Annecy International Animation Film Festival/Mifa
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TABLE OF CONTENTS EDITORIAL / 5 TERRITORIES/ 6 CONCEPT / 8 Objectives / 9 AWARDS/ 10 Representatives / 11 BOARD / 12 EXPERTS / 18 PARTICIPANTS / 24 SCHEDULE / 34 PARTNERS / 46 TEAM / 54 The Animation Workshop is proud to host the for games, film, tv, virtual reality – or any thinkable NipponNordic Universe Accelerator in Viborg, or yet unimagined combination thereof. Denmark in 2017 and 2018. We will use the unique NipponNordic Universe Accelerator will work with opportunity to invite all participants to take full skilled and experienced tutors, who will present advantage of the deeply creative environment high-level masterclasses as well as supervising around The Animation Workshop. Everything workshops in cooperation with the wide range from serene workstations to noisy networking of local, regional, and international partners who events and parties will be available for attendees, support the program. and those with the freedom to stay a bit longer can remain in town for Viborg Animation Festival which has a special focus this year on France and Morten Thorning French animation. Center Director of The Animation Workshop VIA University College The NipponNordic Universe Accelerator is an innovative and transnational project that aims to bring visionary and entrepreneurial artists and concept designers from Japan and Scandinavia together. Although the two territories are geographically very far apart from each other, there exists a mutual respect and curiosity towards the cultures and traditions of each other. What can create better understanding between people than working together with the ambition to identify and realize yet unknown visions? It is our hope that the results of NipponNordic Universe Accelerator will be new exciting IP’s that target the worlds imminent need for clever and constructive entertainment and communication, whether it be TERRITORIES Endorsed by the Japanese Embassy in Denmark as the official event of the 150th Anniversary of the establishment of Japanese & Danish diplomatic relations, The Animation Workshop ran in 2017 a wide event called Kawaii & Epikku. It aimed to be the first and largest exposition in Denmark about Anime, Manga and 360° productions. As a part of this wide event, NipponNordic 2017 supported the creative initiatives of its participants, following the global philosophy of Kawaii & Epikku to enhance knowledge and cultural exchanges between the Japanese and Danish/European professionals of the creative industry. This year will continue the successful program in the same innovative mentality. This Universe Accelerator has been created to develop connections between two countries because of the big potential for more cooperation and co-production between diverse territories: There are many examples of TERRITORIES 7 Danish commitment to innovation, storytelling and design – from the fairy tale storyteller Hans Christian Andersen to a long list of world- renowned companies and brands of Danish origin, such as LEGO, Bang & Olufsen and Royal Copenhagen. Denmark (and Europe in general), have a strong animation and games tradition, with, amongst others, a specific strength in producing cost effective 3D feature films. Also, the games industry in Denmark is known to drive innovation on a global scale. Danish game brands include Hitman and, lately, LIMBO and Subway Surfers. All of them are testimonies to Denmark’s industrial traditions, know-how and skills. As the Danish game industry is searching for new markets to penetrate, the Japanese market has become of great interest to Nordic developers, especially since Japan is looking towards Denmark for nordic designed products. Japan has an old and well-established animation culture, especially in 2D, which has had an immense impact on western markets over the last 20+ years. Western productions, however, have a hard time entering the Japanese market. The potential market is, nonetheless, immense. Moreover, Japan’s industry, is struggling with a lag in 3D animation. Japanese game producers have had a huge impact on the western games industry and the way games are designed. This will establish an even closer collaboration and open up for new innovative ways of thinking about product development in the game industry. CONCEPT NipponNordic is a four week artist residency for creative concept development, individual mentorship and cooperation between Japan and Scandinavia. During the accelerator the participants, Japan and Scandinavia-based, will develop universes, prototype concepts and story worlds for animated content, video games and XR, that can resonate across Denmark, Japan and beyond. CONCEPT/OBJECTIVES 9 SEPTEMBER 3 to 30 2018 During the first week, experts from the creative industries are expected to run masterclasses and