A new milestone for the fifth-year students, who presented the results of their work to an international panel and a host of professionals who had come to discover their creative worlds.
A day to mark five years of passion and expertise
The ESMA 3D Graduation Show is an event eagerly anticipated by final-year students on the 3D Animation and VFX course. After several years of study, group projects and experimentation, their final-year films represent the culmination of their artistic and technical journey.
To kick off the 2026 edition, students from the Lyon, Toulouse, Montpellier and Nantes campuses made their way to the Pathé Odysseum cinema in Montpellier.
They were accompanied by their families and loved ones, teaching staff and members of the judging panel.
On the big screen, the audience were able to watch the 30 short films created by the Class of 2026. It was inevitably a special moment for their creators: having conceived, written, modelled, animated, lit, composited and finalised their projects, the students were finally able to see them screened in a real cinema setting.
This evening also provides an opportunity to reflect on how far we have come since joining ESMA.
Behind each of these films lie years of learning and refinement, as well as countless hours of teamwork, all of which have brought to life entirely original worlds, characters and stories.
A ceremony that showcased talent
After the screening, the celebrations continued at the Domaine des Grands Chais in Mauguio. Nearly 1,300 people gathered to celebrate the Class of 2026 and attend the traditional awards ceremony.
This year, the public were also able to follow the ceremony remotely, as it was streamed live on the ESMA Movies YouTube channel and on TikTok.
To host this live event, ESMA has brought in Lutti, also known as Alexandre Delattre. As a presenter, streamer and commentator, he is no stranger to live events and engaging with online communities.
He also presented the People’s Choice Award himself, honouring the film that proved most popular with audiences.
Award-winning films in 2026
The diversity of the projects presented this year was reflected in a list of award winners that recognised not only the quality of the writing but also the animation, art direction, soundtrack and visual effects.
Here are the winners of this year’s competition:
‘José Vicente’ Award for Best Soundtrack: MORTAL KOIL
Award for Best Art Direction: Sonmat
Award for Best Visual Effects: HIMAL
Best Screenplay Award: Beyond Memories
‘José Vicente’ Award for Best Animation: Mystery Rock
Audience Award: Himal
Jury’s Favourite Award: The Night of the Nutcrackers
Best Film Award: Fool
‘ESPOIR’ Prize, awarded by the chair of the jury: Raakli
Congratulations to this year’s award-winning teams! These awards highlight films that have particularly stood out for their artistic choices, the quality of their production or their ability to bring a world and a story to life.
But beyond the list of winners, it is the entire Class of 2026 that deserves to be congratulated. Each of the 30 films bears witness to the students’ commitment and dedication throughout this final year of their studies.
The next stage will now be the film festivals, in the hope that these films will travel and reach new audiences both in France and internationally.
Ted Ty to head the jury
For this year’s Graduation Show, ESMA was delighted to welcome Ted Ty as chair of the judging panel.
Ted Ty, who is currently Global Head of Character Animation at DNEG Animation, has over three decades’ experience in the field of 2D and 3D animation.
His career has taken him to Walt Disney Animation, where he worked as a 2D animator alongside some of the studio’s leading figures, such as Mark Henn, Ruben Aquino and James Baxter. He worked on *Mulan* and *Lilo & Stitch*, amongst others.
He then went on to work at DreamWorks, where he was involved in several major 3D animated films, including *Kung Fu Panda*, *Puss in Boots* and *Rise of the Guardians*.
More recently, Ted Ty served as Animation Director on *Nimona*, the Oscar-nominated Netflix feature film.
His career, which spans several generations and major developments in animation, makes him a particularly valuable mentor for students. His involvement in the Graduation Show provided an opportunity for the graduating class to have their projects assessed against the criteria and standards of a professional who has worked in some of the world’s leading studios.
From your final-year film to your first career opportunities
On Friday, a change of setting but not of objective: to connect students with the industry.
The jury members and students were welcomed to the ESMA Montpellier campus for a day dedicated to networking and matchmaking.
The aim was clear: to enable aspiring professionals to showcase their films, portfolios and skills to studios and companies in the industry. It was an opportunity to seek advice, talk to recruiters and established artists, and to start building their professional network.
An industry reaching out to students
To mark the occasion, many leading figures from the worlds of animation, VFX, video games and digital creation had made the trip:
- Atlantis (via videoconference)
- Boldbrush
- Fortiche
- Brunch Studio
- Illumination
- Locksmith (Shelley Page)
- DNEG
- Nwaves
- TAT Productions
- TeamTO
- Ellipse Animation
- Dwarf Animation
- Hari Studios
- Lhorda
- Illusorium
- Superprod
- 3Doubles Producciones
- Flying Bark Productions
- The Beast Makers
- Nobody Studio
- Abyss Animation
- Menhir FX
- The Mill
- Illogic Studio
- Rodeo FX
- Zone 658
- Mikros
- ILM
- Hoplite VFX (joining via videoconference from Canada)
- Unit Image
- TNZPV
- Digital-Native Producer
- Epic Games
- Meta
- Don’t Nod
- Mediawan
- Sky
- Blur
The diversity of the companies represented here illustrates the range of career opportunities available to ESMA 3D graduates, from animation and visual effects to video games and new forms of digital creation.
Masterclasses that reflect the realities of the profession
One-to-one meetings were not the only highlights of the day. Students were also able to attend a number of exclusive talks and presentations, designed to share real-life experiences and shed light on the various careers within the industry.
On the programme:
- 11.00–12.00 – Kristof Serrand: Appeal in Animation
- 2.00–3.00 pm – Ted Ty: Chasing Your Heart
- 3.00–4.00 pm – Ted Ty: Advanced Acting for Animation
- 3.00 pm–4.30 pm – Flying Bark Productions: Portfolio Review
- 3.00–4.00 pm – Pamela & Dennys McCoy: CHARACTER, CHARACTER, CHARACTER!
- 4.00–5.00 pm – Eden Atlan, ESMA alumnus: sharing his professional experience in Japan
These various sessions provided an opportunity to explore animation from a number of different angles: artistic direction, acting, character design, portfolio presentation and professional experience abroad.
Flying Bark Productions’ Portfolio Review, in particular, gave students a very practical insight into how a portfolio is assessed in a recruitment context. For his part, Eden Atlan, an ESMA alumnus, shared his professional experience in Japan, offering valuable insight into international career opportunities.
All these meetings provide an opportunity to move from theory to the practical realities of the profession, by gaining first-hand insight into the career paths, advice and expectations of those currently working in the industry.
A new generation of professionals is emerging
The Graduation Show symbolically marks the end of a course of study, but above all the start of a new adventure.
After five years spent honing their skills in 3D, animation and VFX, the students of the Class of 2026 now have their final-year films to showcase their creative vision and expertise to industry professionals.
Well done to the whole Class of 2026 for all their hard work and for the variety of projects they have presented! We wish them all the very best for the future, with exciting professional opportunities and, above all, every success for their films on the festival circuit.
Coming very soon
Would you like to find out about the projects being undertaken by the Class of 2026?
Teasers for the short films are already available on the ESMA Movies YouTube channel. The full-length films will be released online in stages following their festival run next season.
And to relive the highlights of these two days, the Graduation Show 2026 ‘After Movie’ will be available very soon on our social media channels and on the ESMA Movies channel.
A new cohort is now setting out into the industry. It’s up to them to write the next chapter of the story!