, as a member of the audience.
Culturally, few events bring such a diverse group of people to our town as FAF. This annual influx of creatives, film fans, and industry leaders has a real impact on local businesses and on those working in the animation and film industry.
In 2024, I was introduced to a film producer while attending FAF, and we are now working on a film together. This chance meeting would not have happened were it not for FAF. Both culturally and economically, the Fredrikstad Animation Festival is a unique and invaluable asset to our community.
Max Estes
Author, Illustrator
