The Cape Town International Animation Festival (CTIAF) is running free daily animation workshops and screenings for teenagers at Comic Con Africa 2026, open to all Comic Con ticket holders aged 12 to 18.
The event runs from 24 to 27 September 2026. The CTIAF is an official Comic Con annual partner and is hosting the programme alongside the SAE Institute.
Each day includes two workshops and one screening. Registration is required and, according to the announcement, is already live.
What’s on the programme
The four-day schedule covers a range of practical animation skills.
On Thursday 24 September, attendees can join a pixel art character creation workshop, a drawing for animation session, and two screenings: Best of CTIAF 2026 (African Roots) and short films from the Festivals Animation Network.
Friday 25 September shifts to storytelling, with an ‘From idea to storyboard’ workshop and a Foley session on creating sound for screen. Screenings include more short films from the Festivals Animation Network and Best of CTIAF 2026.
Saturday 26 September repeats the pixel art character and drawing for animation workshops, with screenings of Best of CTIAF 2026 and the African Roots Short Film Selection. Sunday 27 September rounds out the weekend with the storyboard and Foley workshops again, plus screenings from the Festivals Animation Network and the African Roots Short Film Selection.
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Why this matters for young South African animators
Free, structured access to industry-adjacent skills is not the default for most South African teenagers. A Comic Con ticket already costs money; the fact that these workshops are included rather than priced separately removes at least one barrier for families already making the trip.
The CTIAF and SAE Institute pairing is worth noting. SAE Institute is a creative media education provider, and its involvement signals that the workshops are positioned as skills-building rather than pure entertainment.
The African Roots framing across several screenings also suggests the programme is deliberately centering local and continental storytelling, which is a different proposition from simply importing a Western animation curriculum and calling it done.
How to register and attend
Registration for the workshops is separate from buying a Comic Con Africa ticket. Sign up here.
Comic Con Africa 2026 runs from 24 to 27 September, with CTIAF workshops and screenings scheduled across all four days.
Prospective attendees should register before arriving at the venue, as the announcement specifically prompts pre-event sign-up rather than walk-in access.
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