The UK’s leading industry summit for animation, the Animation Nation Forum (ANF), will return on November 12, 2025, at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall as a key event in this year’s Manchester Animation Festival. Positioned as the country’s premier platform for animation business and creative dialogue, ANF will unite studio heads, commissioners, producers, and emerging talent to engage with the challenges and opportunities shaping the global animation landscape.
Festival Director Steve Henderson commented, “At a time of significant change across the global content landscape, the ANF provides a space to connect, collaborate, and chart a course for the future. Animation remains the world's greatest storytelling medium, but it is also a vital driver for economic and cultural growth. This year's unmissable ANF will showcase what the future has in store for our industry.”
Hosted by Manchester Animation Festival, the UK’s only Academy Award® and BAFTA®-qualifying animation festival, this year’s ANF opens with a welcome breakfast by Liquid Violet, leading into a day of panels exploring cross-border co-productions, production sustainability, audience shifts, and the viability of independent animated features.
In “Unlocking International Success,” Sarah Muller, Senior Head of Commissioning 7+ at the BBC, and Marc Du Pontavice, CEO and founder of Xilam Animation, will examine how UK studios can better collaborate with international partners to grow audience reach. The session “In the Frame: The Future Normal” will feature insights from Toikido’s founder Darran Garnham, Imaginakery's Creative Director James Cameron, and kids content expert Rob Doherty on the interplay of technology, audience behavior, and long-term production planning.
A major highlight is the panel “Features of the Future,” sponsored by Locksmith Animation, where Andrew Baker (CEO and founder of Cantilever Media, Kazoo Films, and Moonshot Films) joins BFI’s Fund Manager Liz Warren to discuss how indie animated features can carve out space at the global box office. The closing discussion, “State of the Animation Nation,” brings together Andrew Ruhemann (Founder, Passion Pictures), Camilla Deakin (Joint MD, Lupus Films), Julio Bonet (Director of Animated Series, Netflix), Kate O’Connor (Executive Chair, Animation UK), and Blue Zoo MD Oli Hyatt for an unfiltered conversation on the future of UK animation.
Running alongside the Forum is MAF’s annual industry marketplace, a free-to-attend networking event that brings together studios, recruiters, and animation professionals. Companies confirmed to attend include Skydance Animation, Blue Zoo, Autodesk, Cloth Cat, Industrial Light & Magic, Wacom, and the University of Salford. ANF Connect, the forum’s dedicated B2B session, will facilitate curated 15-minute meetings with leading animation professionals to support talent discovery, project development, and international partnerships.
MAF will also feature participation from major global players, including Aardman, Cartoon Saloon, Adult Swim, Netflix, Epic Games, YouTube, DNEG Animation, Moho Animation Software, and Walt Disney Animation Studios.
The summit leads into Thursday’s Industry Excellence Awards ceremony, celebrating top talent across scriptwriting, character design, storyboarding, and character animation. “Wolf King” and “Maddie and Triggs” are leading this year’s nominations with three nods each, underscoring the UK’s ongoing leadership in narrative innovation for children’s and family content.
Passes for the Animation Nation Forum are now available via the Manchester Animation Festival website and include access to all sessions, networking events, and the ANF Connect program.