What is the event like?

AAS is neither a conference nor a market, but rather an event that aims to facilitate international financing and co-production connections for projects from the region. Participants will spend three days attending presentations of new children's TV/web concepts from Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, Thailand and China. Presentations will be given by the projects' creators and producers, with assistance from high-profile mentors from the animation industry. There will also be plenty of time built into the schedule for meetings and casual networking, making it easy for attendees to follow up immediately on the projects they like most.

Each of the three days will begin with a highly informational panel discussion focusing on a different type of co-production model at play in the region.

Record of success?

Roughly 50% of the projects that debuted at the first four AAS events have since gone into production, including such well-known series as Bluey (2016 "Best in Show" winner), Bottersnikes & Gumbles (2012), Kuu Kuu Harajuku (2013), Wonderballs (2012) and Balloon Barnyard (2014).

A full 88% of producers who have presented projects at AAS report that they met critical broadcast and financing partners during the event. And 95% of them said attending AAS has helped them establish important relationships with international producers.

When and where?

AAS 2018 is set to take place from November 28 to 30 in Seoul, South Korea. This modern, cosmopolitan capital city is the heart and soul of Korean culture and entertainment, and is accessible by direct flight from many international travel hubs.

What sorts of projects will be featured?

The Summit will feature animated and mixed-media TV/web series for children up to 15 years of age. Series can feature any episode length, but they must not have commenced production by the submission deadline (September 7, 2018). And second/subsequent seasons of existing TV series are ineligible, so our program will be focused on brand-new original concepts.

Please see our Eligibility Criteria for more detailed information on submission requirements.

How are projects selected?

The Eligibility Criteria outlining what types of projects will be considered for the AAS program are the same for all participating regions. However, the selection process is being run separately in each country by its most relevant screen or industry development agency. Each agency has its own selection process for assessing submissions based on global-market potential and quality, and will choose a pre-determined number of projects to be presented at the Summit. Partially-funded projects will be given preference over projects still in development. Materials and background information for each selected project will be available for review by broadcasters and distributors who have registered for AAS starting in late October on the KidscreenXchange online screening platform.

Who is involved? And who will be there?

The 2018 Asian Animation Summit is owned and produced by Kidscreen, with generous support from: hosting partner KOCCA (Korea); presenting partners MDEC (Malaysia) and BEKRAF (Indonesia); and supporting partners Create NSW and Screen Queensland (Australia), DITP (Thailand), ASIFA (China) and Wellington Animation Group (New Zealand).

We are anticipating roughly 250 attendees will take part in the Asian Animation Summit this year. The event is designed to attract producers of animation who are interested in co-producing projects with Asian partners, as well as broadcasters, distributors and investors from Asia and elsewhere.