MAF Unveils Animation Featured, a New Accelerator for UK Animated Feature Films
Skwigly
Manchester Animation Festival (MAF), the UK’s largest and only Academy Award® and BAFTA‑qualifying animation festival, today announces the launch of Animation Featured, a high‑impact development accelerator designed to strengthen the UK’s feature animation pipeline and support the next generation of independent filmmakers and studios. As the UK animation sector continues to grow its international reputation, the programme aims to ensure that ambitious animated features can be developed, financed, and produced within the UK, keeping talent, investment, and production activity flourishing across the sector.
Supported by the BFI National Lottery Creative Challenge Fund, awarding National Lottery Good Cause funding, Animation Featured has been created to bridge the gap between creative vision and marketplace readiness, giving filmmakers the structural, creative, and financial literacy required to move an animated feature from concept to production.
Over a seven‑month period (September 2026 to March 2027), the accelerator accompanies selected projects from their earliest stages through to a fully developed package ready to enter the international market for financing. Through a blend of mentoring, group work, one‑to‑one sessions, workshops, and presentations, participants gain the advanced skills needed to compete globally – skills they can apply not only to their current project, but also to future work, company growth, and long‑term career development. Mentors include Ruth Fielding, Producer and Joint Managing Director at Lupus Films (Kensuke’s Kingdom, Ethel & Ernest and The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland) and Richard Beek, Producer (Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom, Wallace & Gromit Vengeance Most Fowl and Early Man).
The UK has no shortage of animation talent and with so many pitching events around the globe, we need a way to get our world-renown ideas ready for investment. Animation Featured does just that – plugging a gap to get UK animated feature films to market and onto the screen. We can’t wait to work with the filmmakers to change the shape of the global animation feature film industry.
Dr Steve Henderson, Festival Director at MAF
Six projects from across the UK will be selected to take part in an intensive development journey, comprising around 115 hours of sessions, workshops and mentoring, alongside two industry trips. The programme is fully funded by the BFI National Lottery Creative Challenge Fund, with additional support from Screen Scotland and Northern Ireland Screen, and participants are paid for their time ensuring creators can focus wholly on developing their work and advancing their careers.
The programme is designed to ensure that high‑potential projects emerge with commercially robust packages capable of securing domestic and international investment. Participants will have the opportunity to refine their scripts, train in the art of pitching, and learn directly from acclaimed animation professionals through lectures and detailed case studies of successful animated features. Producers will deepen their understanding of co‑production models, animation production management, financing and budgeting, legal frameworks, marketing, festival strategy, and negotiation – all essential components of navigating today’s global animation marketplace.
The UK has a strong reputation for animation talent, yet the pathway from development to production for animated features remains fragile. We are delighted to support Manchester Animation Festival through the Creative Challenge Fund to deliver this ambitious programme, combining creative development with practical business and market training to help filmmakers compete internationally and secure production partners. As one of the first Creative Challenge Fund programmes focused on animated features, we are excited to see the impact it has on the selected projects and the wider sector.
Mia Bays, Director of the BFI Filmmaking Fund
Alongside its development elements, Animation Featured also serves as a high‑value networking environment, connecting filmmakers with peers, industry experts, and decision‑makers who can become future collaborators and partners. By equipping teams with both creative and commercial expertise, the programme reinforces Manchester Animation Festival’s role as a leading force in UK animation and strengthens the wider ecosystem by ensuring a steady pipeline of feature‑length projects ready for production.
Expressions of interest will open on Monday 27 July and close on Sunday 16 August. For more information visit manchesteranimationfestival.co.uk/animation-featured