Factual Animation Film Festival (FAFF) is the world’s longest running film festival dedicated to championing short animated documentaries and factual animation. FAFF’s goal is to draw attention to the best short non-fiction animations created around the globe each year, to bring filmmakers and audience members together, and build a community around the niche practice of non-fiction animation.
The annual FAFF short film programme is screened at physical events, typically in London and Berlin, before being distributed as a global online festival. It is occasionally presented as a special programme at other film festivals. At physical screenings FAFF hosts Q&As with the filmmakers and each year a jury of experts award a trophy to the best film and best student film.
The practice of animated non-fiction is characterised by the combination of opposing narrative impulses. Animation is most commonly used to represent that which is unreal, while documentaries are made with an ethical commitment to represent truths. The tension and contradictions built into this practice has motivated the FAFF selection committee to remain open minded about what might qualify as a factual animation. However, while all animation mediums are welcome, we expect submitted films to use animation in a way that is both prominent and integral to the film’s functioning. FAFF is open to any topic, but submitted films must have a stronger relationship to the world we all live in than the filmmaker’s narrative inventions. As such, we look for a strong basis in fact, history, biography or lived experience. Whether or not a film qualifies as a factual animation or animated documentary is our first concern in the selection process. Please see the FAQs for more information.
2016 – 2025
2018 – 2021
