A Smashing New Partnership in Animation Town
– The UK’s largest animation celebration, the Manchester Animation Festival (MAF), announces a three-year partnership with the University of Salford.
– The energizing collaboration will run until 2027, targeting improvements in innovation, student experience and industry relationships.
– This partnership brings a bag full o’ opportunities for the University’s staff and students that will further enrich the animation industry.
Behind the Animation Curtains
Doodle-lovers Unite for Greater Animation Mastery
Feast your eyes on this sizzling new piece of chit-chat, my doodle-loving friends! The Manchester Animation Festival (the “confetti parade” for all things animation in the UK) and the University of Salford (“Hogwarts for the pencil wizards”) have decided to be chums for the next three years. Their goal? Spice things up in the world of animated scripts, flipbooks, and Drawn Together reruns!
This collaboration is set to run until 2027 (or when we all start jetpacking to casinos on the moon, whichever comes first) and aims to lay golden eggs of innovation, boost the world of student experience from shaky Bambi learning to walk levels to sprinting cheetah, and muscle up those industry relationships.
The partnership surely opens the floodgates of opportunities for the University’s faculty and students, not forgetting the industry that’s clutching its popcorn watching this play out. Let’s hope it’s not a Phantom Menace-type letdown and more of a Toy Story thrilling ride. And remember folks, the road to El Dorado is usually paved with a good dose of animation education.
Exciting news on the horizon! Manchester Animation Festival (MAF), UK’s leading event for all things animated, has announced a collaboration with the University of Salford that would last until 2027. This promising alliance is geared towards driving innovation, enhancing student exposure, and bolstering ties within the industry.
The partnership will create numerous opportunities for both the faculty and students. The University of Salford will significantly contribute to the festival programming, exclusive panel sessions being a key highlight. Moreover, academics will get a chance to engage with high-end industry practices and trends, courtesy of MAF’S globally recognized programme.
Snapshot of University of Salford’s Annabeth Robinson (Credit: Manchester Animation Festival)
Moving forward, the MAF team plans to contribute directly to enriching the student experience via guest lectures at the University of Salford, with focus on understanding festival curation, production, and a wider look into the world of animation.
We are thrilled to join hands with the University of Salford. This partnership is an excellent platform to unite budding animation talents and industry front-runners, and put Salford on the global animation map. It’s about more than just attracting the international animation community to Greater Manchester, but also highlighting the exemplary talent that Greater Manchester proudly hosts to the world.
-Steve Henderson (Festival Director, Manchester Animation Festival)
This partnership aligns with our goal of offering our students a taste of the real world, and a doorway to the heart of the UK’s animation sphere. Teaming up with MAF is an exciting step towards inspiring and empowering our creative minds.
-Sam Ingleson (Associate Dean; Knowledge Exchange at the School of Arts, Media & Creative Technology University of Salford)
Mark your calendars! Manchester Animation Festival is back from 9th to 13th November 2025
Original article: https://www.skwigly.co.uk/maf-uos/