MAF WELCOME LENOVO AS PRINCIPAL SUPPORTER!
Manchester Animation Festival is pleased to announce that both the festival and the Animation Nation Forum have found a principal supporter in the form of Lenovo. Lenovo will be joining us at the MAF Marketplace on the 14 November. Festival director Steve Henderson said
“We’re thrilled to have Lenovo join Manchester Animation Festival 2024 as our principal supporter. Their presence in the animation space aligns perfectly with our mission, and their backing is invaluable in helping us continue to champion the creative work that makes MAF and the Animation Nation Forum the must attend events in the UK animation calendar.”
You can join Lenovo as part of the MAF Marketplace, more information about the company can be found below.
ANIMATION NATION FORUM 2024
Running alongside Manchester Animation Festival, the Animation Nation Forum (ANF), taking place on Thursday 14 November, is our business to business platform and the UK’s destination for animation industry leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs to explore the cutting-edge conversations shaping the sector internationally.
This year the ANF will focus on opportunity in the face of the constrictions that traditional media routes are facing, looking beyond the current challenges and imagining a future that lies ahead.
ANF 2024 will spotlight the new pathways emerging through alternative distribution, fresh business models, and exciting publication opportunities. Don’t miss your chance to be at the forefront of this inspiring movement – where innovation meets opportunity, and hope defines the next chapter of animation.
ANF HIGHLIGHTS
This year’s ANF will kick off with a Welcome Breakfast hosted by Animation UK, followed by a keynote address by Alix Wiseman, SVP at 9 Story Media, setting the stage for a day full of insight and innovation.
Insightful panels include In the Frame: New opportunities in animation, which will explore how animation is finding homes on a diverse range of platforms and embracing cutting-edge tech. Guest speakers include Richard Chaney (Director at Piranha Bar), Jiella Esmat (co-founder of 8 Lions Entertainment), Jo Redfern (strategist for youth IP) and Jon Mason (founder of Digital Studio Jollywise).
International co-productions will be explored in detail, and the annual State of the Animation Nation panel will provide a comprehensive look at the industry’s future with a spectrum of animation leaders and innovators. The panel includes Charlotte Bavasso (co-founder of Nexus Studios), Tanya J Scott (filmmaker, writer and illustrator), Kate O’Connor (Executive Chair at Animation UK) and Sueann Rochester (co-founder of Wild Child Animation).
New for 2024 is ANF Connect, enabling participants to book 15-minute meetings with top industry leaders across the day. The event will conclude with a drinks reception hosted by King Banana.
Find more here:https://www.manchesteranimationfestival.co.uk/industry/anf-programme/
MARKETPLACE
Alongside the ANF, the free-to-attend MAF Marketplace will also return to the Bridgewater Hall this year, showcasing stands from leading companies along with portfolio review opportunities for creatives wishing to gain insight and feedback from studios.
Marketplace sponsors in attendance include Skydance Animation, a one-of-a-kind studio based across Los Angeles, Connecticut and Madrid, who’ll be offering portfolio reviews and advice on recruitment opportunities, as well as the multiple Academy and BAFTA award-winning VFX studio Industrial Light & Magic.
Other companies participating in this year’s MAF Marketplace include Blue Zoo, University of Salford, A Productions and Moho Animation Software. Keep an eye on our website for more participants to be announced!
MORE FESTIVAL EVENTS
As if that wasn’t enough, we’ve also been busily preparing some more exciting events for our public programme!
On Tuesday 12 November we’re celebrating 10 years of the multi award winning pre-school show Hey Duggee, with director and creator Grant Orchard joining us for a tour through the show’s creative process; past, present and future. Throughout the festival we’ll also be showcasing episodes of the show on a free, drop-in basis at Manchester Central Library. A huge thank you to our supporter BBC Studios for making these events possible!
Katherine Roberts from ILM will discuss how they collaborated with the feature animation team at Netflix to create the stylised look and animation of Ultraman: Rising on Thursday 14 November, while that afternoon we’ll be joined by Hannah Lau Walker (animator and founder of She Drew That), Kate Lander (career development and skills consultant) and Mark Simon Hewis (Head of the Aardman Academy) for an advice session on breaking into the animation industry, supported by Wild Child Animation.
Producers Carolyn Soper (Bad Fairies, Sherlock Gnomes), Chris Hees (Nocturnal, Absolute Denial, Scale) and Chris Bowden (Mixmups, Postman Pat SDS, Moon & Me) will be joining us for a special animated answers session discussing the role of a producer – the glue that holds together any good production! We’re delighted that Locksmith Animation are supporting us for this event.
Colm Tobin and Aidan O’Donovan, co-founders of Irish creator studio Turnip + Duck will share their approach to making writer-led, smart, funny and inclusive kids’ comedy in a session on Wednesday 13 November.
We’re also delighted to be joined by 3D artist and animator Steph Ramplin for an exciting exploration of her world of character creation, where expressive shapes, vibrant colours and a sarcastic sense of humour come together in stunning 3D images. Thank you to Maxon for supporting this event!
Tickets for these events are now on sale via our website.
THE WILD ROBOT
DreamWorks Animation’s latest family animation The Wild Robot has already made a huge splash in the UK over the opening weekend of its cinema release and its success is set to continue!
The epic adventure follows a service robot shipwrecked on an uninhabited island, gradually building relationships with the wildlife there.
We’re excited to be welcoming the director Chris Sanders to MAF this November, for a very special screening of the film with an introduction by Chris and an exclusive ‘making of’ session diving deep into the creation story of this fantastic film.
A huge thank you to NetApp for supporting our The Wild Robot events. NetApp specialise in data management, hardware, software and cloud services.
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