The Annecy International Animation Film Festival and its Market (Mifa) announced on May 5th the official selected projects for the 2021 Mifa Pitches. After 433 projects registered for the market, 36 are chosen in the lineup, two of which are from Taiwan. “Immersive Criminology Ep2: ‘Baby Frog’ (罪系列)” by HiBrain Image (腦高映像有限公司) and “Who’s Our Sub Today? (今天誰代課)” by DotToDot (連想有限公司). 

The selected projects will pitch to major international distributors, investors, and animation industry players for potential international co-production and investment opportunities. The final winning works in each category will also receive prizes such as Disney+ Prize, Titra Film Prize, and more. 

The Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) Chairperson TING Hsiao-Ching congratulated the selected teams for international recognition, and was honored that TAICCA was able to assist Taiwan’s excellent animation works to enter the international market.

The team behind “Who’s Our Sub Today?,” DotToDot, participated in TAICCA School’s IP Licensing Workshop and Pitch Day last year. “Who’s Our Sub Today?” stood out from the 158 projects in the competitive TV Series & Special category. The plot incorporated natural science knowledge into its imaginative narrative, creating a knowledgeable adventure on campus. The project also received the Ministry of Culture’s Original Comic Development Grant in 2019. 

"WHO’S OUR SUB TODAY?"

The other project “Immersive Criminology Ep2: ‘Baby Frog’” was selected into the Digital Experience category by Mifa. It is part of HiBrain Image’s Immersive Criminology series, which received funding from TAICCA’s “Cultural Content and Technology Application Flagship Program.” The project incorporated marionette and traditional Zhizha (Taoist paper art) culture with Taiwan’s drunk driving accident statistics to explore social issues and human emotions through a VR interactive narrative.

"Immersive Criminology Ep2: 'Baby Frog'"

This year’s Taiwan Pavilion, led by TAICCA and supervised by the MOC Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development, will include 19 companies (included via open-call) showcasing 33 company projects and 14 individual projects. TAICCA will continuously provide marketing and promotional support to the selected teams and projects, hoping to expand more opportunities internationally. TAICCA also has the Taiwan’s International Co-funding Program (TICP) which aims to encourage international co-production and co-funding for Taiwanese content, hoping to launch more projects onto the international stage