MONSTRA

What MONSTRA does

MONSTRA | Festival de Animação de Lisboa is an annual international animation film festival founded in Lisbon in 2000 and operated by the nonprofit cultural organizations Monstruosa Associação Cultural and Taumotropio. It functions as a curated showcase and competition for animated cinema, drawing approximately 3,000 film submissions from more than 100 countries each year, screening over 400 films across 100+ sessions in an 11-day program. The festival serves four primary audiences: children and families (via the MONSTRINHA literacy program reaching 30,000+ children annually and 400,000+ cumulatively), animation professionals (filmmakers, directors, jurors — 200 international guests per edition), animation students, and the general cinema audience in Lisbon, where screenings are hosted across Cinema São Jorge, Cinemateca Portuguesa, and Cinema City Alvalade.

The festival's product surface comprises the core annual MONSTRA event, the MONSTRINHA children's sub-brand, the MONSTRA À Solta itinerant touring program (46 Portuguese cities, 179 international cities, 42 countries), the official festival catalogue, and a year-round merchandise line that includes limited-edition silkscreen prints (€10–€500 per print, €390 boxed collection) produced with Centro Português de Serigrafia. Technology assets include a year-round mobile application with AR features and the FILMIN streaming partnership for off-season content distribution.

Revenue is generated through a mix of channels: ticket sales across three Lisbon cinema venues, silkscreen and merchandise sales via the festival's e-commerce storefront, sponsorships and prize money from institutional supporters (República Portuguesa / Ministry of Culture, ICA, Europa Criativa, CML, RTP, SPA, Fundação INATEL), fees associated with the MONSTRINHA educational program reaching schools, and partnership fees routed through a network of municipalities, cineteatros, and local cultural agents that operate as channel partners for MONSTRA À Solta. The entity is privately held and not listed on any exchange.

Name

MONSTRA

Legal name

Monstruosa Associação Cultural

Website

https://monstrafestival.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MONSTRA is a Lisbon-based nonprofit animation film festival founded in 2000 that screens 400+ films to 42,000+ spectators annually, serves 30,000+ children through its MONSTRINHA program, and tours programming via MONSTRA À Solta to 179 international cities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lisboa

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from festival screenings at Cinema São Jorge, Cinemateca Portuguesa, and Cinema City Alvalade
2. Merchandise Sales: Sale of official merchandise including serigrafias (silkscreen prints), Freeze Frame collections, and festival catalogs. Prints range from €10 to €500, with complete collections at €390
3. Sponsorships and Partnerships: Financial and in-kind support from institutional sponsors including República Portuguesa, ICA, Europa Criativa, CML, RTP, and various corporate sponsors
4. Educational Services: Fees from school participation in MONSTRINHA educational program

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

MONSTRA is an annual international animation film festival held in Lisbon, Portugal, running approximately 11 days of competitive screenings, retrospectives, masterclasses, workshops, and exhibitions. It operates the MONSTRINHA children's animation literacy program serving 30,000+ children annually and the MONSTRA À Solta itinerant touring program that reaches 46 Portuguese cities and 179 international cities across 42 countries, alongside a merchandise line and an official catalogue publication.

Product overview

MONSTRA is a single unified annual film festival product focused on celebrating and promoting animated cinema. The core offering is the annual MONSTRA Festival in Lisbon, complemented by the MONSTRINHA children's program for animation literacy, the MONSTRA À Solta itinerant touring program, and merchandise through the FREEZE FRAME collection. The festival has operated since 2000, growing to become Portugal's largest animation festival with over 400 films screened annually across more than 100 sessions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MONSTRINHA: Children's animation cinema program bringing animation to more than 30,000 children annually with education-focused screenings and workshops

Products and services

• MONSTRA Festival Annual international animation film festival held in Lisbon featuring competitive sections, retrospectives, masterclasses, workshops, and exhibitions celebrating animated cinema. Operational since 2000, with the 2026 (25th) edition screening over 400 films from more than 100 countries across more than 100 sessions and exceeding 42,000 spectators.
• MONSTRINHA Children's Animation Program Children and youth animation program within the festival featuring age-appropriate screenings, educational activities, and animation literacy initiatives. Reaches over 30,000 children annually and over 400,000 students cumulatively since inception, with a dedicated schools outreach programme.
• MONSTRA À Solta Touring Program Itinerant version of the festival with six distinct programs of films, family workshops, and training actions for local communities, presented in cities across Portugal and internationally through partnerships with municipalities, cineteatros, and local cultural agents. Has visited 46 Portuguese cities and 179 international cities across 42 countries.
• Freeze Frame MONSTRA Limited-Edition Silkscreen Print Collection Limited edition silkscreen print collection celebrating 20 years of the festival, featuring frames from 20 animated films by renowned international directors, produced in partnership with Centro Português de Serigrafia. Available as individual prints priced from €10 to €500 or as a complete boxed collection of 20 prints at €390.
• MONSTRA Festival Catalogue Official annual publication providing comprehensive details about the festival program, competition entries, jury members, and festival history. Produced each edition, with the 2026 (25th edition) catalogue publicly released.
• MONSTRINHA Schools Educational Outreach Program Educational outreach program under MONSTRINHA that brings animated films to schools, enabling school inscriptions for cinema visits or bringing films directly to educational institutions. Reaches 30,000+ children annually and has cumulatively reached 400,000+ students since inception.

