BAF 05

2005 saw BAF continue to prove itself as the UK's biggest and best-loved animation festival. A jam-packed four-day programme full of presentations from leading industry figures, specialist workshops and exclusive screenings all came together to create one of the most memorable editions of the Festival in its twelve-year history.

Main headliners included co-founder of Aardman Animation, Peter Lord, Corpse Bride stop-frame animator, Phil Dale, visual effects maestro, Graham Jack and animation guru, Clare Kitson.

BAF05 also saw the introduction of a new 'Animation and Gaming' strand that pointed the spotlight on the strong relationship between the two industries. Guest speakers included Sony Interactive, Frontier Developments, Relentless Software and New Media Collective, plus focuses on Motion Capture and Machinima.

Multiple screenings of the films in competition, opening and closing night parties, industry-led workshops and the concluding BAF Awards ceremony offered a veritable feast of animation for the audience to enjoy.

BAF Awards: 752 entries.

> Explore the 2005 website
> Listen to BAF05 festival talks
> Watch clips of the official selection
> View photos

BAF 04

BAF 04 was a milestone in the Festival's history. Following a record 1,065 film submissions from 52 countries (a whopping 78% rise on the previous year's submissions), the Festival’s reputation as one of Europe’s most important animation events had been reinforced.

Special guests included multi-Oscar winner Randy Cook; the man behind Lord of the Ring's Gollum, auteur Dutch animator Paul Driessen, Caroline Leaf, Phil Mulloy, Barry Purves plus much, much more.

Explore the 2004 website, take a look at clips of nominated films and view photos from the festival.

BAF Awards: 1065 entries

BAF 03

BAF 03 brought together students and industry professionals for four packed days of masterclasses, screenings and special events.

The atmosphere was electric, and as the crowds grew and the audiences clamoured to get a better view of the many special guests – from Bill Plympton to Bob Godfrey, and Andrzej Klimowski to Studio AKA’s Philip Hunt – the overriding feeling was that this was a truly festive event, thanks to a 50% increase in delegates since BAF 02.

What people said about BAF 03…
“Great festival with great people”
“Great stuff! See ya again next year!”
“BAF is the new Cardiff”
“BAF 03: sleep… watch…eat… cool!”
“I had a lot of fun – I’m gonna be here next year!”
“Another year, another festival. Long live BAF!”

Festival statistics 2003
Over 600 festival delegates.
6,056 admissions over the four days of the festival (equal to 1,514 per day).
287 films shown at the festival from 17 different countries.

BAF Awards: 600 entries

Check out the BAF 03 website for more information and watch clips of the BAF 03 Awards nominees.

BAF 02

Michael Dudok de Wit, Pixar's Scott Clark, Graham Ralph and Alan Gilbey and Dave Freedman of Peafur Productions rubbed shoulders with Bob Godfrey and Barry Purves at BAF 02, which saw a then-unprecedented number of delegates converge on Bradford.

BAF Awards: 630 entries

Visit the BAF 02 website here.

BAF 01

BAF 01 saw a move towards a new festival blueprint, and successfully redesigned itself as an industry-based event. Special guest Richard Williams joined Bob Godfrey, Peafur Productions and digital effects giant Cinesite for events which spanned animation techniques, CGI and special effects and scriptwriting.

BAF Awards: 278 entries

BAF 00

BAF 00 presented the northern première of Aardman's feature debut Chicken Run, and screenings of both Don Bluth's Titan AE and Disney's Fantasia 2000 on the IMAX® screen. Concentrating mainly on new and recent features, the festival presented an eclectic mix of some of the best (then) contemporary work.

BAF Awards: 177 entries

BAF 99

The achievements of visual effects stalwart John Bruno were celebrated in a special retrospective for BAF 99, and recent animated films were screened, including Antz, A Bug's Life and The Rugrats Movie. Other events included a package of European animation and a large-format animation conference.

BAF 98

Warner Bros. celebrated its 75th year at BAF 98, and Channel 4 its 15th birthday, with packages from its animation output and an animation production forum for budding and established animators. Other themes included a retrospective of the art of Jiri Trnka and screenings of a new print of Halas and Batchelor's Animal Farm.

BAF 97

Ray Harryhausen joined BAF 97 as Guest of Honour and led a packed house in a screen talk on his work. Bob Godfrey also attended, and screenings, amongst many others, included Harryhausen's epic Jason and the Argonauts.

BAF 96

The third BAF saw the festival expand further, featuring retrospectives on Aardman and Cosgrove Hall Films; a masterclass with Barry Purves; and features and shorts including Wallace and Gromit's best, Toy Story, Pocahontas and many others.

BAF Awards: 180 entries

BAF 95

BAF 95 was organised in conjunction with Bradford Festival and the then-Bradford Playhouse & Film Theatre. Following the success of the first competition and the excellent reception to Bob Godfrey's visit in 1994, BAF! became a week-long event. Festival events included a tribute to John Halas and an exhibition and retrospective event on Barry Purves.

BAF Awards: 150 entries

BAF 94

The first BAF was a joint venture with Bradford Festival, and proved an immediate success. Although slimmer than more recent festivals, it was to provide the blueprint for later editions of BAF! and was the first such event in the region. Events included script-to-screens with Bob Godfrey and Three Peach Animation; a shorts package from Hanna-Barbera and a special animation exhibition in one of the NMPFT's main galleries.

BAF Awards: 80 entries