NEWS

The selected works for all competition categories have been published on the Competition page! 

For its third edition, Hiroshima Animation Season 2026 (HAS) received an incredible 3,181 submissions from 110 countries and regions. From these, a total of 76 films (71 shorts and 5 features) have been officially selected for the competition. This sets a new record for the festival, significantly surpassing the 2,149 submissions for HAS2022 and 2,634 for HAS2024.
The selected films will be screened during the festival (August 19–23) at JMS Aster Plaza and Yokogawa Cinema in Hiroshima. They will be evaluated by international juries and the audience to compete for the Grand Prix and other awards. The winners will be announced at the Closing and Award Ceremony on August 23. Notably, the Short Film Competition Grand Prix winner will gain eligibility for US Academy Award nomination.

▼ Comments from Selection Committee Member and HAS Artistic Director, Koji Yamamura

With so many fascinating and high-caliber submissions, it is a pity we cannot showcase all of them. This year, working alongside our new selection committee members, we placed a strong emphasis on the filmmakers' underlying concepts and creative attitudes. We aimed for a selection that reflects the vast spectrum of animation, choosing a diverse range of works—from those that provoke thought, to those with fluid, beautiful visuals, technical experiments, and humorous tones.

While themes related to war were prominent in the previous edition, we noticed a decrease in works with explicit messages or strong thematic overtures this time, perhaps reflecting a world in deeper political turmoil. Amidst an uncertain social climate, the nature of documentary storytelling has shifted, and films exploring queer and feminist themes have also declined. The drop in abstract works, which require meta-level thinking, might also be a sign of our times.

On the other hand, we saw an explosive increase in AI-generated submissions. It is undeniably a major force that will shake up the future direction of animation. For this edition, we have selected a few pieces where narrative expression and technology intertwine successfully.

You can check out the full lineup of selected films on the "COMPETITION" page of our official website.
For Hiroshima Animation Season 2026, many of the selected filmmakers will be attending the festival in person! We are planning a variety of exciting events, including talk sessions and networking opportunities.
Stay tuned !