We’re excited to launch our new Animation Research & Development Fund, supporting Scottish based animators to dive into early‑stage exploration with time, resources and specialist guidance.
The Animation R&D Fund offers a £2,000 bursary, expert mentorship and a supported development period to help you explore new ideas, test techniques and push your creative boundaries. It supports the visual and technical development of new independent projects helping you get your idea out of your head and into the sketchbook, studio or screen. Whether you’re working in stop motion, 2D, experimental or hybrid forms, this fund gives you the space to play and discover.
Full guidelines + application info: on our website, link in bio!
Supported through @creativescots
Deadline: Monday 8 June, 12 noon
Got a bold new idea in visual theatre, puppetry or object-led performance? The Creative Fund is now open. Offering Scottish-based artists up to £5,000, rehearsal space, mentorship and a supported sharing to help you push your project forward.
This year, we’re thrilled to continue our partnership with @vanishingpointvanishingpoint , bringing even deeper artistic support and sector connection to selected artists.
Find out more on @manipulatearts website. Link in bio! Deadline Thursday 4 June.
Supported through @creativescots
That’s a wrap on Manipulate Festival 2026✨
From breathtaking puppetry and bold visual theatre to boundary-pushing performances and the very best in animated film, this year’s festival has been an celebration of imagination, craft, and the power of creativity in its most inventive visual forms.
Thank you to every individual who brought such energy and artistry to the stage and screen, and to the audiences who filled the theatres, cinemas and streets of Edinburgh.
Until the next chapter of Manipulate Festival, keep creating, keep imagining, and keep pushing the boundaries.
Thank you to our supporters, especially @creativescots , @edinburgh_council and @filmhubscotland . Thanks to our venue partners across the city, @filmhouse_edinburgh , @traversetheatre , Studio Theatre (@captheatres ), @dancebase , @summerhallarts , @lyraedinburgh , @whale__arts , @ootbdrillhall & @nationalmuseumsscotland . Our film programme partners and @movesummit & @glasgowfilmfest .
🎥 @taoanas.mov
✂️ @matt_lpdesign
📣 FINAL WEE WONDERS SCOTLAND MASTERCLASS 🎥 Thursday 21st May (7pm).
Ready to dive deep into the world of animation? Join Adeola Lawal, Nigerian-Irish Storyboard Artist and Director from Tallaght, Dublin for an exciting online masterclass where you'll explore the secrets behind directing captivating animations.
🔗 Sign-up link in bio.
Based in Tallaght, Dublin, Adeola has worked with a wide range of Irish and international studios on major titles including My Little Pony, Transformers, and Critical Role’s Mighty Nein. His directing debut, Spooky (2025), was funded through Ireland’s National Talent Academy of Animation initiative, First Credit.
Whether you’re a filmmaker, aspiring animator, or simply curious about the creative process, join us for this relaxed and insightful online session.
🎟 Free + open to all
🌍 Where? Online – join from anywhere!
Part of Wee Wonders Scotland — delivered by Visible Fictions & Screen Scotland, in partnership with Manipulate Arts, Edinburgh Short Film Festival & North Lanarkshire Council. Supported by Move Summit, Clanimation & Animation Scotland.
#Animation #Animator #Storyboard #Masterclass
📣 ANIMATION MASTERCLASSES continue 🎥 Oscar-nominated directors Alexandra Ramires & Laura Gonçalves join us online from Portugal.
Working together since 2009, the duo has built an impressive body of work across directing and producing, and shares a strong belief in the power of collaboration.
👉 Thursday 7th May (7pm).
🔗 Sign-up link in bio.
Alexandra and Laura are founding members of BAP - Animation Studio, and have worked across multiple films as part of technical teams.
They have directed both together and individually, and their work—including Percebes (2024)—has enjoyed strong festival success and international recognition.
Whether you’re a filmmaker, aspiring animator, or just curious—join us for this relaxed and insightful session.
🎟 Free + open to all
🌍 Where? Online – join from anywhere!
👉 Full line-up: visiblefictions.co.uk/animation-masterclasses/
Part of Wee Wonders Scotland — delivered by Visible Fictions & Screen Scotland, in partnership with Manipulate Arts, Edinburgh Short Film Festival & North Lanarkshire Council. Supported by Move Summit, Clanimation & Animation Scotland.