workshops for the participants to strengthen their skills in pitching, cinematic and universe building. The second and the third weeks of the residency are the intensive mentorship program when experienced professionals OBJECTIVES help the participants to develop their projects by personal consultations to identify their audience, enhance their commercial potential On the final day of the Universe Accelerator, what will be the first day of and highlight the strengths of their IPs. Viborg Animation Festival (VAF), the participants will pitch their projects The last week starts with the Pitch day in in front of a board. The best projects will get the opportunity to access front of an international Board composed by major events throughout Japan and Europe to be presented again in front representatives of major companies of the of buyers of the industry, thus giving them an extra chance to reach the creative industries in Japan and Scandinavia. market. NipponNordic Universe Accelerator aims to spark and ensure the continuous development of original, high quality animation / cross-media or game content, which can resonate both artistically and commercially. The program aims to address the complementarity of those markets, and highlight partnerships and co-productions as viable alternatives to the subcontracting practices, which are a challenge for the creative industry in the era of globalization. AWARDS SUNNY SIDE OF THE DOC PITCH AWARD ANNECY INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION FESTIVAL & MARKET PITCH AWARD EXTRA RESIDENCY OPPORTUNITIES May be given to a selection of projects by representatives and the board AWARDS/REPRESENTATIVES 11 REPRESENTATIVES ARNAUD MIQUEL ANNECY INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION FILM FESTIVAL/MIFA Arnaud Miquel is Head of Content at CITIA and conferences curator of Forum Blanc and Annecy International Animated Film Festival. After graduating, he worked as Head of Digital Business Development at the animation studio Millimages before being appointed Head of Film and Digital Media Department for the French Embassy in Indonesia. Upon his return to Paris, Arnaud joined Google’s marketing teams in charge of YouTube B2B strategy. He moved to Annecy early 2018. MATHIEU BÉJOT SUNNY SIDE OF THE DOC Mathieu Béjot is an international media executive. He was the executive director of TV France International, the association of French TV program exporters, from 2000 to 2018. He was previously cultural attaché in charge of creative industries at the French Embassy in Japan (1997-2000), Hong Kong (in charge of SE Asia, 1994-1997) and Canada (1988-1993). BOARD The concepts and intellectual properties developed during this unique program, as well as the network and business opportunities it creates, are the clear follow-up of NipponNordic. A Pitch board composed of recognized international figures, investors and heads of companies assesses the 16 projects developed during the program, considering the strength of the universes, stories or game play. Monday 24 & Tuesday 25 Parolesalen, Arsenalet BOARD BOARD 13 General Manager of Planning ASUKA & Production Division AT-X, Inc. YAMAZAKI After graduating from university, she joined a local TV station and was in charge of sales. AT-X Several years later, she worked as a copywriter at a creative production company. In 2003, she joined AT-X, Inc. which is the Japanese subscription TV services only for ANIMATION/ANIME, and she directed Programming & Production Division which organizing more than 100 animation titles every month for the channel, and was in charge of investing in numerous animation works. July 2018, bumped up to the General Manager of Planning & Production Div., she is responsible for planning, investment and production. Producer at Sprite JUNICHI As one of the key original members of Sprite Animation, Junichi YANAGIHARA Yanagihara’s long career includes over ten years as an executive for Square Co. Ltd.’s U.S. subsidiaries, where he played an integral role in OLM INC. that company’s international expansion. Since Sprite’s 2002 founding, Junichi has managed the studio’s business and production affairs, and has been instrumental in shepherding its development into one of L.A.’s SPRITE most talked-about content developers, and design and animation service providers. Among his recent producer credits are Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures for Disney XD, Kong: King of the Apes for Netflix, the theatrical feature Rudolf the Black Cat, and the localization of the smash hit Japanese property Yo-kai Watch. BOARD 15 Game Designer at SYBO Games SEBASTIAN Sebastian Trelles, is a Game Designer from Uruguay. TRELLES He’s been working as a game designer for the last four years, and involved with games for the past seven years. SYBO GAMES He’s hands-on when it comes to game design, as he have