The organizers of the Netherlands’ prestigious Kaboom Animation Festival (kaboomfestival.nl) have unveiled the exciting program for the 2025 edition, set to take place from March 21-30 in Amsterdam, Utrecht, and online.

Kaboom Industry Days

Mark your calendars for the Kaboom Industry Days on March 25-26 at HKU, Oudenoord, Utrecht. The first day is dedicated to nurturing emerging animation talent with a hands-on introduction to the industry through Kaboom Camp. The second day, Kaboom PRO, is tailored for animation professionals to share their successes, tackle challenges, and explore future opportunities. This year, we’re thrilled to introduce a pilot version of the Benelux Animation Pitch, supported by CFAP, aimed at bolstering and consolidating regional talent.

Official Selection Highlights

The festival will showcase an impressive 165 films and VR projects across nine categories in its Official Selection. As an Academy Awards qualifying festival, it offers a unique opportunity for the winner of the international Best Short Film competition and the Best Dutch Short Film prize to vie for an Oscar.

For a complete list of selections, check it out online here.

International Shorts:

• • Adiós – José Prats (U.K.)

• • Back to the Basswood – Mariam Farota (France)

• • Les Bêtes – Michael Granberry (U.S.)

• • Between Yawns – Alma Rajot (France)

• • A Blue Summer – Juliette Ragot (France)

• • Bon Appetite – Ziyu Wang & Jinhong Yu (China)

• • Butterfly – Florence Miailhe (France)

• • Butterfoes – Michael Marczewski (U.K.)

• • Circle – Yumi Joung (S. Korea)

• • Drizzle in Johnson – Ivan Li (Canada / Hong Kong)

• • Father’s Letters – Alexey Evstigneev (France / Russia)

• • The Girl Who Lived in the Loo – Subarna Dash (India)

• • Girls in Real Life Situations – Ofre Sparrow Vaknin (U.S.)

• • Hurikán – Jan Saska (Czech Rep. / Slovakia / France / Bosnia and Herzegovina)

• • Ice Rink – Ziyin Wang (China)

• • In Tune – Laura Kohler (Switzerland)

• • Larry – Takeshi Murata & Christopher Rutledge (U.S.)

• • Little Saints – Clémence Taveau (France)

• • Long Distance – Michael Frei (Switzerland)

• • A Lot of Rabbits – Sarah Ruyle (U.S.)

• • Maybe Elephants – Torill Kove (Canada / Norway)

• • Mimt – Ted Wiggin (U.S.)

• • My Very Own Footballer – Cheyenne Canaud-Wallays (France)

• • A Night at the Rest Area – Saki Muramoto (Japan)

• • Ordinary Life – Yoriko Mizushiri (France / Japan)

• • Où va le monde? – Mickaël Dupré (France)

• • The Painting – Michèle Lemieux (Canada)

• • Pear Garden – Shadab Shayegan (Germany)

• • Recess – Talos Prophet (U.S.)

• • The Refusers – Wiep Teeuwisse (The Netherlands)

• • Retirement Plan – John Kelly (Ireland)

• • The Roe Deer – Delphine Priet-Mahéo (France)

• • A Round of Applause for Death – Stephen Irwin (U.K.)

• • Scars We Love – Raphaël Jouzeau (France)

• • The Shortest Relationship in the World – Xiaoxuan Han (China)

• • A Small Garden by the Window – Jonghoon Lee (S. Korea)

• • Sparrows – Rémi Durin (Belgium / France)

• • Stuffed – Louise Labrousse (France)

• • Supersilly – Veronica Martiradonna (France)

• • There Will Be No Other End – Piotr Milczarek (Poland)

• • TV or the Disturbance on Forest Hill Road – Frederic Siegel (Switzerland)

• • Vegan Mayo – Luca Tóth (Hungary)

• • Where the Car Flew – Emma-Claire Sardoni (Belgium)

• • Yapolaponky – Masataka Kihara (Japan)