The 21st edition of ANIMAR, starting on March 7th 2026, offers a programme focused on animated films. As in previous editions, Solar – Cinematic Art Gallery could not fail to look at some of the best recent national productions.

The exhibition takes as its starting point the films "Because Today is Saturday" by Alice Eça Guimarães; "Percebes" by Alexandra Ramires and Laura Gonçalves; "Dog Alone" by Marta Reis Andrade; "Amarelo Banana" by Alexandre Sousa; and an exhibition of interactive objects by Anilupa. The ANIMAR 21 programme also includes guided tours, themed workshops, and activities that extend to film screenings at the Municipal Theatre of Vila do Conde, at schools partnering with the project, and at the gallery itself.

The exhibition runs parallel to the films, integrating various devices in installation format. ANIMAR 21 invites the public to enter the imaginary world of these works through life-size recreations, more experimental languages, and many moments of interaction that draw the audience into the films. It reveals the creative process behind the films, exhibiting objects that served as the basis for their creation.

In three different rooms, you can see objects exhibited by Anilupa, an animation film studio with 35 years of history. We challenge participants to understand the magic behind moving images and a variety of wonderful illusions in the field of optics and to experience a little of what filmmaking is like, among optical toys and other devices linked to the history of cinema.

In the Solar activity room, you can take part in themed workshops, full screenings of the films on display, as well as other sessions designed to complement the exhibition.

ANIMAR 21 also offers a programme aimed at school-age audiences, a series of film screenings adapted to different age groups, with the aim of combining entertainment with a focus on education through moving images, seeking to bring new cinematic languages and reflections to children and young people. This programme can be screened at the Municipal Theatre, in the cinema room at Solar – Cinematic Art Gallery, or presented in schools that are unable to travel to the cinema.

The opening of ANIMAR will feature the screening of the film ‘Angelo in the Magic Forest' by Alexis Ducord and Vincent Paronnaud, andAnimar in Celebration with the films resulting from the various workshops scheduled, both sessions screened at the Municipal Theatre of Vila do Conde, on March 7 and June 6, respectively. The films featured in the exhibition can be seen in their entirety at an open-air cinema session in the Solar courtyard on June 13th.

The ANIMAR project, promoted by Solar – Cinematic Art Gellery and organised by Curtas – Educational Service of Curtas Metragens CRL, proposes new tools, means and methodologies that introduce the principle of learning through participatory experience. It is the result of an innovative proposal to raise awareness of art, decode images and mobilise cross-cutting knowledge, stimulating the imagination through the principle of learning through play.

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ANIMAR 21

07.03 — 13.06.2026

Mon–Sat, 2pm — 6pm

Solar – Cinematic Art Gallery

07.03.2026, 3pm

Angelo in the Magic Forest | Opening Session

Vila do Conde Municipal Theatre

07.03.2026, 4pm

ANIMAR 21 | Opening

Solar – Cinematic Art Gallery

06.06.2026, 4pm

ANIMAR IN CELEBRATION | Results of the long-term workshops and the exhibition's making of

Vila do Conde Municipal Theatre

13.06.2026, 9:30pm

Animar Films at the Cinema | Open-Air Cinema Session

Solar – Cinematic Art Gallery' Courtyard