If I could jet off to film festivals around the world, I’d still seek out the ones that feel like home. A strong programme is essential, of course – but what truly elevates a festival are the people you meet, the conversations you have, and the sense of community that lingers long after you return (dazed and confused) from the event. Manchester Animation Festival is one of those rare gems. Each time I’ve attended, I’ve left energised by the films I’ve discovered and the connections I’ve made. And once again, the MAF team has curated a knockout event: artist talks from the likes of Will Anderson, exciting feature premieres, and – most importantly – a wealth of short films. Spread across screenings including Animation Mixtape, British Animated Short Films, New Animated Voices, Worlds of Animation and more, this year’s shorts lineup offers an eclectic mix for audiences to dig into – and some serious head-scratchers for the jury. So whether you’re planning to settle into a single screening or marathon your way through the entire programme at HOME cinema, we’ve picked 12 must-watch films you won’t want to miss..
Arachnophobia – Melita Sandrin
Claymation and spiders collide in this unsettling three-minute dive into fear and the extremes it can trigger. While claymotion often conjures the warm, family-friendly charm of Aardman’s classic characters, director Melita Sandrin steers the technique toward something a little darker. When a prank unleashes a woman’s deepest phobia, she spirals into a vivid, nightmarish breakdown – a twisted reminder of how terror can warp reality.
A Round of Applause for Death – Stephen Irwin
As Directors Notes approaches its twentieth anniversary, we’ve been revisiting the filmmakers who have become recurring figures in our history — and Stephen Irwin is a standout among them. First featured in 2006, Irwin has since evolved into one of the most distinctive and daring voices in British independent animation. His latest short, A Round of Applause for Death, unfolds as a series of surreal, macabre vignettes, plunging us into existential visions — or nightmares — rendered in his unmistakably chaotic style.
Dollhouse Elephant – Jenny Jokela
Having followed the work of Jenny Jokela since her days at the Royal College of Art, Dollhouse Elephant stands out as her most ambitious and fully realised short to date. Centred on a quirky community of neighbours and the ripple effects of their personalities and pastimes, this 11-minute film mesmerises with its fluid paint-on-paper aesthetic while offering a thoughtful reflection on how our actions shape those around us.
Most Popular
Dreamwalker – Luca Schenato & Sinem Vardarli
Science fiction has always been one of my favourite storytelling genres, offering limitless world-building and some of the purest escapism you can find – and Dreamwalker delivers both in abundance. For a genre with such boundless creative potential, it can be frustrating when sci-fi falls back on familiar tropes, but that’s certainly not the case here with Luca Schenato and Sinem Vardarli’s (aka Luca&Sinem) short. Visionary and refreshingly original, this striking short pairs an astonishing visual style with a meticulously crafted universe, resulting in a film that feels as expansive as the imagination behind it.
Éiru – Giovanna Ferrari
With the signature Cartoon Saloon aesthetic – hand-drawn 2D animation rooted in folklore – Giovanna Ferrari’s Éiru blends the timeless and the modern. The film follows a flame-haired young warrior determined to uncover the reason behind her clan’s vanishing water source and prove her worth, drawing us deep into a world marked by conflict and survival. Yet, beneath the hardship, Éiru remains a story of resilience and hope, brought vividly to life through masterful craft. Expect this one to be a major contender come awards season.
Hunting – Lea Favre
One of my standout favourites from this year’s Encounters Film Festival, Lea Favre’s stop-motion short initially charms with its playful tone as we follow a filmmaker searching for a subject for her next documentary. But that lightness proves deceptive. Hunting swiftly pivots into a harrowing real-life experience the director herself endured, pulling viewers into an unsettling and all-too-recognisable situation. Even on a second viewing, Favre’s film left a powerful and lingering impression.
Larval – Alice Bloomfield
An accomplished illustrator and animator, Alice Bloomfield’s bold, instantly recognisable style has seen her build quite the following online – and Larval shows exactly why. In this dreamlike tale of fandom, yearning, and fixation, a girl becomes consumed by her obsession with her idol and her crush. The result sees Bloomfield’s distinctive artistry combine with the intense emotions of the story to create a uniquely atmospheric short.
Luz Diabla – Gervasio Canda, Paula Boffo & Patricio Plaza
A pulse-pounding animated horror from Gervasio Canda, Paula Boffo and Patricio Plaza of OJO RARO, Luz Diabla follows an exuberant raver whose night of ecstasy rapidly descends into a hellish fight for his soul. After popping a pill from his stash, we’re initially left to wonder whether the terrors he encounters are drug-fuelled hallucinations – but as the chaos intensifies, it becomes clear that something far more sinister is unfolding. Touching on themes of excess, paranoia, and religion, the film leverages the limitless potential of animation to deliver imagery that’s as bold as it is deeply unsettling. Luz Diabla is yet another reminder of just how powerfully horror and animation can fuse to create a truly nightmarish experience.
Mother Clay – Raha Amirfazli & Armin Rangani
Raha Amirfazli & Armin Rangani’s tale of a mysterious, cave-dwelling society devoted to a colossal hand is perfectly brought to life through claymation. Striking character design, impressive scale, and meticulous world-building give this six-minute short an outsized impact, pairing remarkable craftsmanship with enigmatic storytelling. It delivers a complete and satisfying narrative – yet still leaves you thinking about its eerie world and its strange inhabitants long after the credits roll.
The Night Boots – Pierre-Luc Granjon
Evoking the charm of a cherished children’s book, Pierre-Luc Granjon’s 13 minute short feels like a tale discovered on a dusty library shelf and magically lifted onto the screen. What makes it even more remarkable is its use of an animation method that has existed for nearly a century: pin-screen animation. At first glance, the visuals might appear deceptively simple, but those familiar with the technique will immediately recognise the extraordinary craftsmanship behind every frame.
The Shyness of Trees – Sofia Chuikovska, Loick du Plessis D’Argentre, Lina Han, Simin He, Jiaxin Huang, Maud Le Bras, Bingqing Shu
The Gobelins school in Paris continues to produce some of the most exciting animated shorts each year, with its graduation films always a highlight of the short film calendar. This year, two of the school’s films — The Shyness of Trees and Wormwood — feature in the MAF programme, and either could easily have made this list. Both showcase nuanced storytelling and exceptional craft well beyond typical student work. Yet I’ve chosen The Shyness of Trees, as even after multiple viewings, I remain consistently struck by its sensitive, delicate handling of death and grief — themes that often feel clichéd in younger hands.
The Undying Pain of Existence – Oscar Jacobson
Drawing on a universal impulse – the irresistible need to scratch a mosquito bite – Oscar Jacobson’s energetic six-minute film takes its premise to thrilling extremes. With a nude model at the centre of its tale and a dynamic, ever-intensifying style, the film escalates in step with the character’s mounting desperation. By the climax, the sensory release is palpable – an experience as gratifying as finally giving in to the itch.
