The only animated film to enter the official competition programme of the 70th Venice Film Festival is Miyazaki's new film, Kaze Tachinu (The Wind Rises).

The Italian animator Simone Massi designs the poster of the 70th Venice Film Festival, which is  a tribute to the Greek auteur Theo Angelopoulos.

A current wave of animated features, especially in Europe, explores neglected sides of the political in animated form.

The Salma Hayek-produced animated feature The Prophet,  based on Kahlil Gibran's book,  has been picked up for distribution by the Italian company Good Films.

The Israeli animator Avi Ofer won the  2013 Annecy-Dailymotion contest, "Feet in the Water, Head in the Movies".

Another daring animated project in development. Learn more about Young Perez, an animated documentary helmed by Jean-Jacques Kahn & Franck Van Leeuwen, and watch the teaser.

The premiere convention for animation, Aka-con, takes place in Dublin.

The Oscar-awarded British animator Daniel Greaves prepares the stop-motion drama Mr. Plastimime.

Ari Folman's The Congress, his first animated work after the critically acclaimed Waltz with Bashir, opens the Directors' Fortnight (Quinzaine des Realisateurs) at Cannes Film Festival. Watch the first trailer of the film, and an animated excerpt.

An exhibition devoted to the German Drawn Animation Film 1930-1950 takes place in Dresden, Germany, from 21 April – 29 September 2013.

The Netherlands Institute for Animation (NIAF) has just published an announcement that is "on hold" as of 1 January 2013.

The Australian Isabel Peppard directs the stop-motion thriller Butterflies, and qualifies for an Oscar®.