What We’re Looking Forward To At Next Week’s Manchester Animation Festival

The Manchester Animation Festival (MAF) kicks off next week and will run November 12-17 at the HOME arts center, cinema, and theater complex in the British city.

Established in 2015, MAF has quickly evolved into one of the most important dates on the U.K. animation calendar. Over six days, MAF’s program includes competitions, workshops, panels, an academic conference, an industry forum, and a day dedicated to family entertainment.

Earlier this year, MAF became the first animation-dedicated U.K.-based festival to be granted Academy Award-qualifying status. The winner of this year’s MAF short film award will become eligible for the 2025 animated short category at the Oscars. This year, 103 shorts from 26 countries will compete for that honor.

Five films are screening in this year’s feature competition: Neil Boyle and Kirk Hendry’s Kensuke’s Kingdom, Sarolta Szabó and Tibor Bánóczki’s White Plastic Sky, Jérémie Périn’s Mars Express, DK and Hugh Welchman’s The Peasants, and Chiara Malta and Sébastien Laudenbach’s Chicken for Linda!

The 2023 MAF Awards ceremony will take place on Thursday, November 16, where prizes will be handed out for best feature, short, student film, children’s film, commissioned film, immersive film, and, for the first time, best British film.

MAF director and CEO Steve Henderson told Cartoon Brew that this year he is:

Delighted to be welcoming the world of animation back to Manchester for our 9th edition. I’m personally looking forward to showcasing the best animation in the world and introducing audiences to some amazing speakers with incredible stories to tell. In a gloomy world where the threat of AI seems to be looming over everyone’s heads, it’s going to be a panacea to meet up with friends old and new, sit in the theatres and soak up all that is good about the variety, ingenuity and creativity that animation always delivers.

Below, we’ve highlighted five standout offerings from this year’s program.

Making-Of Sessions

MAF 2023 will host a series of making-of sessions for some of this year’s biggest animated features. Aardman director and animator Suzy Fagan Parr will share behind-the-scenes stories from the production of Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, Nimona creator ND Stevenson will discuss Netflix’s feature adaptation of the hugely popular web comic, and Disney producer Juan Pablo Reyes will tease the studio’s upcoming feature Wish.

Animation Nation Forum

On Thursday, November 16, MAF will host the industry-focused Animation Nation Forum. The day will include:

• A keynote speech from Orion Ross, VP, international animation at Disney Branded Television.
• A panel discussion about the emergence of artificial intelligence and its potential impact on the animation industry. Participants include Blue Zoo managing director Tom Box, Eight Engines creative director Jack Leigh, Ronu Creative director Hameed Adigun, voice actor David Holt, and University of Manchester commerical law lecturer Pinar Oruc.
• A presentation on ecological best practices in animation. Speakers include Tinmouse Animation Studios’ Tom Sanders and Picl Animation’s Lauren Orme.
• A discussion about short films and their role in the larger animation production ecosystem.
• A State of the Animation Nation roundtable where industry leaders will field questions and reflect on the main challenges that animation production is likely to encounter in the next few years. The roundtable will include Screen Industries consultant Kate O’Connor, Sky director of kids content Lucy Murphy, LEGO creative development executive producer Courtney Arumugam, Animade co-founder Tom Judd, Future Skills head of film Emma Turner, and Factory Create head of production and development Hannah Ferguson.

MAF Marketplace

Studios, schools, recruiters, suppliers, and trainers will set up shop at the MAF Marketplace in Bridgewater Hall, just around the corner from HOME. Studios already confirmed for this year’s edition include Blue Zoo, University of Salford, Screenskills, Escape Studios, Edge Hill University, Giant Animation, Jellyfish Pictures, and Marks & Clerks.

Croatian Animation

For this year’s festival, MAF organizers teamed with the Croatian Audiovisual Centre to curate two programs spotlighting the country’s unique animation heritage. Croatian Animation: History features seven innovative and influential works from the 1950s-80s, while Croatian Animation: Contemporary includes a selection of eight standout films produced in the last 25 years. Additionally, Bonobostudio representative Kata Gugić will host a discussion on how Croatian animation is produced and distributed.

Trans Identities

A selection of 14 short films curated under the title Divert, Delight, Defy: Animating Trans Identities will screen on Tuesday and Friday. By exploring transgender identities through animation, the section will celebrate the full spectrum of gender identity, the importance of community and found family, and the urgent need for trans voices to be heard.