Asia is experiencing a boom in animation, sparking the launch of a new section dedicated to the form at HAF. Screen profiles the inaugural selection.
Animation from Asia has never been bigger. China’s Ne Zha 2 became the highest-grossing animated feature of all time earlier this month, with box office in excess of $2bn. Asian animated features Art College 1994, The Colors Within, Ghost Cat Anzu and Look Back made the shortlist for this year’s Oscars. At the Berlinale in February, Chinese hand-drawn feature A Story About Fire made the official selection and last year’s Cannes celebrated Japan’s Studio Ghibli with an honorary Palme d’Or and film screenings.
Embracing this wave, HKIFF Industry Project Market has introduced a dedicated animation showcase for the first time, comprising six titles from Hong Kong, China, India, Taiwan and Japan. As part of the Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF), they will be seeking finance and co-production partners, sales agents, pre-sales and festival selection.
The projects will also be considered for a cash prize of nearly $13,000 (hk$100,000), presented by Beijing-based SkyFilm, known for hit animation Monkey King: Hero Is Back.
“Outstanding animated projects, such as Liu Jian’s Art College 1994 and Yee Chih-yen’s Golden Horse Award winner City Of Lost Things, have instilled in us the conviction to showcase and promote promising talents and projects through this new animation initiative,” says HKIFF Industry director Jacob Wong.
Cloud Of The Unknown (HK-Fr)
Dir. Gao Yuan
Kunming-born artist Gao will make her feature directing debut with this story of a young woman who can move between reality and dreams. She meets another woman who fantasises about being a paralysed painter in a dystopian world and the two develop feelings for each other. But both begin to question if they really exist or are within a dream.
“Their situation includes echoes of our own reality, such as the pandemic lockdowns,” says Gao. “I hope their story will resonate with all the misfits of this world by telling them they deserve to live.”
The film will incorporate rotoscoping animation and Yuan will hand-draw more than 90% of the backgrounds. “I am a painter with nearly 20 years of experience, and I enjoy depicting scenes from life,” she adds. “I’ve also created sample sketches for the character movements in each scene and — given the film’s rotoscoping technique — I’ll be personally directing the live-action shooting, which will lend the animation a distinct visual style.”
Gao’s previous short of the same name premiered at Locarno in 2020, winning the Arte Laguna prize. The feature is produced by France’s Isabelle Glachant and Camille Li of Chinese Shadows and Shasha & Co Production.
Light Pillar (China)
Dir. Xu Zao
Animation and live action are blended in this feature debut from writer/director Xu. Set in a future winter at a near-deserted film studio, a janitor finds companionship in a stray cat. After receiving a VR device in lieu of his wages, he befriends a woman in the virtual world while the film studio — on the verge of bankruptcy — prepares to shoot a scene that will blow up the entire complex.
“Light Pillar is set in the future but reflects the present, using a comedic lens to explore people, events and forgotten moments,” says Xu.
“In terms of form, animation represents the protagonist’s real life — flat and two-dimensional, lacking vibrancy. In contrast, live action is used to depict the virtual world, which feels richer and more dynamic to him. This reversal highlights how, for the protagonist, the digital realm offers more possibilities and excitement than his everyday existence.”
A graduate of the renowned Beijing Film Academy, Xu previously made 43-minute animation No Changes Have Taken In Our Life, which received its world premiere at Rotterdam in 2023 and won the Golden Dove at DOK Leipzig.
Light Pillar is produced by filmmaker, actor and producer Da Peng (One And Only) and Lu Xiaowei (Poem For A Distant Village) for Fengduan Film (Shanghai) Co.
The Tale Of The Holy Beast (India)
Dir. Triparna Maiti
This emotional story is told from the perspective of an elephant who loses his herd in a poacher’s attack before being captured by humans to perform at a circus. He ends up as a temple elephant in Kerala where fame cannot eclipse his isolation, until a robotic elephant enters his life and changes everything.
