Big Wins for TCMA at the II ToonDook International Animation Festival!
October 15, 2026
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We are excited to celebrate some great news from the II ToonDook International Animation Festival, held from October 9 to 11 in Bishkek! Our TCMA student and alumna films took home top honors, showcasing the incredible talent and storytelling within our community.
Here are our winning highlights:
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1st Prize (Student Category): Demon of the Mount Kaigy
Directed by Viola Mustafina (TCMA Alumna '25), this touching animation captured top honors in the student competition! -
Special Jury Mention: I Wish Dad Was Here
Directed by Aigerim Iusupova, this personal film鈥攄eveloped as a coursework project鈥攅arned a well-deserved Special Mention from the Jury of the festival.
What makes these wins so special is the global perspective behind the decisions. The films were judged by an exceptionally talented international jury, bringing together top voices from around the world:
From Netflix鈥檚 Love, Death & Robots director Robert Valley (Canada) and International Stuttgart Film Festival (ITFS) Festival Director Annegret Richter (Germany) to acclaimed French director Jean-Christophe Roger and Kyrgyzstan鈥檚 own premier animator Shakhnazar Borboev.
To have Viola and Aigerim鈥檚 visions resonate so deeply with such a distinguished, world-class panel of filmmakers is a huge pride for our entire department. Huge congratulations to our winners鈥攈ere鈥檚 to many more stories brought to life!听
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