Les Nuits Magiques 2026 – Bordeaux, France

What to expect in 2026

Les Nuits Magiques is an international animated short film festival organized by the Flip-Book association and held in Bordeaux and other locations in the Gironde department. The 2026 edition is the festival’s 35th edition and focuses on the diversity of animated short films from around the world, with works using different animation techniques and approaches.

The official programme combines international competition screenings, non-competitive thematic programmes, educational activities, and professional or artistic encounters. The 2026 competition received 770 film submissions, giving the festival a broad international selection from which its competitive programmes have been assembled.

The festival’s 2026 programme is designed for several audiences rather than only animation professionals. Adult and teenage audiences can attend the international competition and thematic screenings, while a dedicated young-public competition and school activities introduce animation cinema to younger viewers.

The official festival programme identifies four principal competition programmes for adults and teenagers and one young-public competition programme. These screenings are accompanied by several public prizes, while school audiences participate in their own educational awards.

The festival also continues its educational role through school screenings and activities intended to develop an understanding of animated cinema. The 2026 programme includes sessions for nursery and elementary-school audiences as well as the Lycéens Prize.

For visitors interested in the creative and professional side of animation, the programme also includes a Master Class connected with the production company Les Valseurs. This adds an industry and filmmaking perspective to the public screening programme.

Festival dates

Les Nuits Magiques 2026 takes place from December 9 to December 15, 2026, in Bordeaux, with additional festival-related screenings in other locations across the Gironde department. The official regulations confirm Bordeaux as the principal festival location and state that other venues in the department will also host activities.

The regulations also identify a separate period for school screenings, extending across participating educational venues. These activities are part of the festival’s educational programme rather than the main public competition schedule.

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Venues & festival locations

The principal public festival venue is Cinéma Utopia in central Bordeaux. The festival describes Utopia as an independent art-house cinema and a place for meetings and discussions with filmmakers. Its address is 5 Place Camille Jullian, 33000 Bordeaux.

Other venues listed by the official festival include:

• Instituto Cervantes, 57 cours de l’Intendance, Bordeaux
• Auditorium Marne de l’Université, Campus Victoire-Sciences de l’homme
• Auditorium de l’ALCA at MÉCA
• Bibliothèque de Mériadeck
• Centre d’animation Bordeaux Queyries
• ESMA in Bordeaux
• Cinéma Mégarama
• Cinéma Utopia Palmer in Cenon
• Cinéma Rex de Cestas
• Cinéma Les Colonnes de Blanquefort
• Cinéma l’Entrepôt du Haillan
• Cinéma Jean Dujardin de Lesparre-Médoc
• Espace Culturel Maurice Druon de Coutras
• Cinéma Lou Hapchot de Hourtin
• Cinéma de Sainte-Hélène
• Cinéma de Biganos

Several of the venues outside central Bordeaux are specifically identified by the festival as locations for school screenings. Visitors should therefore check the individual screening information before travelling to a particular venue.

Full programme

The 2026 programme is built around four main strands: international competition screenings, thematic screenings outside competition, educational activities, and a Master Class.

The international competition includes four programmes for adults and teenagers plus one programme dedicated to young audiences. The competitive section is central to the festival and is accompanied by several audience and educational awards.

The non-competitive programme is organized around several themes:

• Histoires fantastiques – animated works built around fantastic or imaginative storytelling.
• Amour et coquineries – films exploring romance, relationships, intimacy, and more playful adult themes.
• En avant la musique – animation connected with music and musical storytelling.
• Comédies – animated films centered on comic situations and humorous approaches.

The educational programme extends the festival beyond ordinary cinema screenings. School audiences can participate in dedicated sessions, with awards for nursery and elementary-school audiences as well as the Lycéens Prize.

The programme also includes a Master Class involving the production company Les Valseurs. The festival’s official 2026 page identifies this as part of the main programme.

Featured films & premieres

The official 2026 selected-film page publishes a list of films chosen for the festival competition. The selection includes works from different animation traditions and a wide range of subjects and visual approaches.

