Animation Workshop with Ana Nedeljković & Nikola Majdak
What if you could turn an idea, an emotion, or a real-life experience into a moving image?
As part of TIFF 2026, Ana Nedeljković and Nikola Majdak will lead an animation workshop in collaboration with TUMO, inviting young participants to explore the creative process behind animated filmmaking.
Known for their award-winning animated films and their work in animation education, Ana and Nikola have led workshops internationally, introducing young creators to stop-motion, visual storytelling, and the process of transforming ideas into animated worlds.
The workshop will take participants from idea to image, exploring how stories can be built through characters, movement, objects, materials, and imagination.
For TUMOians, this is a chance to move beyond learning animation as a technique and use it as a way to say something of your own. TUMO’s programme combines self-learning with specialist-led workshops and hands-on projects that become part of participants’ portfolios.
How to Make an Animated Film?
During the workshop, we will go through all the stages of making an animated film, from the initial idea to its realization. The aim is to create (very short) animated films, but, even more importantly, to explore the process of developing an idea and become familiar with working in different animation techniques. Animation is always fun, but at the same time it gives us the opportunity to talk about topics that we consider important.
Technically, the workshop consists of two segments. In the first, we will work with stop-motion animation and explore how different materials and real-life objects can be animated. In the second segment, we will focus on digital 2D animation and the creative possibilities of bringing drawings to life.
The theme of the workshop is connected to this year’s festival theme and visual identity, which participants will interpret creatively through their own animated films.
Ana Nedeljković
She graduated in painting from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade.
She was awarded a PhD in art practice at the same faculty.
She is a visual artist, director, animator and educator.
Nikola Majdak Jr.
He has an MFA from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade, camera
department. For the past 30 years he has been a freelance
cameraman, animator, director and lecturer.
Their first film “Rabbitland” (2013) was awarded the Crystal Bear at the Berlinale. It has received numerous other awards and has been shown at more than a hundred festivals worldwide. Their second film “Untravel “(2018) was screened at Berlinale, Annecy and Sundance, nominated for the Annie Award and received numerous awards. Their third film “Money and Happiness” (2022) has been premiered in Locarno, and screened at Annecy and numerous other festivals. At present they are working on project development for their first animated feature film “New Rabbitland”. Working within their own studio, they also make many commercial animation projects as well as conducting workshops in film animation.
TIFF & TUMO ORGANIZE ANIMATION WORKSHOP FOR KIDS AND TEENS