Presented during the industry activities of the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival by Edith Sepp, head of the Estonian Film Institute, and Matija Šturm, representative of CEE Animation and managing director of CODA, the Codevelopment Animation Awards have been set up to support early development and strengthen collaboration among independent producers across Central and Eastern Europe. Initiated and administered by CEE Animation, the scheme is backed by national funds from 11 CEE countries.

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Conceived as a tool to improve access to shared resources and funding opportunities, the awards are designed to encourage genuine cross-border partnerships and to help overcome the limitations of national support systems. Priority is given to ensuring equitable participation for producers working in territories with significant potential but still-limited capacity.

The mechanism will operate through three strands: a Feature Film Codevelopment Award (€20,000), a TV/Web Series and TV Specials Codevelopment Award (€20,000) and a Short Film Codevelopment Award (€5,000). A yearly open call for animated projects is planned, with the inaugural edition expected in spring 2026.

According to Matija Šturm, the need for such a tool was identified almost a decade ago in discussions about how to support international collaboration during the development phase of animated films. CODA’s mission, he underlined, is to strengthen creative and financial partnerships, increase the sector’s competitiveness, enrich diversity and make funding and resources more accessible to independent animation producers in the region.

The awards are the result of more than ten years of CEE Animation activity, crystallised in particular through the CEE Animation Think Tank (2023-2025) and the CEE Animation Conference GO! 2025, as well as extensive industry consultations, including panels and sessions at events such as the Animar BCN Animation Convention.

With 11 CEE countries already involved, CODA is built on a membership-based structure that welcomes national film funds from low- and mid-production-capacity countries, each member having a vote in the decision-making process. Eligible projects – feature films, TV/web series, TV specials and shorts at any stage of development – must be submitted by independent producers from member countries. Each project has to secure national funding from at least one partner, whether majority or minority, and must involve at least two legal entities or producers from at least two different member territories.