Animation Council calls on animators to create more original content

The following is an announcement from the Animation Council of the Philippines, Inc.

MANILA, Philippines – In November, the Animation Council of the Philippines, Inc (ACPI) sets the stage for the 11th year of Animahenasyon, the leading animation conference and festival in the country.

Themed “Leap of Faith,” the 2017 edition of Animahenasyon marks a start of another decade for the festival. Since its inception in 2006, the event has become a venue for celebrating the skills and talent of Filipinos in animation and storytelling.

“We have always believed in the creative talent and ingenuity of Filipinos. And our goal as an organization is to push the limits of our artists and animators for them to create and innovate more.” said ACPI President Juan Miguel del Rosario.

The festival will start with a conference on November 11 in Samsung Hall, SM Aura, followed by screenings and awarding of Filipino animated short films on November 17-18 at the Cultural Center of of the Philippines.

Shaping the future of Philippine animation

A platform for driving conversations about emerging trends, challenges, and opportunities in the global and local animation scene, Animahenasyon will gather more than 2500 participants from the academe, local animation studios, global players, and even independent artists and animators.

The conference topics for this year ranges from new technologies such as virtual reality to developing company cultures fit for the creative millennial.

“Every year, we try our best to bring to the country Filipino artists who are thriving abroad to share their experiences and new techniques that could both educate and inspire our students and professionals here.” shared Marlyn Montano, Ways and Means Director of Animahenasyon.

Del Rosario added that ACPI envisions to create more opportunities here in the Philippines for animation graduates and professionals.

Wanted: original content

Aside from the conference, Animahenasyon also annually holds a competition for original and Filipino-made animations.

Receiving almost 100 entries this year, ACPI in partnership with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) will recognize outstanding entries at the 2017 ICT Creative Awards on November 17. 

Rikki Orellana, Animahenasyon Festival Director, said they are happy to see the improvements in the the entries that they receive every year. 

With the continued support of government agencies ­– DICT, Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), and the Department of Trade and Industry, ACPI said they are confident that the increasing growth and creativity of the animation industry will continue.

International support and inspiration

The festival will also include screenings of animated feature films from Japan, Austria, and France. Through these screenings, they aim to expose, inspire, and create an impact on our artists when it comes to global trends and international standards in animation. 

Makoto Shinkai’s Kimi No Nawa (Your Name), a globally acclaimed Japanese animated film, is going to be screened at the CCP Little Theater.  

Funded and supported by the Japan Foundation Manila, the film is expected to give anime fanatics a visual feast.

The French Embassy in the Philippines is another longtime supporter of the animation sector. French animated films titled Aya of Yop City, The Girl Without Hands, and My Mommy Is in America and She Met Buffalo Bill will also be screened during Animahenasyon. 

French Embassy Chargé d’Affaires, Laurent Legodec, said 2017 marks as a very special year, marking the 70th year anniversary of Franco-Philippine diplomatic relations.

“The French Embassy has been supporting the Animation Council of the Philippines from the beginning, and the very first Philippine animation festival was held following your very first visit to Annecy, and it featured Filipino and French animated films side-by-side,” said Legodec.

ACPI brought the Philippine flag to two international festivals in France this year: the Animation Film Festival and Market in Annecy, and in MIPCOM or International Market of Communications Programmes in Cannes.

With this continuing international trade missions, Legodec added that “Philippine animation shall be promoted to international markets and find commercial and economic partners in France, Europe, and the rest of the world.” 

Animahenasyon also includes a forum on women in animation. According to Orellana, they aim to reiterate the importance and skills of Pinays in a more or less male-dominated animation industry. The Austrian Embassy in the Philippines is bringing to us one of the finest female animators in Austria, Katharina Petsche, who will introduce a program called Turbulent Times & Familiar Places: Tricky Women Short Animations.   

Animahenasyon expects to support the business growth goals that were set in the roadmap for the IT-BPM. Understanding the needs for domestic and international promotion is important because it will affect the direction of the Philippine animation industry in the next 5 years. Outsourcing is still the driver of growth of the industry, but with the increasing demand for original content, it will change how we look at the Philippine animation industry.

“We really hope that our local artists would step up further and produce more original content that could compete globally and could resonate with the global audience,” Montano. said.

For more information on the full schedule of the festival and how you could join, kindly visit www.animahenasyon.com or email Micah Ronquillo at micah.ronquillo@animationcouncil.org.