ANIMATION IS FILM (AIF), whose mission is to champion animation as a cinematic art form, has announced that it partnered with The Hollywood Reporter for a live version of THR’s Animation Roundtable, an intimate discussion with the filmmakers behind this year’s biggest awards contenders in the Animated Feature race.

Participants include Iron Boy director Louis Clichy, The Cat in the Hat’s Bill Hader, Wildwood director Travis Knight, Forgotten Island co-director Joel Crawford, Tangles director Leah Nelson, In Waves director Phuong Mai Nguyen and Hexed co-director Fawn Veerasunthorn. 

In the in-depth conversation, moderated by The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Roxborough, the filmmakers will discuss the creative vision, craft and industry forces that shaped this year’s most acclaimed animated features, as well as the issues, from the growth of anime to the rise of A.I, shaping the medium’s future.

The Animation Roundtable will be held on Sunday, October 18 from 5-6 pm at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in Hollywood. The session is open to the public. 

The partnership underscores AIF’s commitment to elevating animation as an essential part of the cinematic conversation, while creating a platform for the artists, filmmakers and creative leaders whose work is pushing the medium into new territory. In collaboration with The Hollywood Reporter, the festival will bring this conversation to an influential industry audience, spotlighting the talent and ideas shaping animation’s next chapter.

“Animation is one of the most dynamic and creatively ambitious forms of filmmaking today, yet the artists and industry leaders behind it deserve even greater visibility within Hollywood conversation, especially as it is making an impact in today’s box office” said Matt Kaszanek, AIF Director, Animation Is Film Festival. “Partnering with The Hollywood Reporter to launch the first-ever live THR Animation Roundtable at AIF is an exciting milestone for the festival and a powerful opportunity to celebrate the people driving the medium forward.”

“The Hollywood Reporter launched its inaugural Animation Power list this year to recognize the talent and vision of animated filmmakers worldwide,” said Jeanie Pyun, Deputy Editorial Director of The Hollywood Reporter. “We’re excited to bring THR’s Animation Roundtable to a live audience for the first time, in partnership with AIF, and put animated cinema at the center of the industry conversation.”

For more than a decade, The Hollywood Reporter’s influential roundtables have helped shape the awards-season conversation, bringing together the industry’s most prominent voices for candid discussions that resonate across Hollywood. The Animation Roundtable joins THR’s acclaimed series alongside its celebrated Actors, Directors, Producers, Documentary and Comedy roundtables, which have become essential fixtures of the awards-season landscape—spotlighting the talent, creative vision and films that help define the conversation as the race for recognition unfolds.

Recently, the Animation Is Film Festival announced its ninth edition, taking place October 16-19, 2026, with the main program running at TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in Hollywood. AIF will premiere many of this year’s most celebrated titles, including Louis Clichy’s Iron Boy, winner of the Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize at Cannes and the Jury Award and Audience Award at Annecy, and selected for the Toronto and New York Film Festivals; Leah Nelson’s Tangles, a phenomenal film that has earned enormous critical acclaim; and Julián, the latest feature from Ireland’s animation powerhouse Cartoon Saloon. The festival is a one-stop shop for films in contention for Oscar® consideration this awards season. 

For more information on the roundtable, please visit: AnimationIsFilm.com

Animation Is Film — the festival and its mission — is made possible through the continued support of leading names across the animation community, including ASIFA-Hollywood, BoxLunch, Crunchyroll, DreamWorks Animation, ELMA, Illumination, LAIKA, Locksmith Animation, Netflix, Nickelodeon, Paramount Animation, Pixar, Radial Entertainment, Sony Pictures Animation, Toho International, Unifrance, Walt Disney Animation Studios, and Warner Bros. Pictures Animation.