MAF returns November 8–12 at HOME and venues across Manchester with studio showcases, a five-film international feature competition, artist talks, industry sessions and a Mexico country focus.
The international feature competition includes In Waves, Blaise, Viva Carmen, We Are Aliens and Brave Cat.
Mexico in Motion is this year’s country focus, and industry programming covers real-time filmmaking, VR, studio talks and sector resilience.
# What the 2026 program contains Manchester Animation Festival (MAF), the U.K.'s largest animation festival and its only Oscar- and BAFTA-qualifying event, runs November 8–12 at HOME and venues across Manchester. The program mixes studio premieres, an international feature competition, artist talks, industry sessions and a country focus called Mexico in Motion.
# Major studio highlights LAIKA will attend MAF for the first time, bringing Wildwood and an accompanying making-of session. Passholders receive a preview of Brad Bird's Ray Gunn ahead of its December launch on Netflix. Lupus Films brings the U.K. premiere of Mog's Bad Thing, including a session on adapting Judith Kerr's picture book for screen.
Out-of-competition screenings also include DreamWorks Animation's Forgotten Island, Cartoon Saloon's hand-drawn mermaid tale Julián, the French adult comedy Jim Queen, and a screening of Lotte Reiniger's The Adventures of Prince Achmed to mark the film's 100th anniversary.
# International feature competition The feature competition gathers five films that span coming-of-age, comedy, sci‑fi and musical styles: In Waves (France), Blaise (France), Viva Carmen (France), We Are Aliens (Japan) and Brave Cat (South Korea). These titles form the core slate being judged for MAF's feature awards.
# Country focus: Mexico in Motion The festival's Mexico in Motion strand is presented with the British Council and includes Angélica Lares, head of studio at El Taller del Chucho, the stop-motion studio noted for work on Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio. The program spotlights Mexican studio practice and practitioners working in stop-motion and other techniques.
# Artist talks and studio conversations
Industrial Light & Magic returns with a session on the future of video content. BBC Studios Kids & Family presents the making of Vanishing Point, its first animated episodic drama for CBBC. Bradley Harris of Krygon Studios leads a session on real-time filmmaking and animation supported by Epic Games.
# Industry programming and sector-focused events
Events address how creators can remain innovative and resilient as technologies reshape production workflows. The Animated Immersive Experience program showcases VR work. Adult animation specialist Mark Taynton returns to host the Live Drawing Challenge.
# Awards and practical details The awards ceremony takes place November 12 and will be hosted by writer/comedian/actor Molly McGuiness. Categories include British Film, Feature Film, Short Film, Student Film, Commissioned Film, Immersive Work, Children's Shorts and the Audience Award, plus Industry Excellence Awards for writing, storyboarding, character design and character animation. Winners receive the MAF trophy, handcrafted by North West model makers Mackinnon & Saunders.
Tickets are on sale now and the full program is available on the festival's website.
The feature competition includes ‘In Waves,’ ‘Blaise,’ ‘We Are Aliens,’ ‘Viva Carmen,’ and ‘Brave Cat,’ spanning coming-of-age, sci-fi, comedy, and musicals.
The Bristol festival's 31st edition, running September 23-27, features screenings of animated shorts vying for the Grand Prix; its animation day includes talks and masterclasses, a Jay Clarke storyboarding session and screening of Aardman's new 'Shaun the Sheep' feature.
Nine competition features, five shorts presentations, studio previews, retrospectives, and filmmaker talks will run October 16–19 in Hollywood.
The Los Angeles animation showcase has revealed its 2026 lineup, with competition films, retrospectives, and more.
Sylvain Chomet's 'A Magnificent Life,' René Laloux's 'Fantastic Planet,' and Don Hertzfeldt's 'Paper Trail' headline the 19th edition of Greece's largest animation festival, running September 21-27 on Syros.
Brad Bird and Laika lead a particularly strong animation lineup that also includes 'Iron Boy,' 'Julián,' 'Rogue Trooper,' and 'My Friend the Sun.'
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