London International Animation Festival 2023

10 Best Animated Documentary Films Ever!

Expired December 7, 2023 9:00 PM
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We have always had a special passion around here for documentary animation. LIAF probably shows more of this kind of work than any other generalist animation festival. It can be surprising to encounter resistance to the idea that there could even be such a thing as documentary animation. Surprising not just because animation is an obvious way to tell any kind of story but because documentary animation has been around from the earliest days of cinema. Just check out Winsor McCay’s 12-minute short ‘The Sinking of the Lusitania’ made in 1918.


Here are 10 of the best animated documentary films we have screened at LIAF over the years – big audience favourites with a few of our own personal choices. Together they form a compelling argument that animation can help the documentary form push boundaries and pose a network of challenging, existential questions.

Three perfectly true stories about lying. We get to meet the burglar who, when found out, claims to be a moonlighting accountant, the small boy who confesses to a theft he didn’t commit and the woman whose whole life has been one long series of lies.

  • Year
    2008
  • Runtime
    13 minutes
  • Country
    Sweden
  • Rating
    15
  • Social Media
  • Filmmaker
    Jonas Odell