• Exhibition ‘Olá Vasco Granja! The art of the friends of the Father of the Pink Panther’ opens on March 7 at Sociedade Nacional de Belas Artes;
  • 25th edition of the festival celebrates 50 years of Aardman Studios;
  • Installation ‘Invisible Places | MUSEUM’ opens on February 7 at the Music Museum;
  • MONSTRA introduces Industry Programme with new structure and big names from the international animation context.

MONSTRA | Lisbon Animation Festival, which holds its 25th edition from 12 to 22 March, reaffirms itself as one of the main meeting points for international animation, presenting a programme that combines memory, contemporary creation and professional reflection.

Exhibition ‘Hello Vasco Granja! The art of the friends of the Pink Panther’s father’

From 7 March, the National Society of Fine Arts in Lisbon will host the exhibition ‘Hello Vasco Granja! The art of the friends of the Father of the Pink Panther’, which brings together pieces and documents from the estate of Vasco Granja, a leading figure in the promotion of animated cinema in Portugal. Open to the public until April 4, around 125 drawings on paper and acetate by directors and big names in international animation, such as Zbigniew Czernelecki (‘The Magic Pencil’), Richard Williams (‘A Christmas Carol’), Zlatko Grgić (‘Professor Balthazar’) and Norman McLaren, highlighting the legacy and importance of their work for several generations.

Robert “Bob” Balser’s inscription to Vasco Granja

50 years of Aardman Animations

In this edition, the festival dedicates two retrospective sessions to mark the 50th anniversary of Aardman, the British studio that is a key player in the world of animation. The programme aims to celebrate the humour, technical innovation and lasting influence of this English studio, and includes several iconic works, such as ‘Wallace & Gromit’ and ‘Shaun the Sheep’, as well as some episodes of ‘Morph’, the first series produced in 1976 by Aardman, created by Peter Lord.

Installation ‘Invisible Places | MUSEUM’

MONSTRA is partnering with the National Music Museum to support its new permanent installation ‘Invisible Places | MUSEUM’ by Portuguese composer Carlos Caires and Italian artist Andrea Tamburrino (TAMBOO). From 7 February, the public will be able to enjoy this highly interactive experience, using their hands to awaken and manipulate an immersive sound system, in dialogue with a visual component. Visitors are invited to listen to the sounds of the forest, look for birds and other animals, move the sound by moving their arms, play musical instruments hidden in the space or, by joining their hands, transport themselves to a new environment, an office, where a soundscape composed of machines and electrical appliances emerges.

These exhibitions join ‘60 Years of Latvian Puppet Animation – Animācijas Brigāde Studio’, which opens on 13 February at the Puppet Museum in Lisbon and follows on from the major retrospective that the Festival will dedicate to Latvian cinematography.

MONSTRA INDUSTRY Programme

In this edition, MONSTRA reinforces its Industry Programme, which has a new structure designed to promote encounters, training and the growth of projects and professionals in the sector.

Organised around three main axes, TALKS, WORKSHOPS and MONSTRA PRO, the programme offers a dynamic space for knowledge sharing, critical reflection and networking. TALKS include masterclasses, talks and state-of-the-art discussions, WORKSHOPS include specialised workshops and training, and MONSTRA PRO brings together project presentations, professional meetings, panels and round tables.

One of the highlights of the Industry Programme is the presence of leading international authors, who are featured in retrospectives dedicated to their work and actively participate in the programme’s activities, particularly through masterclasses. Among these highlights is Michèle Lemieux’s masterclass, a complement to the retrospective dedicated to her, with the screening of ‘Stormy Night, Here and the Great Elsewhere,’ ‘The Painting,’ among other films, which explore the author’s creative universe and the unique technique of the needle screen.

The programme also includes a masterclass by Vladimir Leschiov and Pierre Yves Drapeau, which aims to explore the creative processes and authorial trajectories in contemporary animation. The Vladimir Leschiov Retrospective will also be programmed, with the screening of titles such as ‘Granddad’s Honey’, ‘Insomnia’, ‘Lost in Snow’, ‘Waiting for the New Year’, “Comeback” and ‘Wings and Oars’, the latter being part of the festival’s Opening Ceremony. Another key moment in the Industry Programme is the Quay Brothers Masterclass, accompanied by a retrospective that includes notable works such as ‘Street of Crocodiles,’ ‘In Absentia’ and ‘Maska.’ The filmmakers return to MONSTRA after winning the RTP Feature Film Grand Prize with ‘Sanatório sob o Signo da Clepsidra’ in the 2025 edition.

Iberian Producers Meetings at MONSTRA 2025, Cervantes Institute

Within the scope of MONSTRA PRO, two events dedicated to international cooperation and the strengthening of professional networks stand out: the Ibero-American and Baltic Animation Producers Meeting, which brings together production companies for presentation sessions, networking and the development of strategic partnerships from Latvia, this year’s guest country at the festival, Lithuania, Estonia, Portugal, Spain and Latin America; and the MONSTRA Summit – Ibero-American and Baltic Animation Producers, which takes place at the Instituto Cervantes in Lisbon and aims to be a moment of reflection on the Producers’ Meeting.

With this renewed programme, the festival consolidates itself as a privileged space for exhibition, reflection and encounter, bringing together audiences, creators and professionals, and reinforcing its role as an international platform of reference for animated cinema.

The presentation of the complete programme is scheduled for 18 February at Cinema São Jorge.

MONSTRA | Lisbon Animation Festival is supported by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, the Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual, Creative Europe MEDIA and Lisbon City Council.