NORA TWOMEY WILL BE AWARDED WITH THE ANIMAC 2026 HONORARY AWARD

The director of “My Father’s Dragon” and co-founder of Cartoon Saloon (“The Secret of Kells” and “Song of the Sea”) is one of the key voices in contemporary animation, with a career marked by narrative, social and artistic commitment.

His films have received 5 Oscar nominations and a long history of international recognition.

The 30th edition of Animac, the International Animation Film Festival of Catalonia organized by the Lleida City Council from February 20 to 23, 2026, grants its highest award, the Honorary Award of this edition, to Nora Twomey, Irish director, screenwriter and producer, partner and creative director of Cartoon Saloon.

Nora Twomey’s passion for visual storytelling began at a young age and has led her to develop a career linked to the medium of animation with Paul Young and Tomm Moore, her partners in the internationally recognized Cartoon Saloon studio. From the early years of the studio, Twomey directed short films and award-winning spots, before co-directing with Tomm Moore the feature film “The Secret of Kells” (2009), nominated for the Oscars. At the same time, he supervised the development processes of various series, including the preschool series “Puffin Rock”.

Later, Nora Twomey served as head of story and voice director of “Song of the Sea” (2014), also nominated for an Oscar. Her first feature film as a director was “The Breadwinner” (2017), a film nominated for the Oscars and the Golden Globes, which won various international recognitions, including the Annie Award for best independent feature film and the audience and jury awards at the Annecy Festival.

More recently, he directed “My Father’s Dragon” (2022), a Netflix original animated feature inspired by the Newbery Award-winning children’s book by Ruth Stiles Gannett. Currently, Nora Twomey continues to develop films and original projects, while also working on Cartoon Saloon’s suite of projects in development and production.

His filmography is characterized by a sensitive and brave look, with special attention to childhood, social conflicts, memory and the characters’ capacity for resistance. Through a delicate visual language and a deep-rooted narrative, Twomey has demonstrated that animation is a powerful tool to address complex issues with a great emotional, political and ethical charge.

Cartoon Saloon is an internationally recognized animation studio, based in Kilkenny, Ireland. The studio has received five Oscar nominations and two Golden Globe nominations, as well as numerous international awards, including BAFTA and Emmy awards. Cartoon Saloon’s creative DNA is deeply rooted in Irish stories and folklore, a narrative tradition that the studio has successfully translated into short films, feature films and animated series distributed and recognized around the world.

As part of the tribute, Animac will program a retrospective of Nora Twomey’s most representative works and will include her participation in various activities, including a masterclass aimed at students and professionals in the sector.

This edition of Animac will revolve around the motto Things change, an invitation to reflect on the constant transformation processes that are going through the contemporary world, with a program that will combine screenings, training activities and professional spaces, reaffirming the Exhibition as a reference meeting point for author animation.

The exhibition has the support of CaixaForum Lleida, the Fundació de les Arts de Lleida, the Ministry of Culture (ICAA), the Provincial Council of Lleida (IEI) and the ICEC of the Department of Culture of the Generalitat of Catalonia.