Contrary to rumors that were rampant at Annecy last week about MIFA potentially changing locations, Kidscreen has confirmed that the market is staying put at the Impérial Palace, where it welcomed 6,500 attendees in 2024, says CITIA managing director Mickaël Marin. 

What will be new for Annecy next year is the Cité Internationale du Cinéma d’Animation, a brand-new venue that’s set to open its doors in June 2026, just in time to be part of next year’s festival. Open to the general public, this animation-focused hub is located steps from the Bonlieu (Annecy’s main screening facility), featuring exhibition spaces, training facilities and a 332-seat theater. 

Annecy will use the Cité Internationale du Cinéma d’Animation as an additional screening room in 2026, but it isn’t the right size or configuration to host a large market like MIFA, notes Marin. Instead, it’s meant to be a year-round hub for the animation industry, and the plan is to train new professionals there and celebrate animation’s history through a rolling slate of exhibitions. The US$27.5-million venue, spanning 2.6 hectares of buildings and gardens, was first announced in 2023. 

Pictured is an animated look at what the venue could look like, courtesy of CITIA.