The Animation Council of the Philippines (ACPI) will be hosting its yearly Animation Festival and Competition, dubbed as Animahenasyon, this coming October 15 and 16, 2015 at the SMX Convention Center at SM Aura, Taguig City. The annual event gathers the country’s amateur and professional artists to celebrate the country’s growing animation industry.
“There is tremendous talent for animation in the Philippines,” said Tim Brooke-Hunt, an executive producer and former executive head of children’s content at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Hunt worked in Burbank Animation, one of the country’s pioneer animation studios during the early 1980s. He will be gracing Animahenasyon as one of its main resource persons, joining the ranks of Takuya Wada, director of Lupin; Josie Trinidad, story artist for the upcoming Disney movie Zootopia; and actor and animator Tom Rodriguez.
Over 10,000 artists and production specialists are currently employed in Philippine-based SME animation studios, helping deliver USD 142-million in revenues. Their ranks are bolstered year after year thanks to further accessibility of animation software such as Toon Boom Harmony, TV Paint, and, Maya; as well as the collaboration between schools and animation studios to produce more capable art graduates.
With around 90-percent of North American animation outsourced in Asia, the country is expected to get an even bigger chunk of the worldwide animation pie. For 2016, the global animation and gaming market is expected to rake in USD 242.93-billion.
Animahenasyon 2015: the 9th Philippine Animation Festival is part of Design Week, a CITEM initiated activity to promote Philippine creativity and innovation. It is supported by government institutions such as the Department of Science and Technology, Board of Investments, Film Development Council of the Philippines, Center for International Trade and Expositions and Missions, Design Center of the Philippines, National Commission for Culture and the Arts, and the Tourism Promotions Board. The French Embassy in the Philippines and Japan Foundation serve as key event partners, while SM Retail stands as this year’s venue sponsor.