The FilmEU Without Borders Initiative recently enabled Serhii Mirankov, Director, Institute of Screen Arts from the I.K. Karpenko-Karyi Kyiv National University of Theatre, Cinema and Television to promote international cooperation, enhancing avenues and opportunities for the staff and students of the institution during its Slovakian visit.

From the 30th of June to the 5th of July, representatives from the Institute of Screen Arts attended the Student Forum at the Fest Anča 2026 in Zilina, one of Central Europe’s premier animation festivals. Serhii Mirankov was accompanied by Animation Film Directing students Oryna Runova, Mariia Krupiievska, and Konstantyn Dotsenko. During the visit, they met with Katarína Moláková, Peter Gašparík, Dorota Vlnová, and several students from VŠMU.

The team attended the Festival to defend their paper titled, “Ukrainian Animation: Education, Continuity, and the Future.” The paper proposed that Ukrainian Animation was an integral element of the Nation’s cultural legacy and currently served as an innovative form of artistic expression among the younger generations of Film Makers in Ukraine. The students also presented the animated films Freezing Winds, Love on a Thread, and The Death of Caesar, created during the 2025/2026 academic year and set for international Festival participation.

The trip included several FilmEU Without Borders facilitated Meetings in Bratislava on the 3rd of July. The visit in Bratislava also included all premises of Film and Tv Faculty, Headquarters and library. Serhi met with Jana Keeble and Helena Cápová for exploring future Erasmus+ and other types of cooperation - VŠMU will explore further cooperation through Visegradfund,SAIA (Slovak Academic Information Agency) and others.

Colleagues from the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava (VŠMU) facilitated discussions for strengthening institutional collaboration. Within this framework, the delegation also covered the issues of the academic mobility of Ukrainian students and staff, and the joint educational initiative and dialogue enhancement of the two institutions.

The delegation had a meeting with the Slovak Film Commission and the Slovak Audiovisual Fund, which enabled them to start the elementary talks about future cooperation in the audiovisual field, and in the development of educational and professional projects for the benefit of the burgeoning talent.

This visit is another important milestone in the FilmEU Without Borders initiative to establish meaningful partnerships beyond the Alliance. This initiative is to facilitate the knowledge and academic travel for other sectors of higher education institutions.

By interlinking the universities, the industry, and students of Europe, FilmEU Without Borders opens new cross-sector collaboration opportunities. For the benefit of the talented and aspiring audiovisual professionals, this initiative strengthens the foundation of collaboration that is essential for the education and cultural enhancement across different nations.