Manchester Animation Festival 2016

Tom Grieve, Cinema Editor

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Manchester Animation Festival 2016

HOME Manchester, Manchester
15-17 November 2016

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Image courtesy of Manchester Animation Festival
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Whether its 3D, CG, hand-drawn or stop-motion, as an art form, animation is in rude health. At one end of the spectrum, studios like Disney and Dreamworks pack cinemas the world over with their animated features. Whilst, at the other end, the proliferation of new technologies and increasingly accessible hardware, means that indie and bedroom-animators have never before found it so easy to translate their visions to the screen and make them accessible to audiences.

This November, Manchester Animation Festival once again invites the international community to HOME in order to celebrate the animated art form. Last year’s festival saw sell out performances, screenings and events led by key figures from the world of animation, attracting a total of over 4,400 attendances over 3 days. With events for industry insiders, creators and casual fans the festival have scheduled a fantastic programme of short competitions, feature films, retrospective screenings, workshops, networking events, panel discussions, masterclasses and screen talks over three packed days.

Image courtesy of HOME
Image courtesy of HOME

The star attraction this year is the festival’s celebration of Aardman Animations’ 40th Anniversary. The famous studio behind such beloved characters as Morph, Shaun the Sheep, Wallace, Gromit and the chickens from Chicken Run gets its own mini-retrospective featuring shorts from throughout its history. Aardman co-founders Peter Lord and David Sproxton will be at the festival to receive a Fellowship Award and talk us through a little bit of the company’s illustrious history.

Of course there will be also be the opportunity to assess the state of animation today, as films compete for a “Bee Award” in categories such as: Commissioned Films, Short Films, Short Shorts and Student Films. The festival promises a high standard of competition, with the selected films having been whittled down from over 900 entries from 63 different countries.

 

Image courtesy of HOME
Image courtesy of HOME

Away from the competition films, enthusiasts will be keen to check out the special preview of Michael Dudok de Wit’s critically acclaimed Studio Ghibli co-production The Red Turtle. There’ll be a 35mm anniversary screening of the 1981 Ray Harryhausen classic, Clash of the Titans and a chance to catch recent London Film Festival hit, Ethel and Ernest. If you’re looking for something a bit further from the beaten track, the festival have lined up deep dives into the likes of Hungarian Cold War artist, György Kovászna and Liverpool-born animator, Chris Sheperd.

Finally, do you fancy yourself as a bit of an animation buff? There’ll be an animation quiz from the team behind the Skwigly Online Animation Magazine and Podcast where you’ll be able to do battle against fellow festivalgoers. With so many experts, fans and industry professionals at the festival, we’re sure competition will be tough!

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Where to go near Manchester Animation Festival 2016

Manchester
Restaurant
Indian Tiffin Room, Manchester

Indian Tiffin Room is a restaurant specialising in Indian street food, with branches in Cheadle and Manchester. This is the information for the Manchester venue.

The Ritz Manchester live music venue
Manchester
Music venue
The Ritz

The Ritz was originally a dance hall, built in 1928, has hosted The Beatles, Frank Sinatra and The Smiths and is still going strong as a gig venue now.

Homeground
Manchester
Event venue
Homeground

Homeground is HOME’s brand new outdoor venue, providing an open-air space for theatre, food, film, music, comedy and more.

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Café or Coffee Shop
Burgess Cafe Bar
at IABF

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City Centre
Bar or Pub
Rain Bar

This huge three-floor pub, formerly a Victorian warehouse, then an umbrella factory (hence the name), has one of the city centre’s largest beer gardens. The two-tier terrace overlooks the Rochdale canal and what used to be the back of the Hacienda, providing an unusual, historic view of the city.

Manchester
Bar or Pub
The Briton’s Protection

Standing on the corner of a junction opposite The Bridgewater Hall, The Briton’s Protection is Manchester’s oldest pub. It has occupied the same spot since 1795, going under the equally

Castlefield Gallery, Manchester
Castlefield
Gallery
Castlefield Gallery

The influential Castlefield Gallery sits at the edge of Manchester’s exciting Castlefield district, an ideal home for thought-provoking contemporary art.

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