Selected titles include:

• A contre couture
• A Snow Bath in Norway (Bain de neige en Norvège)
• Adgwa-Ata
• Algo en la casa
• Aquarium
• At Night
• Banana Ninja
• Braim Space
• Ce que la nuit savait déjà
• Challenge of a Solidary Mind
• Chère fin
• Cocon
• Croisière
• Decel
• Esquisses sur glace
• Fish in My Stomac
• Free Food Race
• Human 5000
• If Only
• Il était une fois un tigre
• L’aigle et le roitelet
• Le jardinier Rossini
• Les funérailles de la princesse limace
• Like a Beast
• Lost Touch
• Lune de poisson
• Météoric
• My Game
• Penguin
• Petit Jules
• Plavutarji
• Pudique
• Seasons
• Sulaimani
• Symbiose
• The Man and the Window
• The Seed
• Tomoe
• Under Water
• Virgin Fandango
• Where Were We?
• Wish You Were Ear
• Zephyr

The official selected-film page does not identify these works as premieres, national premieres, or world premieres. For that reason, individual premiere status should not be assumed.

Directors, actors & guests

Les Nuits Magiques is principally a short animated film festival, so its guest programme is centered on animation creators and professionals rather than conventional feature-film celebrity appearances.

The official 2026 information specifically confirms a Master Class involving the production company Les Valseurs. However, a complete list of individual directors, actors, filmmakers, producers, or other invited guests has not been published on the festival’s main 2026 information currently available.

The festival’s competition regulations require film submissions to identify the director, producer, nationality, animation techniques, and other production information. This reflects the festival’s focus on the people and creative processes behind animated short films.

Visitors interested in filmmaker encounters should therefore follow the official programme announcements for confirmed Master Class speakers and any additional guest appearances.

Screening schedule

The official festival website confirms the principal programme categories and publishes the selected-film list, but a complete 2026 public day-by-day screening timetable is not currently presented on the main programme information page.

The festival normally separates its programme into competition screenings, thematic sessions, educational screenings, and special activities. Visitors should use the official festival schedule when individual screening times and venue assignments are published.

The selected-film list is already available through the official website, allowing visitors to identify the films included in the competition before the full screening timetable is consulted.

Because the festival uses several venues, checking the specific venue is particularly important before attending a screening. Public screenings and school activities are not necessarily held at the same locations.

Ticket types & accreditation

The festival’s published ticket information includes standard public admission at Cinéma Utopia, reduced admission for visitors under 18, school-session admission, and an Utopia multi-entry pass. The listed prices have been converted to U.S. dollars using an approximate exchange rate of $1.13 per euro based on the euro-dollar market level reported on September 30, 2026.

At Cinéma Utopia:

• Standard admission: approximately $5.66–$9.05
• Under-18 admission: approximately $5.66
• School sessions: approximately $4.52
• 10-entry Utopia pass: approximately $62.22

The 10-entry pass is non-nominative, is not time-limited, and is valid across Utopia cinemas according to the festival’s published information.

At Utopia Palmer in Cenon, the published information lists standard admission at approximately $9.05, the first screening of the day at approximately $5.66, and admission for visitors under 18 at approximately $5.66.

Several other festival venues offer free entry for festival activities, including Instituto Cervantes, the Auditorium Marne, the ALCA Auditorium at MÉCA, Bibliothèque de Mériadeck, and Centre d’animation Bordeaux Queyries.

The official 2026 information does not publish a separate general accreditation system for the public. Visitors should therefore follow the festival’s official instructions rather than assuming that professional accreditation is required for ordinary screenings.

Industry & professional access

Les Nuits Magiques combines public animation screenings with opportunities connected to animation education and professional practice.

The 2026 programme specifically confirms a Master Class involving Les Valseurs, a production company working in animation. This provides an opportunity for audiences interested in production and filmmaking to engage with the professional side of animated cinema.

The festival’s competition regulations also demonstrate a professional submission structure. Films are submitted through the festival website or Shortfilmdepot, with requirements concerning production information, screening format, language, subtitles, and French cinema exhibition authorization where applicable.

For filmmakers, the competition accepts animated short films produced from 2024 onward, with a maximum duration of 24 minutes. Films created using artificial intelligence, music videos, and television-series episodes are excluded under the 2026 competition rules.

Red carpet & special events

The festival is centered on animated short-film screenings rather than a conventional celebrity red-carpet format. The official 2026 programme confirms special activities including thematic screenings and a Master Class, but does not publish a dedicated red-carpet event.

Special programming includes the thematic non-competition strands, the international competition, the young-public competition, educational sessions, and the Master Class with Les Valseurs.

The competition also includes several audience-oriented awards, giving spectators an active role in the festival through public voting.

Festival rules

The 2026 competition regulations establish specific eligibility requirements for submitted films.

Eligible films must be animated short films produced from 2024 onward and supplied in DCP or HD digital format. Films exceeding 24 minutes are not accepted. Music videos, television-series episodes, and films created using artificial intelligence are also excluded.

