The Animix International Animation, Comics, and Caricature Festival will return to the Tel Aviv Cinematheque from August 4-8, offering five days of funny, thought-provoking, and visually stunning exhibitions, performances, film screenings, workshops, and meetings with leading Israeli and international artists.
Now in its 26th year, Animix has become Israel’s largest annual event devoted to animation, comics, illustration, and caricature, presenting work intended both for aficionados and audiences of all ages who enjoy this kind of art. Alongside established artists, the festival places a special emphasis on introducing emerging Israeli animators and comic-book creators.
This year’s program reflects the fraught political and social climate in Israel, with artists responding to elections, war, trauma, extremism, and the events of October 7 through satire, personal storytelling, and animation.
The festival’s guest of honor will be Moroccan cartoonist and comics artist Saad Jalal, who has published work in the Moroccan press for more than two decades.
Jalal's lecture discusses the role of cartoonists in society
Jalal has produced exhibitions dealing with human rights, particularly women’s rights in Morocco, and published the book Reform in Corruption, which examines the difficulties facing ordinary Moroccans through sharply satirical cartoons.
Appearing at Animix for the first time, he will deliver a live illustrated lecture titled “Caricature – Between Fiction and Intelligence,” examining the role of cartoonists in the age of smartphones, fake news, and artificial intelligence.
The festival’s lifetime achievement award will be presented to Dovi Keich, an Israeli illustrator, animator, comics creator, and lecturer known for his work for children and young adults. His popular comic-book series include the Arthur and Blu & Max books.
Another international guest will be American producer Fonda Snyder, an executive producer of the Sony Pictures Animation feature GOAT. The animated sports comedy, released earlier this year, was produced in collaboration with NBA star Stephen Curry, who voiced one of its characters.
Tribute to deceased graphic novelist Satrapi
The festival will also pay tribute to Iranian-French graphic novelist, filmmaker, and human rights activist Marjane Satrapi, who died in June at age 56.
Satrapi was best known for Persepolis, her autobiographical graphic novel about growing up during and after the Iranian Revolution. She later co-directed its acclaimed animated film adaptation, which received an Academy Award nomination.
The tribute, titled “Marjane Satrapi Is Not Dead,” will be moderated by cartoonist Michel Kichka, the author of the graphic novel My Father’s Secrets. Graphic novelist Rutu Modan and journalist Nirit Anderman will discuss Satrapi’s artistic development, distinctive style, political courage, and influence on generations of artists.
Trauma, collective memory, and the Holocaust
Trauma and historical memory will be addressed in another discussion featuring comics artists Gilad Seliktar and Kichka, who will discuss their participation in an international project that uses comics to preserve the memory of 20th-century genocides and make difficult historical subjects accessible to readers of different ages.
The event will also examine Seliktar’s graphic novels about the Holocaust and Kichka’s work on the genocide in Rwanda.
The opening event will feature a performance of Sergei Prokofiev’s beloved Peter and the Wolf, narrated by beloved veteran entertainer Rivka Michaeli. An ensemble conducted by Dudi Sofer will perform Prokofiev’s score live, while Suzie Templeton’s Oscar-winning stop-motion animated adaptation of the story will be screened behind the musicians.
Politics will play an even more prominent role than usual in this year’s festival through a series of programs under the title “Politics, of All Things, Right Now.”
The events will include exhibitions examining the political campaigns surrounding the upcoming elections and the record of the outgoing 25th Knesset, as well as a selection of animated films and music videos created over the past decade.
Many of the works examine the country’s worsening political divisions through satire, protest, anger, and dark humor.
Another event, “Mr. Line and Mr. Gibberish,” will pay tribute to the animated television series broadcast on Israel’s First Channel during the 1980s. Cartoonist and director Nir Molad, known as Nirmo, will lecture about the series, accompanied by screenings of selected episodes.
Memorial to satirist Garbuz
Veteran illustrator Dani Kerman will lead “Kerman on Garbuz,” a memorial event devoted to the late painter, satirist, and cultural commentator Yair Garbuz.
Animix will once again hold Israeli and international animation competitions, which will include international shorts alongside new Israeli works in several categories.
For the second year, the festival will present the Navy Bird Award for emerging talent. The prize commemorates comics artist Revital Bronstein, who used the pen name Navy Bird and was murdered in a 2024 terrorist attack in Jaffa.
Additional events will include a special animation edition of the Moreh Nevuchim podcast with Or Butbul and Omri Hacohen; “Violent Climate,” focusing on extreme and unpredictable weather; and “The Journey to The New Yorker,” in which advertising executive and illustrator Gideon Amichay will discuss the cartoons he tried to place in the prestigious American magazine.
Animal lovers won’t want to miss “Tigers and Other Friends,” an animation collection marking International Cat Day, while other programs include “Animix Plays,” devoted to gaming culture; and the latest edition of the young creators’ competition. The acclaimed anime feature A New Dawn will also be shown.
The annual Shukomix comics fair, billed as the largest and most anticipated event of its kind in Israel, will bring together dozens of artists, illustrators, comics creators, and caricaturists selling their work and leading workshops.
Animix will conclude with “When the Sound and Picture Fade,” a performance by Danni Bassan, lead singer of the Israeli rock band T-Slam. Combining live music with animation, familiar images, and stories from behind some of Israel’s best-known songs, the show will move from beloved classic tunes to more painful works created in response to October 7.
Animix runs August 4-8 at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque. Additional information and the full schedule are available on the festival website at animix.co.il