Manchester Animation Fest announces digital program for 2020
Il Manchester animation festival (MAF), the UK's largest animation festival, today released its 2020 schedule. Returning to its sixth year as a digital event, the festival will offer audiences the opportunity to access the world's greatest animated content , comfortably from home. It is confirmed that the festival will take place from 15 to 30 November 2020.
Program information and tickets are now on sale on www.manchesteranimationfestival.co.uk.
COVID-19 restrictions of the festival
Due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, the 2020 edition will, for the first time, be hosted online, allowing for a worldwide view of this dynamic digital festival. The program includes stunning short films, fantastic feature films, exclusive premieres, informative master classes and eclectic events, to celebrate what the world of animation has to offer. Live questions and answers, panels and on-screen speeches will feature expert and acclaimed animators, who will share behind-the-scenes insights into their work and iconic characters.
The comment of Steve Henderson, director of the Festival
“We are delighted to welcome the animation community to MAF for another year of animated activity, all from the comfort of your own home from 15 to 30 November. Everything you know and love about the Festival has gone digital, from gorgeous short films to fascinating masterclasses, feature films and this year we have also expanded our program to show more industry events, a digital market and social events, "said the director of the Steve Henderson Festival. “Going online offers us the perfect opportunity to make MAF accessible to many more people and welcome all of them to the Festival. It is thanks to the precious and continuous support of our partners and sponsors that after a year, we have a program that everyone can appreciate and we can't wait to welcome old and new friends to MAF 2020 “.
The main events in the announcement include an exclusive look at work in progress on the next stop-motion animated film The inventor with Stephen Fry and Daisy Ridley, with a question and answer session by the writer and director Jim capobianco, the Oscar-nominated writer for Pixar's Achievement Ratatouille. A family day will also introduce the audience to animated feature films and short films from around the world and a sculpture together Jim Parkyn, sculptor of Aardman Animations.
The MAF Awards
Every year MAF presents its prestigious ones Fellowship Award, which reward the outstanding achievements of the animators in the sector. The organizers revealed it Alison Snowden and David Fine by Snowden Fine Animation (Bob's birthday) are the 2020 recipients. To celebrate, the scheduled events will take a look at their work and screen a retrospective of their film and television career, with a live meeting with the Oscar-winning couple.
The MAF competitions
Il Competition of animated short films, which includes the categories of short films, student films and commissioned film screenings, will remain at the heart of the festival. The winners will be announced on November 27th.
The UK animation industry is renowned around the world for the quality of talent and originality of the productions. The industry remained resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly as most animation can be done remotely, making animation an incredibly impressive and important sector for the UK film and television industry.
Industry day
The novelty of MAF 2020 is the Industry day sponsored by Brown Bag Films which takes place on Thursday 19th November, with a series of live events for animation professionals to obtain valuable information on the sector. In connection with Industry Day, the MAF Marketplace will return in 2020 connecting companies and animation studios to showcase their work and meet festival delegates. Virtual stalls will allow the industry to chat, meet, share and network. The studios and companies that frequent and sponsor the MAF Marketplace are Jellyfish Pictures Ltd, Marks & Clerk, Animation Toolkit, Young Audiences Content Fund (BFI), Blue Zoo, Brown Bag Films, Toon Boom and the University of Salford.
"I have had the pleasure of attending MAF every year since its inception, witnessing its growth to become the UK's largest animation festival in just a few years," said Tom Box, Chairman of the MAF Board, Tom Box, MD of Blue Zoo Productions. “The passion and drive that led to this growth has been increased and carried over to the online edition this year. By sharing the love of animation with even more people around the world. "
