The 2025 Emile Awards (animationawards.eu/emile-awards-2025), celebrating the best of European animation, were presented November 16 in Tallinn, Estonia. Short film and feature winners were announced across 10 categories, including Best Script, Best Character Design and Backgrounds, Outstanding Sound Design and Music, Best Student Film, and the coveted “Best of the Best” awards.
The 2025 Emiles trophy was created in Estonia, this year’s host country, by Nukufilm Studio. It pays homage to Heino Pars’ film Nail (1972) and Estonia‘s celebration of the 100th anniversary of one of the country’s two animation pioneers who laid the foundation for the studio.
Paying homage to the pioneers of European Animation, Emile Reynaud and Emile Cohl, the European Animation Awards Association (EAA) was founded to honor and celebrate the importance and quality of European animation. The nominated films were selected from among the winning films of qualifying festivals throughout the continent. Five films were chosen by the Emiles nominating committee. From that list, the Emiles jury selected the winners.
Following the Emile Awards reveal, there will be the announcement of the Lotte Reiniger Lifetime Achievement Award for an individual who has made great contributions to the world of animation. The winner will be revealed and honored on November 21, during the Black Nights Film Festival awards ceremony.
2025 Emile Awards
Best Animation in Feature Films
Sultana’s Dream by Isabel Herguera
Best Soundtrack in a Feature Film
Flow by Gints Zilbalodis
Best Backgrounds & Character Design in a Feature Film
Flow by Gints Zilbalodis
Best Writing in a Feature Film
Pelikan Blue by László Csáki
Best of the Best Feature Film
Flow by Gints Zilbalodis
Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds by Benoît Chieux was also nominated in the feature film categories.
Best Backgrounds & Character Design in a Short Film
Joko by Izabela Plutcinska
Best Sound Design & Music in a Short Film
Winter by Tomek Popakul and Kasumi Ozeki, sound designer Michal Fojcik
Best Animation in a Short Film
Wander to Wonder by Nina Ganz
Best Student Film
Pear Garden by Shadab Shayegan
Best of the Best Short Film
I Died in Irpin by Anastasiia Falileieva
Best of the Best Nominees: Beautiful Men (Nicolas Keppens), Butterfly (Florence MIailhe), Wander to Wonder (Nina Ganz), Night Boots (Pierre-Luc Granjon)
