The 4th Animation Support Program Premiere

The 4th Animation Support Program Premiere

Promote Hong Kong Animation Industry
Impart Professional Capability

(Hong Kong, 7th March 2017) Organized by Hong Kong Digital Entertainment Association (HKDEA), sponsored by Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) of the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), and implemented by Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC), the “Animation Support Program” (ASP) entered into its 4th edition and held its premiere at The Grand Cinema on 7th March 2017 for the original animations produced under the project, allowing local animators to share their animation works with the industry and public.

The premiere was officiated by Ms. Fiona Lam, Acting Head of CreateHK. Other officiating guests included Mr. Gabriel Pang, the Chairman of HKDEA, Mr. Gordon Lo, The Director (Business Management) of HKPC, Mr. Neco Lo, General Secretary of Hong Kong Animation and Cultural Association and Ms. Alice Mak, the Renowned Cartoonist and Creator of McDull.

“With the full support by CreateHK, the ASP has been held smoothly over the years and proudly entered into its 4th edition. It is so popular that our premiere has been hailed as one of the most well-known events in local animation community,” said Mr, Gabriel Pang. “The ASP is successful in nurturing talented animators, both from previous editions and the latest edition. This reflects that we have a good potential for our animation industry to grow. We are honored to witness the participants’ achievements with the 15 unique animation works they created with distinctive styles, ample teamwork and creativity.”

Mr. Pang further said, “the ASP aims at nurturing local animation start-ups and small animation enterprises with a view to promote the development of the local animation industry by providing the participants with funding, training programs and professional mentorship for them to produce their original animation works that could showcase their creativity and technical capability, and thereby enhances the quality of local animations. Many good animations have been produced under the ASP, and some of them have also gained recognition in international and local competitions. The awards attained by them included the Silver – Asian Perspective and the Honorable Mention of the 18th DigiCon6 ASIA Awards, and the Gold and Silver Awards of the 21st ifva Awards (Animation Category), etc.”

The 4th ASP features two categories, namely Animation Start-ups and Small Animation Enterprises. A total of 10 animation start-ups and 5 small animation enterprises have been selected by a vetting committee comprising industry professionals to participate in the project. Each selected animation start-up or small animation enterprise then received a maximum subsidy of HK$88,000/HK$165,000 for producing their own 3-minute/5-minute animation with storyline in accordance with the category they were admitted to. A mentorship program was also provided for them to receive advices and guidances on technical and production skills, and business development from professional animators. After several months of intensive effort, the 15 participating animation start-ups and small animation enterprises finally presented their animation works to the industry and the public at today’s premiere.

The premiere also marked the beginning of a series of promotional activities for the 4th ASP. Other activities include the broadcasting of the 15 animations on local TV channels, social media platform, internet, and the screening of them in the Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FILMART) 2017 and on other major commercial platforms.

In addition, these animation works will be nominated to participate in various contests, such as the “DigiCon6 ASIA Awards” organized by the Japanese broadcaster, Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) Television, the King Boon Award of the China International New Media Short Film Festival Awards held in May during the China International Cultural & Creative Industry Expo, the Shanghai TV Festival and the Festival International du Film d’Animation d’Annecy held in June, etc.

The ASP will explore more opportunities to help participating animation companies building brand presence and sales network across different platforms in order for them to grow their own businesses.

To view the animation works of the participating enterprises and to learn more about the 4th ASP, please visit the official website: www.animation-ssp.com.

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For media enquiries, please contact AQ Communications Ltd., the PR representative of the 4th Animation Support Program:

Jay Chan         Tel：(852) 2137 9702／9517 4217         Email：jchan@aqcomm.com

Sarah Chui        Tel：(852) 2137 9707／9133 7434     Email：schui@aqcomm.com

List of Participating Companies of the “4th Animation Support Program” (in alphabetical order of company names)

Eligibility of Participation :

Participating start-ups and small enterprises should be: ：

• a local enterprise holding valid business registration certificate;
• an enterprise with primary focus on animation production; and
• meet the requirements in the following table:

Vetting Committee Members, Judging Panel Members and Mentors (in no particular order)

	Mr. Gabriel PANG, Chairman of the Hong Kong Digital Entertainment Association delivered welcome speech at the “4th Animation Support Program” premiere, pointed out the local animation sector has a great potential for sustainable development.
	Ms. Fiona Lam, Acting Head of CreateHK officiated the “4th Animation Support Program” premiere and wished all the participating enterprises every success in the future to flourish local animations.
	(From left) Mr. Gordon Lo, The Director (Business Management) of HKPC, Mr. Gabriel Pang, the Chairman of HKDEA, Ms. Fiona Lam, Acting Head of CreateHK, Mr. Neco Lo, General Secretary of Hong Kong Animation Association and Ms. Alice Mak, the renowned cartoonist and creator of McDull officiated at the Premiere of “4th Animation Support Program”.
	The officiating guests, 15 participating enterprises, members of vetting committee members and judging panel, mentors and representatives from supporting organizations posed for a group photo at the “4th Animation Support Program” Premiere.