New Artist Workshop! ✨ Embodied Stories with Jon Lachlan Stewart ✨
We’re excited to welcome acclaimed director and physical theatre artist Jon Lachlan Stewart to Edinburgh for Embodied Stories, a new workshop exploring physical storytelling, object work, rhythm, and textless performance.
This special event is part of our partnership with @artsdng , allowing us to subsidise the workshop and open up access for artists.
Participants will dive into movement qualities, puppetry, stillness, and the body as a narrative instrument, drawing on the creative methods behind Macbeth Muet, the internationally acclaimed production Jon co‑created with La Fille Du Laitier.
📍 Summerhall, Edinburgh
📅 1 June 2026, 2pm–5pm
🎟️ Tickets on our website, link in bio!
🎭 Don’t miss the performance itself:
Macbeth Muet will be presented at @assemblyroxy on 2 June.
We're hosting a coffee morning for artists on Monday 20 April at 10.15am in the event rooms at Edinburgh's Festival Theatre @captheatres . It's a chance to hear about our plans for the Manipulate Arts programme over the coming months, feed in ideas and meet other artists in our community. Let us know if you're coming by contacting [email protected]
📷 @andrewperrycouk
Meet the Wee Wonders 2026 filmmakers. 🎥🏴✨
Wee Wonders support new and emerging filmmakers in writing and directing for animation by focusing on story development and authentic voices to produce four bold, brave, daring, animation shorts between 1-3 minutes in length.
✨ Linda Hughes (@lindahughes_illustration ) – The Engineer
A celebrated illustrator and animator from Fife, Linda brings her trademark wit and observational humour to a tale of a lift engineer who may… or may not… rush to save trapped passengers.
✨ Connor Leslie (@connor_mac_leslie ) – Love Thy Neighbour
A multidisciplinary artist exploring the chaos of shared living in a darkly comic, dialogue free short where noise, imagination and anxiety collide.
✨ George Summers – Leap in the Dark
A handmade stop motion adventure following a lantern bearing toad lost in the woods — and the ghostly presence that trails behind.
✨ Calum Main & Pamela Gray ( calumrmain & @pamela__gray ) – Bron (working title)
A visually rich 3D journey through grief, where a mysterious crow guides a lone traveller across vast Scottish landscapes.
✨ Gordon Howie (@gordo.motion ) – ‘the nose hair that tried to kill me’
An animator with credits from Black Mirror to Tom Gates, Gordon turns his gothic whimsy toward a man forced to confront mortality… thanks to one rogue nose hair.
Wee Wonders Scotland is delivered by @visiblefictions and @screenscots , in partnership with @manipulatearts , @edinburgh_shorts and @nlcpeople . It is supported by @movesummit , @clanimation.scot and @animation_scotland .
We can’t wait to support these filmmakers as they bring their stories to life.
Moments from the making of Chu Chi Face by @alyswilliamsco & Company shown recently at Snapshots as part of Manipulate Festival. A riot of cogs, chaos and cabaret. An inarticulate cry for dress‑up, defiance and hope, the piece asks what we might do if time were really our own.
Excited to see where it goes next.
Voyager touched down at Snapshots, Manipulate Festival's showcase for fresh, in‑development performance.
A cosmic mash‑up of projection, vaudeville and clown inspired by NASA’s 1977 mission.Two spacecraft. One Golden Record. A whole universe of what it means to be human presented by @ruxycantir & @srgraber .
We are excited to see where this new visual theatre piece goes next!
A look inside the development of Hindsight by @thejennawatt , shown recently as part of Snapshots. Throughout the afternoon the audience are able to provide feedback to the artists which could help them as the work continues to develop. These glimpses into the process capture the early shape of the work and the ideas beginning to unfold.
We’re excited to see where Hindsight goes next and how the piece continues to grow.
📸 @mihaelabodlovic
Lead Artist – Jenna Watt
Producer – Sarah Gray
Puppet Maker – Gretchen Maynard-Hahn
Composer – Kim Moore
Our friends at @movingpartsarts Puppet Film Fest in Newcastle have announced a brilliant programme, celebrating puppetry, animation and the artists who bring these forms to life this April.
The line‑up includes an Animators & Puppet Filmmakers Social, a Puppet & Stop Motion Short Films Night, and an international short film competition for work created in the last four years (under 15 minutes), with shortlisted films screened during the festival.
They’re also offering a two‑day beginners course in Stop Motion Animation with artist @Gretche , a fantastic opportunity for anyone curious about getting hands‑on with the craft.
A vibrant celebration of puppetry and animation in the North East. Make sure to check it out!