“What makes this film unique is its use of animation to explore the dreams and nightmares of an animal who spends his entire life in chains,” says Mumbai-based Maiti, whose diploma film Water played festivals including Anifilm and Busan in 2022. “I am inspired by films like The Red Turtle, Grave Of The Fireflies and recent Oscar winner Flow, where poetic minimal storytelling is the key to questioning deeper themes.”
The project was previously pitched at Annecy’s Mifa market, Busan Asian Project Market and Seattle’s Tasveer Film Market. The producer is Bejon K Vinod for Kerala-based FAEM. Vinod was production manager for Dharamshala International Film Festival from 2017 to 2024 and was line producer for 2022 feature Vichithram.
A Mighty Adventure (Tai-HK-Malay)
Dir. Toe Yuen
The friendship between a grasshopper, spider and butterfly is at the centre of this action comedy, in which the three insects embark on a series of adventures to discover who they truly are. It marks the latest from Hong Kong director Toe, whose debut feature My Life As McDull won best film at Annecy in 2003.
“A Mighty Adventure is original in its seamless mix of real-world cinematography and unanthropomorphised CG insects, crafting a silent, action-driven story that’s equal parts thrilling and heartfelt,” says the filmmaker. “The animation technique is rooted in naturalistic movements and the storytelling is fuelled by slapstick chases and tender bonds, which set it apart as a fresh take on the adventure genre.”
He adds that the universal themes of courage, friendship and longing would help it connect with families around the world.
The film is produced by Chen Yi-Ching for Taiwan’s Zero One Film, whose Gold Fish won best animated short at the Golden Horse Awards in 2019 and Red Tail was selected for Venice and won best VR work at Annecy in 2023. It is also produced by Wee Meng Hee of Malaysia’s Flystudio, whose producing credits include Tekken: Blood Vengeance and Resident Evil: Retribution.
Min (China)
Dir. Li Jiajia
This animated drama centres on a middle-aged woman in a mundane marriage who becomes perplexed by the differences between herself and her husband, physiological constraints imposed by childbirth and family pressures — leading her to make a choice about her future.
It marks the feature directing debut of Li, who was the animation director of Liu Jian’s Art College 1994, which played in competition at the Berlinale in 2023 and was selected for a raft of festivals including Annecy, Sydney, Mumbai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Beijing and Tokyo. Liu is on board as executive producer.
“Min uses animation, a medium most distant from reality, to present a story with a strong sense of realism,” says Li, who based some of the story on her own personal experiences. “The collision of opposing elements such as the delicate, feminine fragments of daily life and the raw edges of contemporary urban existence in China creates a unique artistic texture that defines this work.”
The film is produced by the School of Animation and Games at China Academy of Art, which made Art College 1994 and Liu’s 2017 feature Have A Nice Day, also a Berlinale premiere.
Wildheart (Fr-Belg-Japan)
Dir. Marceau Nakayama
Set in late 1960s Tokyo, the story follows 11-year-old Makoto, who rescues Kenta, a young boy separated from his mother at a parade. After experiencing a year on the streets together, Makoto fears losing her companion when the prospect of Kenta reuniting with his mother arises.
“Wildheart takes a ‘cinemation’ approach, blending the cinematic language of live-action storytelling with the expressive freedom of animation,” says director Nakayama. “The story draws more from family drama than traditional anime.”
Nakayama, who left Japan in 1999 and co-founded creative studio Keytales in Paris, adds that the film takes influences from both Japanese and western animation. “The film is shaped by a borderless team, where east meets west, animation meets cinema, and techniques from both worlds converge to create something uniquely its own,” he says.
Wildheart is rooted in “meticulous cultural research”, according to Nakayama, and draws inspiration from the works of filmmakers including Yasujiro Ozu and Hirokazu Kore-eda, the latter praised for his films about children.
The producers are Matteo Paolini for Keytales and Justin Ambrosino for Belgium-based Forerunner Films.
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