Celebrating hand-made stop-motion animation on Ireland’s wild west coast.

Frame Fest is a bilingual stop-motion animation festival based in Connemara on the west coast of Ireland. Hosted by Stiúideo Fia, a dedicated stop-motion studio and training hub supporting and growing Ireland's stop-motion community, the festival celebrates the art, craft, and storytelling potential of frame-by-frame animation.

Frame Fest focuses on hand-made, process-led animation, including puppet animation, models, cut-outs, mixed media, and experimental techniques. Alongside visually distinctive work, the festival values strong storytelling, character, atmosphere, and a clear relationship between material, movement, and narrative.

The programme brings together public screenings, talks, workshops, and community events, creating an open and welcoming space for both audiences and filmmakers. Curated Irish and international short films are presented alongside family screenings, youth-focused work, and films developed through training and educational initiatives. Frame Fest is as interested in how films are made as in the finished films themselves.

Rooted in place, language, and access, Frame Fest is delivered bilingually (English / Irish) and is committed to rural cultural participation and community engagement. Screenings are free or low-cost wherever possible, with dedicated events for children and young people.

Frame Fest welcomes submissions from established and emerging filmmakers, students, independent artists, and studios working in stop-motion and frame-by-frame animation. We are particularly interested in original visual approaches, strong material craft, and films that explore the creative possibilities of the medium.

Frame Fest is not about red carpets or competition for its own sake. It is about sharing work, celebrating craft, and building a sustainable stop-motion culture in Ireland and beyond.

Awards & Prizes

Frame Fest Best Stop-Motion Short
Awarded to an outstanding stop-motion film that demonstrates excellence in animation, storytelling, and overall creative vision.

Frame Fest Excellence in Craft & Process
Awarded to a film that shows exceptional hand-made craft, material innovation, or process-led filmmaking, celebrating the physical making behind stop-motion animation.

Frame Fest Spirit of Stop-Motion Award
Awarded to a film that best captures the imagination, ingenuity, and joy of frame-by-frame animation, embodying the creative spirit of stop-motion.

Tg4 Best Irish Language stop motion animation award
Awarded to an outstanding stop-motion film created in the Irish language, celebrating storytelling and animation within the Gaeltacht and Irish-language creative community.

Rules & Terms

Rules & Terms

Eligibility
Frame Fest accepts short films created using stop-motion or frame-by-frame animation techniques, including puppet animation, models, cut-outs, mixed media, and experimental approaches. Hybrid works are welcome where frame-by-frame animation is a significant element. Films may be narrative, experimental, documentary, or process-led.

Submissions are open to established and emerging filmmakers, students, independent artists, and studios, with no restriction on country of origin.

Length & Completion Date
Films should be 10 minutes or under. Works completed within the last 5 years are eligible.

Language & Subtitles
Films in any language are welcome. English subtitles are required for non-English dialogue. Irish-language films are particularly welcome.

Submission Fees
Frame Fest is a free-to-submit festival. There are no submission fees for any category.

Selection & Screening
All submissions are reviewed by the Frame Fest curatorial team. Not all submissions will be selected for screening. Screening formats will be confirmed with selected filmmakers in advance.

Rights & Permissions
By submitting, filmmakers confirm they hold all necessary rights for the film, including music and imagery. Selected films grant Frame Fest the right to screen the film during the festival and to use still images and short clips for non-commercial promotional purposes (website, social media, and festival publicity).

Awards
Awards are selected by the Frame Fest curatorial team. Decisions are final.

General
Frame Fest is a respectful, inclusive event. Films containing discriminatory, abusive, or hateful content may be deemed ineligible at the discretion of the festival.