Our values

🌿 More sustainable mobility, at all levels

We make it a point of honour to encourage alternatives to car travel. The results speak for themselves:

➡️ 62% of our audience comes by public transport, 18% on foot and 6% by bike. A secure bike park is provided each year in front of the Festival in collaboration with Parking Brussels and the Municipality of Ixelles. Anima is also a partner of Pro Vélo.

➡️ We systematically encourage our guests to travel by train. Air travel is only considered for journeys of more than 6 hours, with a maximum of 20 return flights per edition, including 5 outside Europe. We select guests based on their geographical location and make sure their presence benefits as many people as possible (masterclasses, meetings, etc.). Our partner hotel is within walking distance, which also helps to reduce traffic in the neighbourhood.

➡️ 90% of the team’s work-home commutes throughout the year happen on foot, by bike or public transport. Our goal is 100% by 2026. We also limit our travel for work, always favouring walking, cycling or travel by train.

A committed venue
Our main venue, Flagey, has also been awarded the Ecodyn label (2 stars). Flagey has undertaken major modernization work to improve its energy efficiency, including the installation of solar panels and heat pumps.

Sustainable and local food
Meals for staff and guests are 100% vegetarian and are prepared by Refresh, a social economy restaurant in Brussels. Products come from local Brussels suppliers, mainly from a market garden on the roof of a building in Ixelles (500 metres from Flagey): an urban agriculture laboratory covering almost 2,200 m², of which 900 m² are suitable for cultivation. The vegetable production comprises more than 50 different varieties of vegetables and 25 types of aromatic plants, not to mention small fruits and edible flowers!
For our audience, we offer local and sustainable alternatives in terms of drinks, homemade desserts and local beers.

Almost zero-waste catering
Reusable tableware (crockery, glass, metal); most bottles are returnable glass bottles; only pancakes are still served on paper plates (alternatives are being explored). Spectators who bring their own water bottles can refill them for free at all our bars. The public is invited to sort their waste using the recycling bins provided throughout the venue. Festival volunteers are available to help with sorting.

Collaboration with certified service providers
Our printer, Moderna Printing, is certified. The programme they print for the festival uses eco-friendly inks and 100% recycled paper. The team’s T-shirts are made by Color & Screen in Belgium from organic cotton, and our data host, Infomaniak, is based in Switzerland and offsets its emissions by 200%. Our bank, Triodos, is ethical and sustainable.

Reuse above all
Our computers, phones and scanners are reconditioned or updated rather than bought new. Our preferred search engine is Ecosia. Data is regularly sorted to ensure limited storage. We limit emails and the use of AI, and we watch the 100 feature films in the selection together. We prefer Wi-Fi to 4G and our archives are stored on an ISO 14001-certified server.

Less paper
The number of programmes and catalogues we print is reduced each year.

We don’t stop at logistics: ecology is also a key theme in our programme. We select committed films (such as Ordures, the closing film for 2025), organize conferences on the impact of film shoots, and propose fun and educational activities such as upcycling clothes with our T-Shirt Machine.

The team takes part in a range of events related to the ecological transition in the cultural sector. Our commitment has also been recognized: Folioscope responded to a call for eco-coaching projects, in partnership with the National Lottery, to further strengthen its carbon reduction efforts.

At Anima, diversity and inclusion are concrete realities, integrated into every stage of our work.

A committed team
Our organization is based on benevolence, listening, flexibility and autonomy. The team now includes a well-being officer. She is available during the festival if you have been either the victim of an assault or a witness to one: ask for Eva at the reception desk.

Gender parity and representation
We pursue gender parity in the team, the programme, the panels and the juries. In 2024 and 2025, more than 50% of the short films in competition were directed by women, but this gender parity still needs to be improved for feature films. Visibility is given to minorities during meetings, round-table discussions and screenings such as the Queer Evening, the Girls Girls Girls programme, and Real-Life Stories.

Carefully considered programming choices
Each year, films address themes related to gender, cultural diversity, disability, multiple identities and social justice. All this is done with respect and consideration for those concerned.

Concrete actions in the field
Screenings accessible to people with hearing or visual disabilities with the collective La PERCHE
Partnerships with associations working for inclusion, such as EQLA, Article 27, and Paspartoe
Solidarity rates and easy access for remote audiences
Workshops and contents adapted to neurodivergent audiences and people with disabilities

Essential transmission
Anima also seeks to address young people, schools and families with contents conceived to open up the imagination while seeking to deconstruct stereotypes from an early age.