Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency leads industry delegation to participate in Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Market 2025 in FranceIssued at HKT 16:40

The Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA) of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau led an industry delegation to participate in the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Market 2025 in France and joined forces with the Hong Kong Digital Entertainment Association (HKDEA) to set up the Hong Kong Pavilion themed “AI-assisted Animation Production” and organised a series of activities, with the aim of increasing overseas exposure of Hong Kong original animation works and creative teams, enhancing their reach in market development, and enabling them to explore collaboration opportunities.

As the international animation film festival with a rich history and the largest scale of its kind, the Annecy International Animation Film Festival commands high respect from the global animation industry. Its film market, the Annecy International Animation Film Market, is a prominent annual business-oriented exhibition that takes place from June 10 to 13 (Annecy time). In the opening ceremony of the Hong Kong Pavilion held on June 10, the Assistant Commissioner for Cultural and Creative Industries, Mrs Lowell Cho, expressed hope that through a series of activities during this promotion, the CCIDA and the industry join hands to promote Hong Kong animation works to the animation industry professionals and audiences from all over the world, hence enabling the original animation by Hong Kong to shine bright on the international stage and to strive for opportunities to strengthen ties with global industry counterparts. She also warmly congratulated the film “Another World”, funded by the Film Development Fund (FDF) and produced by an animation creative team from Hong Kong, for being selected for the non-competitive section of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2025 and that it will be screened at the “Midnight Specials” session on the evening of June 13 (Annecy time). “Another World” brings international recognition, which serves as a significant booster for the Hong Kong animation industry, showcasing the global appreciation for Hong Kong animation.

The Hong Kong animation film “Another World” is directed by Tommy Ng, and produced and scripted by Polly Yeung. The production team attended the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in person to engage with audiences and industry counterparts. In 2019, the team participated in the sixth Animation Support Program, a project funded by the CCIDA through the CreateSmart Initiative (CSI), and was granted a subsidy to initiate the production of the short version of “Another World”, which won the Gold Award under the Small Animation Enterprises (Advanced Production) category. Subsequently, the team, with its proposal to develop “Another World” into a feature-length animation film, successfully applied for the Film Production Financing Scheme under the FDF and was granted the subsidy to bring the debut animation feature film directed by Ng into fruition, paving the way for the film’s global premiere at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Yeung was also invited by the Hong Kong Film Development Council to participate in the 81st Venice International Film Festival in Italy and the 78th Cannes Film Festival in France to seek production investment, attend various producer matching activities, and exchange ideas with filmmakers from all over the world, increasing publicity for “Another World” and opening doors for overseas distribution of the film project.

During the exhibition period, a series of networking and exchange activities were launched at the Hong Kong Pavilion, and six short original animated works created with AI assistance were also showcased, demonstrating to the international market the creativity and unique charisma of Hong Kong productions. The Hong Kong Partner Pitches was held on June 11, where the six Hong Kong companies selected under the 2nd Future Animation – AI-assisted Animation Production Support Scheme organised by the HKDEA and sponsored by the CCIDA, namely 924 Studio Limited, Astro Heart Limited, Free-D Workshop, ManyMany Creations Ltd, Morph Workshop and Stepc, conducted exchanges with elite animation companies from all over the world. They took the opportunity to broaden their horizons, enhance their promotion to overseas practitioners and investors, and pursue more collaboration possibilities.

The Animation Support Program, a government-funded project under the CSI, is now in its 12th edition. It focuses on supporting local start-ups and small animation companies and cultivating local animation talent. Over the years, it has assisted more than 250 local animation companies and enabled them to produce more than 270 original animation works. As a scheme under the FDF with the longest history and well-received by the film industry, the Film Production Financing Scheme aims to provide government financing for film productions with small-to-medium production budgets. As of the end of May 2025, approved films have received more than 150 local and international film awards.