Manchester Animation Festival (MAF | manchesteranimationfestival.co.uk), the U.K.’s only Oscar- and BAFTA-qualifying animation festival, unveiled the winners of its international film competition and Industry Excellence Awards on Thursday night (Nov. 13), at a ceremony held at HOME in Manchester.
Hosted by comedian and writer Alasdair Beckett-King, the evening celebrated creativity across the animation spectrum, with awards presented in categories including Short Film, Feature Film, British Film, Student Film, Commissioned Film, Immersive, Short Film for Children, and the coveted Audience Award. Winners took home trophies crafted by Mackinnon & Saunders.
Winners of the festival’s Short Film Award are eligible for consideration in the Academy Awards. Following MAF’s collaboration with BAFTA in 2024 to recognize international animation festivals as qualifying events, all British films screened at the festival will now be automatically longlisted for BAFTA’s British Short Animation award.
The ceremony opened with the Industry Excellence Awards, recognizing outstanding individuals behind the scenes in scriptwriting, storyboarding, character design and character animation.
“There have been so many enriching conversations this week about the future of animation,” said Festival Director Steve Henderson. “At a tricky time for the animation industry, seeing such a range of wonderful, handcrafted and intricate masterpieces celebrated — and awarded — here at the festival is genuinely heartwarming and brilliant, obliterating any doom and gloom!”
2025 Industry Excellence Award Winners:
Script Writing
Davey Moore for Maddie and Triggs (CBeebies/RTÉjr)
Storyboarding
Sasha Fusini for Supertato (BBC)
Character Animation
Dave McKenna for Maddie and Triggs (CBeebies/RTÉjr)
Character Design
Saeed Rezvani for Mojo Swoptops (CBeebies)
2025 Manchester Animation Film Award Winners:
Feature Film
Winner: Little Amélie or the Character of Rain by Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han (France)
Jury Statement: “It was a unanimous decision by the jury who were all blown away by the originality and creativity of this film. We were transported by the tender and heartwarming story of family, seen from the point of view of the two year old girl. There was a real cohesion within the film from the art direction, animation, voice performances, music and sound design that came together beautifully in this unique and moving feature.”
Short Film
Winner: Sulaimani by Vinnie Ann Bose (France)
Jury Statement: “This short film explores the cultural nuances, societal expectations and internal conflict of
leaving India with real depth and care. Dancing seamlessly between stop motion and 2D, the mixed-media format enhanced the storytelling and its evocative imagery. With strong characterization and real emotions.”
Special Mention: Dog Ear by Péter Vácz (Hungary)
British Short Film
Winner: Two Black Boys in Paradise by Baz Sells (United Kingdom)
Jury Statement: “Our winning film is as gorgeous and visually poetic as it is bold and unapologetic in its storytelling. The film expertly weaves a number of British themes into the fabric of this film, among them the intersection of race, gender and sexuality. The filmmakers handle their subject matter with such care and grace, giving us a celebration of Black, queer love and leaving us with a universal invitation to welcome love.”
Special Mention: Brain Space by Laura Tofarides (United Kingdom)
Student Film
Winner: The 12 Inch Pianist by Lucas Ansel (United States)
Jury Statement: “Unexpected. Absurd. Funny. We loved every inch of this film!”
Special Mention: Urban Duo by Hongyu Yue (China)
Immersive Film
Winner: Out of Nowhere by Kris Hoffman (Austria)
Jury Statement: “This immersive work is crafted with great subtlety and extensive detail which makes the navigation and interaction feel intuitive and culminates in a moving experience. The use of VR to depict the immersion and urgency of flooding places the user directly in the ravages of climate change to create empathy and engagement, landing the themes and message with impact.”
Special Mention: Less Than 5gr of Saffron by Négar Motevalymeidanshah (France)
Commissioned Film
Winner: Desi Oon by Suresh Eriyat (India)
Jury Statement: “This commercial work is a joyful and visually dynamic film for charity. Simultaneously funny, informative and reflective, the story really warrants the material and the craft. A skillful blend of a commercial, music video and call to action, all very neatly and literally wrapped in wool!
Special Mention: Naive New Beaters & Star Feminine Band by Ye Kou Si Kuo (France)
Audience Award
The audience award was voted for by Manchester Animation Festival Delegates.
Winner: Ovary-Acting by Ida Melum (United Kingdom)
The Short Film for Children Category
Judged by Into Film’s curation team.
Winner: Forevergreen by Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears (United States)
Jury Statement: “We were unanimous in being equally impressed and enchanted by this gorgeously-rendered animation about the relationship between an orphaned bear cub and the tree which looks out for him, with all-too relevant themes around the natural world and the need to protect our environment. This labor of love serves as an inspirational example of the creative process between animators who have combined their talents to bring their vision to life.”
Irish studio and animation powerhouse Cartoon Saloon also received the Manchester Animation Festival Fellowship Award, recognizing over 25 years of excellence in animation. Co-founders Tomm Moore, Paul Young and Nora Twomey collected their award in a heartfelt presentation on Thursday.
Manchester Animation Festival wraps after five days of talks, panels, U.K. premieres and exclusive insights. Highlights included Q&As with Alex Woo, director of Netflix’s In Your Dreams; Baku Kinoshita, director of The Last Blossom; and Joanna Quinn’s talk on her legendary character, Beryl. Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Chad Sellers and Renato dos Anjos presented an exclusive preview of Disney’s upcoming feature in the Making Of Zootropolis 2, and Head of Adult Swim EMEA Mark Taynton treated audiences to exclusive previews of the network’s upcoming shows, and showered live drawing artists with prizes and paid commissions. The festival hosted talks from industry titans Epic Games, Magic Light Pictures, Industrial Light & Magic, DNEG, BBC Studios Kids and Family and Moho Animation. Mamoru Oshii’s cult classic Angel’s Egg played on the big screen 40 years after its initial release, whilst the first Mexican stop-motion feature, Cinema Fantasma’s I Am Frankelda, had its U.K. premiere.
The Young Animators of the Year were also awarded, showcasing an entirely new generation of talent entering into the world of animation.
Manchester Animation Festival is presented with the support of Higher Education Partner University of Salford, Festival Partner HOME and Festival Patrons Adult Swim, BBC Children’s & Education, BBC Studios Kids & Family, Blue Zoo Animation Studio, Bridge AI, Epic Games, Industrial Light & Magic, Innovate UK, Toon Boom and Moho Animation Software.
