The Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) celebrated its 10th year at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, showcasing 15 companies and signing a significant MoU to enhance Southeast Asia’s digital content industry. This marks a notable step in positioning Malaysia as a digital hub in ASEAN.
1 July 2024 – The Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) has celebrated its 10th year of participation at the prestigious Annecy International Animation Film Festival. This milestone underscores Malaysia’s growing influence in the global animation industry.
This year, MDEC brought a delegation of 15 creative companies to the festival, showcasing their talents at the Malaysia Pavilion. Among these were R&D Studios and Metal Brain Studio, both recognized as Malaysia Digital (MD) status companies and grant recipients from MDEC.
MDEC CEO, Ts. Mahadhir Aziz, praised the selection of the animated feature film “Batik Girl,” developed by R&D Studios, for the “Meet the Producer” session. This selection is a significant achievement, as it marks the first time a Malaysian project was chosen from thousands of global submissions, competing with entries from regions including Hong Kong, Singapore, and Europe.
Metal Brain Studio has also made notable strides with their intellectual property “Oko Lele,” which has amassed over 4 billion views and more than 6 million subscribers across 20+ YouTube channels. The studio is currently developing a game for “Oko Lele,” expected to launch on Playstore platforms in Q3 or Q4 of this year.
In a significant development during the festival, and witnessed by Malaysia’s Minister of Digital, YB Tuan Gobind Singh Deo, MDEC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with key agencies: the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), the Thai Animation and Computer Graphic Association (TACGA), and the Digital Content Creation Alliance (DCCA) from Vietnam. This MoU marks a collaborative effort to drive innovation and cultural expression within the Southeast Asian digital content industry, aiming to elevate its presence on the global stage.
The agreement emphasizes leveraging the region’s rich talent pool of artists, directors, writers, and producers in the animation sector. Ts. Mahadhir Aziz highlighted that these initiatives are part of MDEC’s strategy to position Malaysia as the digital hub of ASEAN by fostering robust international partnerships.
“We are taking a significant step forward in uniting Southeast Asia’s vibrant digital content industries. This collaboration will not only create new opportunities for our local animation studios but also promote our rich Malaysian creativity on a global stage,” stated Ts. Mahadhir Aziz.
The Annecy International Animation Film Festival, a cornerstone event in the animation industry, offers an ideal platform for Malaysian delegates and their Southeast Asian counterparts to network, collaborate, and showcase their exceptional content to a global audience.
