The UK animation festival, which brings together the animation industry's top talent, leading professionals, and a program with fans of animation in mind, runs November 10-14.
Manchester Animation Festival (MAF), the only Oscar-qualifying animation festival in the UK, has revealed its program for 2024, which runs November 10-14. Now also a BAFTA-qualifying festival, MAF brings together the animation industry's top talent, leading professionals, and a wide-ranging program with fans of animation in mind. The festival will showcase a selection of events including screenings, panels, workshops, masterclasses, “making of” sessions and studio talks, hosted across the city from HOME cinema to the Anthony Burgess Centre, YES, Gasworks and Bridgewater Hall.
This year’s lineup includes a special conversation with legendary filmmaker Chris Sanders (Lilo and Stitch, How To Train Your Dragon), who will discuss his latest film Wild Robot, which will be followed by a screening of the film. There will also be an appearance from the beloved Wallace & Gromit creators Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham, and a special screening of Richard Williams animated marvel The Thief and the Cobbler, which will include a talk and book signing by Imogen Sutton.
Exclusive “making of” sessions will discuss what it takes to make an animation on a global scale, including the making of That Christmas; designer Justin Hutchinson-Chatburn from Locksmith Animation will take an in depth look behind the scenes. Based on the charming trilogy of children's books by beloved multi-award-winning writer/director Richard Curtis (Notting Hill, Love Actually), the film will receive a special screening at MAF before coming to Netflix on December 4.
There will also be a look at the creation of CBeebies’ first-ever 2D animated sitcom about dual-heritage British Asian brothers Nikhil & Jay. Further panels include: Animated Answers: Doing IP Properly, How it works Short Film Funding, Short Film Directors Q&A and UK/UA Animation Lab Project Presentation.
MAF’s family day will take place on November 10 and includes the BBC Box Set and Short Films For Children events, where audiences can bring the whole family to MAF’s screenings of animated short films. The Young Animator of the Year UK Awards also returns this year for animators aged 11-18 from across the UK.
Five feature films will play in competition: Memoir of a Snail, Flow, Black Butterflies, Sultana’s Dream and Sauvages.
Adult Swim dives in with an exclusive screening of series from their upcoming content slate, including Common Side Effects, Invincible Fight Girl, the stop-motion Women Wearing Shoulder Pads, and YOLO: Rainbow Trinity, with a few other surprises.
Epic Games will provide a travel guide for animators learning Unreal Engine. Animation software company Moho will present New Ways to think about 2D animation, and Víctor Paredes will showcase how rigs and vector drawings can live together with traditional animation.
The annual awards ceremony will be held on November 14, and will present awards for Short Film, Feature Film, British Film, Student Film, Commissioned Film, Immersive Awards, Short Film for Children, and the Audience Award. Alasdair Beckett-King will host the event. Trophies are crafted by master model makers Mackinnon and Saunders. The yearly Industry Excellence Awards, which recognize individuals working in industry in the fields of writing, storyboarding, character design and character animation, will also take place.
“10 years gives us an amazing opportunity to reflect on the extraordinary talent we've showcased in Manchester,” said festival director Steve Henderson. “Over the past decade, we've evolved into the UK's premier animation gathering, and that's thanks to the brilliant creators, visionaries, and supporters who have shared their work, their craft, and their passion. Along with our supporters, the team have worked hard, and this year's program is a testament to that legacy, and I’m looking forward to welcoming the global animation community to Manchester this November for our monumental tenth edition!”
MAF is presented with the support of Higher Education Partner University of Salford, HOME, Maldron Hotels, and patrons Adult Swim, BBC Children’s & Education, BBC Studios, Blue Zoo, Epic Games, Maxon, Moho and Netflix.
Tickets are available here.
Source: Manchester Animation Festival
Journalist, antique shop owner, aspiring gemologist—L'Wren brings a diverse perspective to animation, where every frame reflects her varied passions.
