Kaboom Animation Festival is one of the leading animation festivals in the Netherlands, known for its focus on innovative, bold, and diverse animation — from experimental works to international productions. It brings together artists, filmmakers, and audiences, creating an important platform for discovering new perspectives in animation.

The programme brought together rare and lesser-known Ukrainian animated films from the Soviet era through the 1970s and 1990s to early works shaped by the Independence period.

The selection traced how horror genre reflected political changes, navigated censorship and build a dialogue between generations of Ukrainian animation community.

From folktales to body horror and dark humor, the program featured such films as Mars-XX, Terrible Revenge, Spooky Muzzles, Scaries and Terrors, Love’s Secret Domain, Julia’s Birthday.

A journey through decades of animation, the programme offered audiences a chance to discover “unearthed gems” and to explore the richness of Ukrainian animation heritage.

Photo: Jaime Korbee