10 Reasons to Visit the Manchester Animation Festival 2018
Three weeks today, on the Tuesday 13th November, the Manchester Animation Festival (the UK’s largest animation festival) will kick off it’s 4th edition.
Started in 2015, this year’s three day marathon of animation is its biggest and best yet. There is much crammed into the 3 days, and we have done our best to narrow down to 10 unmissable highlights and reasons to go and buy your pass right now…
- Night of the Trampires + Q&A
Chuck Steel: Night of the Trampires is the eagerly awaited feature debut of Mike Mort, the BAFTA award winning director. “It’s no longer 1985 – it’s 1986, and Chuck Steel has work to do if he is to prevent the worst plague ever to hit Los Angeles – a scourge of deadly Trampires, mutant hybrids of vampires and bums.” See this stop-motion epic on the big screen, followed by a Q&A with Mike Mort himself. (Plus, don’t miss the puppets, which will be on display at MAF.) - Animated Answers: Little or Large, Which Studio is Best for You?
Animation studios come in all shapes and sizes, with varying projects. Would you fare better as a big fish in a small pond, or would you prefer more water to swim in? Brown Bag Films will be hosting a number of these ‘Animated Answers’ sessions; bringing together people from industry to answer questions from the audience - 40 Years of Barry Purves
There are few animators like Barry Purves. Working in Feature, Television, Short films where he has won acclaim for his works internationally making an incredible contribution to British animation globally. After 40 years in the animation industry, MAF will take a look back on Barry’s career and talk through it with the man himself.
- The Making of The Highway Rat
The award-winning The Highway Rat, based on the books by Julia Donaldson and Axel Sheffler is the charming children’s television special that has enchanted family audiences around the world. Director Jeroen Jaspaert will be taking the festival audience behind the scenes for a ‘making-of’ and discover how the rat of the highway came to be. - Smallfilms Stories
Ivor the Engine, The Clangers, Bagpuss – just three of the shows created by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin. In an age before industrially produced television series, Smallfilms helped define all British children’s animated television that followed it. Join a panel of experts to re-visit to all those creative wonderlands that the studio created. - The Skwigly Quiz is back!
Join our very own Steve Henderson and Ben Mitchell as they invite you to test your animation knowledge and pit your wits against fellow festival goers in a fiendishly fun Animation Quiz. There are fabulous prizes to be won!
- Making of Isle of Dogs
Directed by Wes Anderson and starring a roster of Hollywood’s finest, MAF take a look behind the scenes of the film and toward the animation stars that put the film together. The panel will consist of Head Painter Roy Bell and animator Tim Allen for a behind the scenes look at this stop motion feature hit. - MAF Market
MAF Market brings together animation studios and companies to showcase their work and meet the festival delegates. Studios and companies attending the MAF Marketplace will be: Brown Bag Films, Blue Zoo Animation, Animation Toolkit, BFI Talent Network, Toon Boom, and University of Salford. - This Magnificent Cake! + Q&A
From the creators of festival favourite Oh Willy; This Magnificent Cake! is divided into five tales which present a perturbed king, a pygmy working in a luxury hotel, a ruined businessman, a lost porter, and a young deserter. The film will be followed with a Q&A with co-director Marc James Roels. - The AfterMAF!
After the films have been watched, and the awards have been handed… there’s drinks to be drunk, songs to be sung (karaoke!) and partying until the early hours – it’s the only way to end the festival!
The festival takes place between Tuesday 13th – Thursday 15th November, at Manchester’s HOME venue. You can buy full festival passes or single day passes here – but hurry up, as these are selling fast. This year also offers a Family Day (Sunday 11th Nov) and an Academic Conference (Friday 16th Nov). If you are looking for places to stay during the festival, you can try the official hotel, Jurys Inn Manchester, or the Premier Inn (Deansgate Locks) – both of which are a stones throw from the festival venue.
The Skwigly team look forward to seeing you there!