Manchester Animation Fest unveils hybrid program, the new feature film competition

Manchester Animation Festival (MAF), the UK's largest animation festival, today revealed its 2021 schedule. Returning for its seventh year as a hybrid event in 2021, the festival will offer audiences the opportunity to access the greatest content of the world both in person and online. Panels, masterclasses, ongoing events and studio talks will take place online from 14 to 30 November, with dedicated screenings hosted at the HOME Cinema in Manchester between 14 and 19 November.

The main events of the announcement include a look behind the scenes Ron was wrong - Locksmith Animation's debut film, with a spectacular array of voice actors bringing characters to life, including Jack Dylan Grazer as Barney, Zach Galifianakis as Ron's voice, Ed Helms as Barney's father, Olivia Colman as the Barney Donka's grandmother, Rob Delaney and Justice Smith (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, The Get Down).

MAF will present a “making of” event of Netflix's upcoming stop-motion music special series Robin robin, which is currently in production at Aardman and will debut in November. Golden Globe winner Gillian Anderson (The crown) and Oscar nominee Richard E. Grant lead the cast which also includes Bronte Carmichael (Christopher Robin) and Adeel Akhtar.

The program also includes an exclusive look at the work in progress on upcoming Netflix series The house, made by acclaimed stop-motion directors Emma de Swaef and Marc James Roels, with a separate live Q&A.

This year, two brand new lines of competition have been announced for MAF. A feature film category was added for the first time, showcasing the skills of an international array of film talent across four dedicated titles.

Official screenings of the feature film selection include:

• Flee (dir. Jonas Poher Rasmussen), the extraordinary and acclaimed true story of a man, Amin, on the brink of marriage who forces him to reveal his hidden past for the first time. A documentary produced by Riz Ahmed and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who also dub the lead roles. After playing at Sundance, Telluride and Toronto Film Festival, Flee it could become the first film to be nominated in animation, documentary and international feature film at the Oscars (if selected).
• Absolute denial (directed by Ryan Braund). An obsessive and brilliant programmer sacrifices everything in his personal and professional life to build a computer of unprecedented power. After weeks of isolation and watching his life collapse around him, he now faces the ever-growing problem of a much smarter machine than he is.
• My Sunny Maad  (dir. Michaela Pavlátová) follows Herra, a Czech woman who falls in love with Nazir, an Afghan man. She has no idea of ​​the life that awaits her in post-Taliban Afghanistan, nor of the family she is about to join.
• My Favorite War  (dir. Ilze Burkovska Jacobsen), the critically acclaimed film based on the director's personal story of growing up in Cold War Latvia, USSR. It is a coming-of-age story, a personal escape from the brainwashing of the powerful authoritarian regime. An anti-war film, which underlines the importance of an individual's freedom as a fundamental right of a democratic society.

Short films for children will now also be eligible for an award, showing some of the best family short films from around the world. The Animated Short Film Screening competition, which includes short film, student film and commission film screenings categories, will also return and remain the focus of the festival, with winners announced on 25 November.

The annual MAF Fellowship Award 2021 was also confirmed today. The prestigious award will be awarded to Jorge Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua, the duo behind The book of life and the latest Netflix series Maya and the Three. To celebrate, the upcoming events will take a look at their work and film careers, with a live Q&A with the couple.

MAF Industry day is back and bigger than ever with a brand new event - The keynote of the animation. Like a festival before, Patricia Hidalgo, Director of Children's and Education at the BBC will deliver the keynote address entitled “Ignite British Animation” on Industry Day Thursday 18 November. MAF Industry Day represents an opportunity for the animation community to gather and share ideas about the future of our industry, break down barriers and offer access to animation industry insiders.

In addition to MAF's regular industry events and workshops this year 'In The Frame' - part of the organization's annual survey in the animation industry - will examine what access to those behind the scenes means and reveal the results of a survey commissioned in partnership with ScreenSkills and Visible in Visuals. Panel members include D / Deaf community members and those with physical and non-neurotypical access requirements who will share their experiences as MAF investigates whether the industry is doing enough to provide a welcoming environment for the entire workforce.

A family day will also introduce the audience to animated feature films and short films from around the world and a sculpture together with a senior model maker Jim Parkyn, who has worked in animation for over 20 years, being part of the Aardman family and working with the BBC and a number of independent studios.

"We are delighted to announce our 2021 schedule, with some exciting new additions and developments from last year, including an industry keynote!" said festival director Steve Henderson. “We have a brilliant mix of live events where you can get involved with questions and comments and pre-recorded screenings to keep you entertained how and when you want. We are also delighted that in 2021 we can finally launch an animated feature film award to bring these films to a new audience with four fantastic titles vying for the inaugural award. ”

Manchester Animation Festival is presented with the support of the BFI (which awards funds from the National Lottery, which raises £ 36 million each week for causes across the UK) and sponsored, partnered and supported by University of Salford, HOME, Jurys Inn , Blue Zoo, Jellyfish Pictures, ScreenSkills, Animation UK, Leeds Arts University, University of Staffordshire, Animation Toolkit, Sheffield Hallam University, Marks & Clerk LLP, Realtime UK, The Farm Group, Kilogramme, Kord Media, Bearded Fellows. Steve Henderson is the festival director, Jen Hall is the executive producer and festival programmer, Greg Walker is the festival producer.

Tickets will go on sale from Tuesday 28 September. More information on www.manchesteranimationfestival.co.uk.