This year, five excellent animation short films that have been subsidised by “Subsidy Programme for the Production of Original Animation Short Films” of the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) will participate in various promotional activities in Mainland China, Macao, Hong Kong, Portugal and Greece. Some works will also be broadcasted on local television programme and online video sharing platforms, actively showcasing the cultural potency of Macao’s animation.
The five animation works are projects selected for the “2016 Subsidy Programme for the Production of Original Animation Short Films”, including The Lighthouse by Lei Pui Weng, Starry Sky by Ku Pou Cheng, Father’s Lunch by Pun Lap Fung, Pundusina by Lou Ka Choi and DINZONG by Cheong Chi Pan. The Subsidy Programme aims to cultivate local animation creators, producers and planners by strengthening their creative planning and storytelling capabilities. The final list was made by the professional panels.
The Lighthouse has been shortlisted for the “24th ifva Festival” in Hong Kong, the “Monstra - Lisbon Animation Festival 2019” in Portugal and the “Athens Animfest 2019” in Greece. Father’s Lunch will take part in the “15th China International Cartoon and Animation Festival”. Pundusina, an animation that portrays everyday life, will be broadcasted irregularly on video sharing platforms and on the television programme Good Morning Macau. Both the digital animation DINZONG and the picture book animation Starry Sky mark a breakthrough in the local animation scene. Promotional videos of the animations are now available on video sharing platforms.
The five directors of the selected animations recently jointly organised a premiere entitled “A Riot of Colour—The New Climate of Macao’s Animation Industry” at the Cinematheque‧Passion, in which all the productions were well received by the public. In spring, the five directors will also participate in two public screening events, namely the “Moving Image Programme: Independently Yours” and the “CMM Multimedia, Animation and Comic Exhibition”. As an annual screening event for independent productions organised by the Hong Kong Arts Centre, the former will be held on 2 April; the latter, organised by the Macao Animation and Comic Art Association, will be held at the Macao Contemporary Art Centre – Navy Yard No.2 from 11 to 18 May, showcasing local original animations and comics and inviting foreign professionals in animation, comic and game industries to share recent industry development with the public.
Since 2013, IC has launched the Subsidy Programme Series for Macao’s Cultural and Creative Industries, which includes the “Subsidy Programme for the Production of Original Animation Short Films”, the “Subsidy Programme for Fashion Design on Sample Making”, the “Support Programme for the Production of Feature Film” and the “Subsidy Programme for the Production of Original Song Albums”. Through a series of subsidies and supporting initiatives, the Programme Series seeks to foster local talents in the cultural and creative industries, helps to incubate original works with great potential and promote local creative brands, thereby facilitating the growth of the Macao cultural and creative industries.