Published on 30 October 2020
A University of Sunderland graduate has been nominated for a prestigious award as part of the UK’s largest animation festival.
The annual Manchester Animation Festival (MAF) celebrates the animated art form and the artists behind it.
Animation graduate Alex Collier joins other University alumni heading up the nominations at this year’s event which takes place online between November 15 and November 30.
Alex has been nominated in the scriptwriting category for his work on CBBC’s Dennis and Gnasher Unleashed.
The Festival aims to unite artists, practitioners, students and enthusiasts and all those in between to savour the many and varied achievements of the animated form.
Alex, a student at the University between 2006 and 2009, said: “It’s brilliant to just be nominated considering how many talented people there are up for the award.
“The nomination is for an episode that I wrote called ‘Pranksy’ as part of the series.
“I had a great three years at Sunderland and, although I am now scriptwriting, it is still in the animation field where I learned so much.”
Since graduating in 2009, Alex has written for ITV, the BBC and Nickelodeon for popular shows including Bean, Danger Mouse, Go Jetters and It’s Pony.
The Festival this year features animated short competitions, films, retrospective screenings, workshops, networking events, panel discussions, masterclasses and screen talks from the industry’s finest.
Ross Phillips, from Gateshead, who graduated BA Animation and Design in 2008, has been nominated in the Character Design section for his work on Hey Duggee, while graduate Jardine Sage, who studied Animation and Design in 2009, also receives a nomination in the same category for Dog Loves Books.
