From March 11th to 14th, the 28th Hong Kong International Film and TV Expo was grandly held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center. As the largest film and television expo in Asia, the Hong Kong International Film and TV Expo not only provides a platform for the industry to showcase and exchange ideas internationally but also serves as an important force in driving the development of the film and television industry in the Greater Bay Area.
The Hong Kong International Film and TV Expo, organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, serves as the largest film and television expo in Asia. It not only provides a platform for the industry to showcase and exchange ideas internationally but also becomes an important force in driving the development of the film and television industry in the Greater Bay Area. Since 2015, Guangdong Province has actively organized excellent film and television institutions within the province to participate in this industry event every year. This year, Guangdong Province, for the first time, utilized this platform to hold a key film project release conference, providing a stage for high-quality productions to be showcased.
This year, the Guangdong Provincial Film Bureau, the Guangdong Provincial Radio and Television Bureau, and the Guangzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, and Tourism organized nearly 50 outstanding film and television institutions to participate in the exhibition as a group. They introduced nearly a hundred outstanding film and television works to global customers, promoted the audiovisual technology of Guangdong’s film and television industry, and demonstrated the innovation and service capabilities of the entire chain of Guangdong’s film and television industry.
As one of the birthplaces of Chinese animation, Guangdong possesses abundant cultural resources and unique industrial advantages in the animation field. From the beloved “Bear Pig and Sheep” animation IP that has accompanied several generations to the emergence of diverse themes in recent years, including youth-oriented, family-friendly, and realism, animation filmmakers in Guangdong have been continuously innovating.
The participating companies in this exhibition include several leading animation companies from Guangdong. For instance, Hua Qiang Fang Te Animation, with its film “Boonie Bears” once again broke the Chinese box office record for animated films during this year’s Spring Festival season. Yidong Culture brought the highly anticipated sequel film “Lion Boy 2,” which shifted its story background from Guangdong to Shanghai, and its theme from lion dancing to martial arts.
Yongsheng Animation promoted its film “Dust of the Fallen,” based on Chinese folklore, at the Key Film Projects Release Conference in Guangdong Province. It took five years to create with the participation of over 2,000 animation artists. Yuan Kong Culture also presented “The Rise of the Great Sage” as one of the key film projects in Guangdong Province, continuing the fantastic journey of the Monkey King and showcasing the animation industry’s reflection on the trends of the times. Additionally, the upcoming “Yellow Pixiu 2” made an appearance during the Guangdong Pavilion series presentation.
Another highly anticipated film at the expo is the documentary “100 Years of Chinese Animation,” produced by Shenzhen Dasheng Era Cultural Investment Co., Ltd., with Sun Lijun, Vice President of the Beijing Film Academy and Dean of the Chinese Animation Research Institute, serving as the executive producer and director.
The main theme of producing the documentary film “100 Years of Chinese Animation” is “Inheriting the Spirit of Animation, Creating the Future of Animation.” Through this documentary, it showcases the development history of Chinese animation and presents a panoramic display of the efforts and inheritance of generations of animators.
The film took three years from preparation to receiving the Dragon Seal, and it was a culmination of the efforts of countless animators. Units such as the Shanghai Animation Film Studio, the Beijing Film Academy, and the Guangdong Provincial Film Association provided full support and cooperation, ultimately completing the production successfully.
Vice Chairman Hao Yong of the Guangdong Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles and Vice Chairman Xiao Xiaoqing of the Guangdong Provincial Film Association personally visited the booth of Dasheng Times Cultural to provide guidance. They discussed this year’s plans for the distribution and promotion of ‘100 Years of Chinese Animation’ with the film’s producer, Lin Jie. The film will organize a series of activities under the theme ‘100 Years of Chinese Animation’ to garner social attention, focusing academia and industry on the centennial topic of Chinese animation. Various commemorative, summary, research, and exhibition activities related to Chinese animation’s centennial will be launched.
“100 Years of Chinese Animation” documents the challenging journey of Chinese animation over the past century. Chinese animated films once boasted creative standards on par with those of Europe and America, profoundly influencing the development of Japanese animation. Even Japanese anime master Hayao Miyazaki regarded the Shanghai Animation Film Studio as the most mysterious hall of animation.
With the continuous growth and development of the Chinese film market, Chinese animation has undergone a phoenix-like rebirth. In 2015, “Monkey King: Hero is Back” refreshed the domestic animated film box office record with 956 million RMB, propelling Chinese animated films into the mainstream market. In 2019, “Ne Zha” created a box office miracle of 5 billion RMB. In 2023, Light Chaser Animation produced the original IP animated film “Changan 30 thousand miles”, reflecting Chinese traditional culture, which achieved a remarkable box office of 1.8 billion RMB. It also ignited interest in Chinese traditional culture among Western audiences, who were captivated by the magnificent landscapes and profound historical narrative depicted in the film. These three films, both in terms of reputation and box office performance, have achieved great success, marking the best era for Chinese animation.
“100 Years of Chinese Animation” marks both the end of a century for Chinese animation and the beginning of a new era for animators facing the future.
With the dawn of this new era, Chinese animation exhibits a flourishing development trend, with an increasing abundance of original content and a diversification of styles. It encompasses both the inheritance of classical aestheticism and the innovation of the two-dimensional world. Simultaneously, coupled with the development of innovative technologies, it presents a new appearance and demeanor for animation. By once again venturing beyond national borders, animated films enhance China’s cultural confidence and national pride.
Reflecting on the past, Chinese animation once stood at the peak of the world; looking ahead to the future, Chinese animators are filled with confidence and ambition.
