This year, the ANIMAFILM program did not include any entertainment and focused on educating young people during the war. As in 2018 and 2019, opening and closing ceremonies and animation workshops took place in Baku, albeit in a format reflecting the regulations issued by the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan under the special quarantine regime in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The opening ceremony on 14 October was attended by the festival founder Rəşid Ağamalıyev, the head of the Cinematography Department at the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan Rüfət Həsənov, the Secretary of the Azerbaijan Union of Film Makers Əli İsa Cabbarov, the laureate of the 2020 ANIMAFILM Golden Boat Award for contribution to Azerbaijani animation Hafiz Əkbərov and the Deputy Head of Mission of the Czech Republic to the Republic of Azerbaijan Daniel Putík, as well as a member of the Children's Jury, Nurcahan Məmmədli.

Support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic enabled a class of young animation enthusiasts to participate at a 2-day "Stop motion animation and puppet armature skeleton" workshop led by Daria Kashcheeva from the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. A winner of the Gold Medal for International Animation at the 46th Student Academy Awards, and a 2020 Oscar nominee, for „Daughter“, Daria Kashcheeva was among the ANIMAFILM 2020 jury members. With „Spaces“, Nora Štrbová from the Czech Republic was among the winners of the ANIMAFILM 2020 awards for the Best Short Student Animated Film who were announced at the closing ceremony on October 18.