The festival will include screenings, talks, masterclasses, workshops, panels, and talks, amongst many other exciting events. There are a whole raft of screenings taking place across the three days, including preview screenings of The Breadwinner, Tehran Taboo, and a special double bill of The World of Tomorrow.
There’s a Family Day in partnership with the BBC on Sunday 12th ahead of the festival, children’s animation favourites and activities. There’s exclusive preview episodes of Dennis & Gnasher, as well as screenings of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, and full feature film The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales.
Here’s some more information on the screenings:
The Breadwinner
Tuesday 14th November, 8.30pm
The Breadwinner tells the story of Parvana, an 11-year-old girl growing up under the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001. When her father is wrongfully arrested, Parvana disguises herself as a boy in order to support her family. With dauntless perseverance, Parvana draws strength from the stories her father told her, and ultimately risks her life to discover if he is still alive.
The World of Tomorrow (Double Bill)
Tuesday 14th November, 5.30pm
Indiewire called World of Tomorrow “one of the best films of 2015,” while The Dissolve named it “one of the finest achievements in sci-fi in recent memory.”
The highly anticipated follow-up to Don Hertzfeldt’s World of Tomorrow finds Emily Prime swept inside the brain of an incomplete back-up clone of her future self, who’s on a mission to reboot her broken mind. Continuing the tradition of the first film, World of Tomorrow Episode Two was written entirely around candid audio recordings of Hertzfeldt’s five-year-old niece.
The Big Bad Fox and other tales
Sunday 12th November, 2pm
Wednesday 15th November, 4.15pm
From the creators of the Academy Award-nominated Ernest & Celestine comes another hilarious, heartwarming tale of animal misfits destined to become a classic. The countryside isn’t always as calm and peaceful as it’s made out to be, and the animals on this farm are particularly agitated: a fox who mothers a family of chicks, a rabbit who plays the stork, and a duck who wants to be Santa Claus. If you think life in the country is a walk in the park, think again!
Tehran Taboo
Wednesday 15th November, 8.30pm
Tehran is a city full of restrictions and religious laws where any type of crime leads to draconic punishment. Yet, the lust for life in young women and men who seek to live freely has made it an everyday sport to avoid these strict prohibitions.
Three women of different social backgrounds and a young musician will cross path. This humanist film expresses with tenderness and humor the hypocrisy and the contradictions of the system and its consequences.
My Entire High School Sinking into the Sea
Thursday 16th November, 2.15pm & 8.20pm
From acclaimed graphic novelist Dash Shaw (New School) comes an audacious debut that is equal parts disaster cinema, high school comedy and blockbuster satire, told through a dream-like mixed media animation style that incorporates drawings, paintings and collage.
Dash (Jason Schwartzman) and his best friend Assaf (Reggie Watts) are preparing for another year at Tides High School muckraking on behalf of their widely-distributed but little-read school newspaper, edited by their friend Verti (Maya Rudolph).
But just when a blossoming relationship between Assaf and Verti threatens to destroy the boys’ friendship, Dash learns of the administration’s cover-up that puts all the students in danger. As disaster erupts and the friends race to escape through the roof of the school, they are joined by a popular know-it-all (Lena Dunham) and a lunch lady (Susan Sarandon) who is much more than meets the eye.
Family Day (in partnership with BBC)
Sunday 12th November, 10.30am
Manchester Animation Festival’s Family Day, in partnership with the BBC, will run on the Sunday ahead of the main festival. The family animation day offers a whole host of children’s animation favourites and activities.
Screenings include episodes of beloved TV shows, and a special preview of the new CBBC show Dennis & Gnasher. There will also be short films including We’re Going On A Bear Hunt, and a full feature film, The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales!
Activities include Scream Street themed stop-frame animation workshops from Animation Nation, amongst other engaging and fun activities for kids!
