MAF ADDS EVEN MORE TO PROGRAMME!

MAF 2021 is less than a month away and it reveals another huge batch of events, talks and films! First up, there are some incredible guest additions to this year’s array of events, including full guest line-ups for already announced Animated Answers: WFH ATM! discussing the challenges many of us have faced working from home the past year and a half, Animated Answers NTF, WTF? exploring just what NFTs are plus our examination of the animation industry State of the Animation Nation (supported by Animation UK), and the ScreenSkills supported In The Frame: Is Animation Accessible?.

This year’s guests are announced.

It’s annouced a BRAND NEW pitch panel event; Life’s a Pitch: Pitching Your Animated Project. Find out from The Young Audiences Content Fund Executives Harriet Williams and Elaine McElroy some top tips, do’s and don’ts for your pitch document, as well as getting the chance to verbally pitch a project in development through of our Project Pitching Surgeries.To register your interest in pitching at this event, please see the website for more details.

JURY ANNOUNCEMENT

Pictured above are just a few of the incredible representatives of the animation industry for MAF 2021’s IEA, Feature Film and Short Film Juries. Some of this year’s members include Mikey Please (Robin Robin), Claus Toksvig Kjaer (Calamity, a Childhood of Martha Jane Cannary), Kirsten Howard; News & Features Editor at Den of Geek and Althea Aseoche (101 Dalmatian Street).

FILMMAKER Q&A’S

Next up, we’re proud to announce the filmmakers included in our online Animated Mixtape, New Animated Voices and Animated Commercial Curiosities Q&As! Buying a ticket to any of these competition programmes automatically gives you a free ticket to the correlating Q&A, giving you the chance to immersive yourself even further into this years programmes.

This year’s Student Films Director Q&A boasts appearances from My Grandmother is an Egg animator Wu Ching Chang, Circus in Town Co-directors Sebastian Kellermann and Robin Pfister, The Drive Zoo’s Lucy Davidson, Director of BusLine35A Elena Felici and Behind The Jugular’s Zoë Armit.

The Short Films Director Q&A will include Marko Dješka From All Those Sensations In My Belly, Only a Child director Simone Giampaolo, Fledge’s Hani Dombre and Tom Kouris and Affairs of the Art’s Joanna Quinn and Les Mills.

Finally, our Commissioned Films Director Q&A will feature Chris Ullens of Poppy ‘HER’,Wallace and Gromit: Sofa Chaos director Will Becher, Freedbird’s Joe Bluhm and Michael McDonald, Save Ralph model maker Andy Gent, director of Squib: When all of This Is Over Baz Sells, Sinking Feeling’s Mark Spokes and Jabberwocky’s Sjaak Rood.

ANIMATED MIXTAPE: BEST OF 2020 EDITION

On top of our already extensive shorts offerings, there’ll bring you a very special mixtape with all favourites from last years programme completely FREE. In 2020, the eclectic animated short films prograe of Manchester Animation Festival found their home on the small screen online, but now they’re brought to the big screen where they rightfully belong! Screening at Manchester Central Library, you’ll be able to watch these short films throughout Tue 16 Nov in 5 hourly screening slots.