Short Film Directors Q+A

Thursday 13 Nov 2025 - 09:30
HOME - Event Space
Runtime: 60 mins (approx.)

Meet the directors behind some of your favourite animated short films competing at this year's festival! Join us for an exciting Q&A where you can dive deep into their creative processes, discover behind-the-scenes stories, and ask the burning questions you've always wanted answered. Don't miss this chance to connect with the visionary talents shaping the future of animation!

Guests

Baz Sells

Baz is a British, working-class Writer, Director and DoP. He is the co-founder of One6th Animation Studio alongside producer Ben Jackson. One6th’s latest work is the BFI backed short, Two Black Boys in Paradise, which screens in MAF25's British Animated Short Film programme. The film has won both UK and international awards and is set to make its broadcast debut on Channel 4.

Ben Jackson

Ben Jackson is a BIFA-nominated producer and co-founder of One6th, an award-winning stop-motion studio based in Manchester. His work spans film, commercial, and arts sectors, with a focus on bold, emotionally-driven storytelling. His previous short ‘Squib’ won a Gold Kinsale Shark Award and a Jury’s Citation at the Thomas Edison Film Festival. His latest film, Two Black Boys in Paradise - a tender stop-motion short supported by the BFI and narrated by Jordan Stephens - has screened at over 60 festivals worldwide, winning top animation prizes at prestigious events such as Encounters and Woodstock Film Festival. Ben’s proactive and detail-oriented approach to production has earned him a reputation for delivering high-quality work while fostering a collaborative and supportive environment.

Yasmine Djedje-Fisher-Azoume

Yasmine Djédjé-Fisher-Azoumé is a multidisciplinary animator, director, and producer based in London. Her work blends digitally drawn 2D animation with traditional paper animation and analogue techniques, drawing thematic and aesthetic inspiration from her West African (Ivorian) heritage. Her short film Dédé screens at MAF2025.

Tokay

Tokay, born in 1999, is a Swiss-Turkish director, creative producer & animator based in Bern. With his co-directed bachelor film DUDE he won the Bernese film price and several awards during the festival tour in 2022. Besides his studies he made stop motion projects for Cartoon Network & Adult Swim and directed a music video intro for Coldplay in 2024. Connecting image and sound, he specialized in analog workflows and tries to push boundaries in every project to create visual illusions working with texture, materiality, light and perspective. Tokay graduated from HSLU (Lucerne University of applied Arts & Film) in 2025 with his award winning master film Double or Nothing and is looking forward to new projects.