Quantifiable outcome

• 42,000+ spectators at 2025 edition with 220 films selected from 3,000 submissions
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• TaumotropiocoreOthersOrganizational partner of MONSTRA festival
• Monstruosa Associação CulturalcoreOthersCultural association organizational partner of MONSTRA festival
• República Portuguesa (Ministry of Culture)coreOthersGovernmental financial support through Portuguese Republic Ministry of Culture
• ICA (Instituto do Cinema e Audiovisual)coreOthersGovernmental audiovisual institute providing financial support
• Europa Criativa (Creative Europe)coreOthersEuropean Union creative program providing financial support
• CML (Câmara Municipal de Lisboa)coreOthersLisbon City Council providing municipal support and partnership
• RTP (Rádio e Televisão de Portugal)flagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial TV partner and prize sponsor for MONSTRA competitions
• SPA (Sociedade Portuguesa de Autores)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPortuguese authors society sponsoring Vasco Granja competition
• Cinema São JorgeflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary venue for MONSTRA screenings and competition events in Lisbon
• Cinemateca PortuguesacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCultural institution venue for festival screenings and special programs
• Museu da MarionetacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPuppet museum venue for MONSTRA exhibitions
• Annecy International Animation Film FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMONSTRA maintains annual presence at world's largest animation festival in France
• FILMINcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStreaming platform partner for year-round MONSTRA content availability
• Fundação INATELcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCultural foundation sponsoring MONSTRINHA competition and providing venues through INATEL Academy

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ottawa International Animation Festival: North America's leading animation festival, held annually in Ottawa, Canada. Directly comparable to MONSTRA in format — competitive screenings, professional programming, masterclasses — and in targeting international animation professionals and audiences.
• Hiroshima International Animation Festival: Biennial animation festival in Hiroshima, Japan, recognized by ASIFA-Hollywood as a qualifying festival for the Annie Awards. Directly comparable to MONSTRA as a prestigious competitive animation event with international submission flows and curated retrospectives.
• Anim'est International Animation Film Festival: Romania's primary international animation festival held annually in Bucharest. Comparable to MONSTRA as a mid-sized European animation festival combining competitive screenings, workshops, and educational programming targeting families and students.
• Animateka International Animation Festival: Slovenia's flagship animation festival held in Ljubljana. Comparable to MONSTRA in scope and audience-building approach, combining competitive screenings, retrospectives, and a dedicated children's/youth program akin to MONSTRINHA.
• Animafest Zagreb: One of the oldest and most established international animation film festivals, held annually in Zagreb, Croatia. Directly comparable to MONSTRA as a competitive animation festival with retrospectives, masterclasses, and an international submission base serving filmmakers from 100+ countries.

Broad incumbents

• Annecy International Animation Film Festival: The world's largest and most prestigious animation film festival, held annually in Annecy, France. MONSTRA explicitly maintains annual presence at Annecy, and the two festivals serve the same core constituency of animation filmmakers, studios, and audiences, though Annecy operates at substantially greater global scale and industry market influence.

Regional players

• Animafest Cyprus: Animation festival held in Cyprus — notably, Greece and Cyprus are the invited countries of MONSTRA 2027. Comparable regional peer with a focus on Southern European/Mediterranean animation communities and educational outreach.
• IndieLisboa - Lisbon International Film Festival: Independent film festival also based in Lisbon, Portugal. Comparable as a Lisbon-based cultural event operator competing for the same sponsorship pools, municipal cooperation, and cinema venues, although focused on independent live-action rather than animation specifically.

Emerging players

• Pictoplasma: Berlin-based conference and festival focused on contemporary character design and animation art. Comparable to MONSTRA in curating animation-related exhibitions and professional programming, though Pictoplasma leans more toward design/character culture than cinematic animation.
• GLAS Animation Festival: US-based independent animation festival held in Berkeley, California. Comparable to MONSTRA in focusing on independent and artist-driven animation with competitive screenings and retrospectives, though smaller in scale and more recent in establishment.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@festivalmonstra
• Facebookfacebook.com/festivalmonstra
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/monstra-lisbon-animated-film-festival
• Instagraminstagram.com/festival_monstra/?hl=pt
• Xx.com/FestivalMonstra

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MONSTRA