Manchester Animation Festival 2026 — five days of screenings, talks and industry sessions at HOME and beyond

The UK’s largest animation festival returns to Manchester for five days this November — and it’s about a lot more than watching films (though there’s plenty of that too).

What’s on

Manchester Animation Festival 2026 runs 8–12 November at HOME Manchester and partner venues across the city. Alongside the international film programme, there’s a solid line-up for working creatives, including:

• Aardman: 50 More Years of Clay — marking the studio’s anniversary
• The Hero’s Journey: Animating with ILM — inside ILM’s animation process
• How Small Studios Can Think Big With Unreal Engine — Bradley Harris, CEO of Krygon Studios, on how indies can punch above their weight with UE (Thu 12 Nov, Anthony Burgess Foundation)
• The Animation Nation Forum — the festival’s industry stream, with panels, marketplace and networking aimed squarely at professionals

There’s also MAF Online for selected sessions if you can’t get into town, so it’s joinable remotely as well as in person.

Who it’s for

Animators, VFX artists, motion designers, indie studio founders, students eyeing the industry, and anyone whose work touches animated storytelling. Day tickets and full festival passes are available; the industry sessions are the bit most DCN members will want to aim at.

Full programme and tickets: manchesteranimationfestival.co.uk

Festival schedule: maf2026.eventive.org/schedule