"Animation Featured" Launched by BFI and MAF

Animation Featured from BFI and MAF

Calling all Escape Studios students and Escapees looking to develop an idea for an animated feature film - the Manchester Animation Festival (the UK’s largest and only Academy Award and BAFTA‑qualifying animation festival) has just launched "Animation Featured". 

Animation Featured is a "high‑impact development accelerator designed to strengthen the UK’s feature animation pipeline and support the next generation of independent filmmakers".  The deadline to apply is Sunday 16 August 2026. 

UK Feature Film Animation

UK Animation is a global business

Got an idea for an animated feature film? Animation Featured 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.

Feature Film "Accelerator"
@mcranimation Festival has launched Animation Featured – a new seven-month accelerator to help UK producers take feature-length animated projects from development to the international market. You can read more about Animation Featured at Skiwgly here.

Supported by BFI & National Lottery

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."

Seven Month "Accelerator"
Over a seven‑month period (September 2026 to March 2027), Animation Featured 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. 

Mentorship

Ruth Fielding of Lupus Films

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).

Six Projects
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 Animation Featured 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.

Commercial Package
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.

Networking
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.

How to Apply
Expressions of interest will open on Monday 27 July and close on Sunday 16 August. For more information visit manchesteranimationfestival.co.uk/animation-featured. 

Apply!

We strongly encourage our students and Escapees to enter competitions like this one - it could be the start of the next global box office hit. 

To find out more about Animation Apprentice, click here for a link to Frequently Asked Questions. To sign up for our next classroom at Animation Apprentice, follow this link.