International films must be presented with French dialogue, no dialogue, or French subtitles. The festival requires an online viewing link for selection and does not charge a submission fee.

The regulations also address French exhibition authorization. Where a film does not already have the necessary French cinema visa, registration authorizes Flip-Book to request an exceptional visa from the CNC on behalf of the rights holder.

Submitting a film constitutes acceptance of the festival regulations. The organizers reserve the right to decide matters not specifically covered by the published rules.

Public transport & parking

Bordeaux has an extensive public transport network, and several festival venues provide specific tram and bus information.

Cinéma Utopia can be reached by several bus routes, while Tram C and D serve the Porte de Bourgogne area and Tram A and B serve Hôtel de Ville.

Instituto Cervantes is served by Tram B at Gambetta-MADD or Grand Théâtre, with several bus services stopping at Gambetta. The venue also identifies the Grands Hommes and Tourny parking areas.

The Auditorium at ALCA/MÉCA is accessible by bus, tram, and services connecting with Bordeaux Saint-Jean station.

For drivers, Bordeaux Métropole operates numerous car parks and park-and-ride facilities connected with public transport. Its official parking service provides live availability, locations, capacity, and tariffs.

Visitors driving into central Bordeaux should check the official parking information before travelling because availability and parking conditions can change.

Accommodation areas

Bordeaux offers accommodation across the city, ranging from youth hostels and budget hotels to serviced apartments, guest rooms, and five-star properties. The official Bordeaux Tourist Office provides accommodation listings with filters for location, accommodation type, price range, and access to public transport.

For festival visitors, the city centre is a practical base because several cultural venues are located within central Bordeaux. The Saint-Pierre and Old Town area, Grands Hommes, Hôtel de Ville/Mériadeck, and Saint-Michel/Sainte-Croix/Saint-Jean are among the districts identified by the official tourism office.

Visitors who prefer accommodation close to the railway station can also use the Saint-Jean area, while those who want a quieter residential setting can consider other districts connected by public transport.

The official tourism office also lists accommodation in the wider Bordeaux area, including options close to public transport, the airport, and the city’s main transport hubs.

Accessibility

Accessibility information varies by individual venue, so visitors with specific mobility, hearing, or access requirements should check the facilities of the particular screening location before attending.

Bibliothèque de Mériadeck provides particularly detailed accessibility services. Its official festival venue information notes a dedicated service for people with disabilities, facilities for deaf and hard-of-hearing visitors using instant speech transcription or French Sign Language, and accessible parking spaces.

Not every activity is necessarily accessible in the same way. The festival has previously identified particular workshop spaces as inaccessible to people with reduced mobility, demonstrating why visitors should verify the location of an individual activity before making travel arrangements.

For the most accurate accessibility information, visitors should consult the festival or venue directly when planning a specific screening or workshop.

Best screenings to attend

The international competition is the central choice for visitors who want to experience the festival’s main competitive animation programme. Four programmes are intended for adults and teenagers, while another competition programme is designed for younger audiences.

The thematic programmes provide another way to choose screenings according to subject and tone. Histoires fantastiques is suited to audiences interested in imaginative and fantastic storytelling, while En avant la musique focuses on animation connected with music.

Comédies offers a programme built around humorous animation, while Amour et coquineries explores romantic and adult-oriented themes. These programmes are outside the competition and therefore offer an alternative to the award-focused screenings.

Families should look for the dedicated young-public programme and educational activities. Animation students and aspiring filmmakers may also want to prioritize the Master Class and activities connected with animation education.

For visitors attending only one or two sessions, the international competition provides the clearest introduction to the festival’s core identity, while the thematic programmes offer a broader view of animation styles and subjects.

Official tickets & accreditation

The official festival website provides the current ticket information for participating venues, including Utopia, Utopia Palmer, free-access cultural venues, and school-session prices.

For public screenings, visitors should consult the official festival information and the relevant cinema before attending. Utopia and Utopia Palmer have their own admission arrangements, while several cultural and educational venues offer free festival activities.

The official website does not currently publish a separate 2026 public accreditation portal. Filmmakers and professionals should therefore use the festival’s official contact information or follow any accreditation instructions released by the organizers.

Official Les Nuits Magiques website (https://www.lesnuitsmagiques.fr/)

The festival is organized by FLIP-BOOK, with the official contact address listed as contact@lesnuitsmagiques.fr.