CONTENTS

UNIMA Congress 2025

World Puppetry Day

Upcoming events

Opportunities

National Center Dues Reminder

UNIMA Congress Updates

Dates:
Chuncheon Puppet Festival: May 23-June 1, 2025
Congress Symposium: May 23-24, 2025
Congress: May 26-30, 2025

There's still time to register for both in-person
AND Digital participation!

Celebrate Friendship!

We invite you to show your love for puppetry and cultural exchange. Your contribution—big or small—makes a real difference in keeping puppetry alive and accessible to all.

Go FundMe now Live!

World Puppetry Day, celebrated annually on March 21, is the occassion to collectively and as widely as possible carry the diversity of puppetry arts today! 

2025's theme:

Robots, AI and the dream of the puppet?

The official 2025 poster, designed by artist:
Zaven Paré, is now available!

World Puppetry Day 2025 will feature 3 official messages! UNIMA encourages National Centers to share the messages on March 21.
Contact the office to request an advance copy

Find out more about World Puppetry Day

Applied Puppetry: A Field Guide

This presentation looks back at the thirty years during which Matt Smith has developed ecological practices in the form of material performances using puppets and adapted objects. This webinar will seek to show how we can implement sensitive and responsible practices with groups.

Applied Puppetry: A Field Guide

With Matt Smith

Date: 3 March 2025, 15:00 (CET)
Language: English

Proposed by UNIMA Education, Development and Therapy Commission

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International Women's Day
Date: 8 March 2025

UNIMA encourages members to share posts about women in puppetry!

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Meeting of ASSITEJ, IDEA and UNIMA
Date: 26 March 2025 (10:30 - 12:00 CET)

UNIMA, Assitej and IDEA are organising a round table at the next Assitej Congress in Marseille to explore the development of puppetry in educational contexts with young people affected by war, displacement and trauma in the Middle East and Africa. This discussion, both in person and online, also aims to strengthen collaboration between the three organisations. Information will be published shortly on the UNIMA website.

Your ideas and proposals on this topic are welcome in advance and can be forwarded to the Europe and Research Commissions of UNIMA.

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Open Session:
International Festivals Commission
THEME: Festivals and Audiences
DATE/TIME: APRIL 9, 2025 (16:00 CET)
This meeting is addressed to festival directors and will be devoted to audience development : how to better know your audience? How to attract new audience ? How to reach diversity ?...
To Register, email: festivals@unima.org

UNIMAgazine:
Unique Advertising Opportunity

The first UNIMAgazine will be published in May 2025!

Edited by UNIMA thanks to an international editorial committee, it will feature 42 articles from National Centres and magazines from Africa, America, Asia-Pacific and Europe and will have close to 200 pages per language.

UNIMAgazine will be freely accessible on the UNIMA website and available for purchase in paper format. It will be published in English, Spanish and French.

UNIMAgazine is open to advertising!

Advertising is open as a priority to members of the UNIMA community. It will be used to promote theatre programmes, festivals, exhibitions, events, publications…

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Passports program

The PASSPORT program aims to help young UNIMA puppeteers or puppetry students, both UNIMA and non-UNIMA members, to attend puppet festivals and increase their knowledge of the organization and programming of an international event.

Proposed by UNIMA's International festival Commission

Upcoming Passports!

July 2025

FIAMS – Festival international des arts de la marionnette à Saguenay 
Canada | July 22-27, 2025 [1 passport x 5 days]

October 2025

Festival de Títeres y Objetos Animados MUNDO TITERE FEST 
Argentina | October, 2025 [1 passport x 5 days]

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20th anniversary of the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions

In 2025, we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, a fundamental text that serves as a key tool for our sector.

UNESCO has launched a dedicated website for this celebration, offering a platform where everyone can showcase their activities and initiatives aligned with the objectives of the convention. We encourage you to contribute and highlight your projects, demonstrating the importance of puppetry in global cultural diversity. 

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UNIMA shares news and opportunities from members across the globe in the news section of the website!