Funding Partners

Arts Council National Lottery Project Grants
With support of Arts Council National Lottery Project Grants: an open access programme for arts, museums and libraries projects. The fund supports thousands of individual artists, community and cultural organisations.
Awards Partners

The Elf Factory
The Elf Factory is an Animation company well known for it’s award winning children’s television series’ Peppa Pig and Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom. The Elf Factory generously sponsors our Best Film of the Festival award.

Karrot
Since 2008, the award-winning Karrot have been making top-notch animated content for TV and online streaming platforms. Karrot generously sponsors our Best Childrens’ Film awards.

The Royal College of Art
The RCA generously sponsors our Best British film award. Founded in 1837, the Royal College of Art is the world’s leading university of art and design. Specialising in teaching and research, the RCA offers degrees of MA, MPhil, MFA, MDes, MArch, MEd, MRes, Graduate Diploma and PhD across the disciplines of architecture, arts & humanities, design and communication.
A small, specialist and research-intensive postgraduate university based in the heart of London, the RCA provides around 2,800 students with unrivalled opportunities to deliver art and design projects that transform the world.
The RCA’s approach is founded on the premise that art, design, creative thinking, science, engineering and technology must all collaborate to solve today’s global challenges. The RCA was named the world’s leading university of art and design in the QS World Rankings 2023 for the ninth consecutive year (QS World Subject Rankings 2015-2023).

University of Greenwich
The University of Greenwich generously design and produce our award trophies.
Cultural Partners
Melbourne International Animation Festival
The Melbourne International Animation Festival (MIAF) is big sister to LIAF. The Festivals share content, information and administrative processes – as well as Directors. MIAF was formed in 2000 by Malcolm Turner, Nag Vladermersky and Susi Allender and has quickly grown to become one of the world’s largest animation festivals, screening annually in Melbourne before touring comprehensively around Australia.

Skwigly
Skwigly is the longest running UK based animation magazine and community. They love animation; love seeing animation, hearing about animation, talking about animation and showcasing animation. Skwigly brings the animation community a wide range of up-to-date content; including news, interviews, reviews, podcasts, videos and tutorials. They cover all aspects of animation, from the biggest Hollywood blockbusters to the best independent short films.

The Film and Video Workshop
The Film and Video Workshop are the UK’s largest providers of animation and film workshops for children and young adults of all ages and abilities and are very proud to be partners with LIAF.

Barbican
The Barbican is Europe’s largest multi-arts and conference venue presenting a diverse range of art, music, theatre, dance, film and education events. It is also home to the London Symphony Orchestra.
We’re incredibly proud that The Barbican is the home of LIAF – we’ll be joining forces to bring the best ever LIAF to an even wider audience and would like to thank The Barbican for their support and hospitality.

The Horse Hospital
LIAF has worked with the Horse Hospital for many years and is situated in the heart of London’s Bloomsbury. Home of LIAF’s Late Night Bizarre, Best of the Next and Music Video Sessions, the Horse Hospital is nothing short of unique and the perfect venue for LIAF ‘underground’ events.

The Garden Cinema
The Garden Cinema screens repertory seasons and new releases from around the world. It is a new and truly independent cinema located in the heart of London in Covent Garden.
The Garden Cinema is home to our annual International Competition Programmes.

Close-Up
Close-Up aims to make film culture and history accessible through its cinema, library and the online publication of Vertigo Magazine. Established in 2005, the company has built up its activities on the basis of reinvesting all its profits into creating an extensive film resource.
A regular London satellite venue for some of our most unique annual programmes.

The Puppet Theatre Barge
The Puppet Theatre Barge has been putting on a programme of unique and magical puppet shows on a converted Thames barge for over thirty years.
An audience favourite and the perfect home for our puppet-focused screenings.

UAL Central Saint Martins
The talented students of UAL Central Saint Martins’ MA Character Animation course produce our annual stings for our International Competition Programmes. MA Character Animation is for designers, artists and illustrators who want to learn how to animate.

UAL London College of Communications
The talented students of the London College of Communication create bespoke AR face filters to celebrate the spirit of LIAF. London College of Communication, UAL, is a pioneering leader in creative communications education. LCC nurtures and develops the critical, creative and technical excellence needed to discover new possibilities and practices in creative communications through a diverse, world-leading community of teaching, research and partnerships with industry.

NFTS
The NFTS produces a host of award winning graduates every year, and many of the UK’s most noted contemporary auteurs as well as commercial filmmakers. It operates from its own historic studios running more specialist MA’s than any other film school in the world and supports LIAF by integrating the production of our annual festival trailer into it’s Directing Animation BA.

Animate Projects
Animate Projects is an internationally renowned arts agency that supports and champions creative animation practice in the UK by developing new work, supporting artists to create thought-provoking projects and maintaining an extensive online archive. They have partnered with LIAF over the years to curate several rich and varied programmes.

Edge of Frame
Edge of Frame has partnered with LIAF since 2016, curating abstract screenings at the intersection of animation, experimental film and artists’ moving image. At the helm is Edwin Rostron – the London-based Artist, Animator, Writer, Curator, Editor of Edge of Frame blog and Festival Juror. Edwin is a champion of this incredibly rich and vibrant, yet often marginalised and hard to define art form.

Animated Women UK
Animated Women UK want women from all backgrounds of the animation and VFX industries and at every stage in their career to fulfill their potential and realise their dreams. They value openness, honesty and a positive approach towards collaborating with women and men to achieve their mission.