Winners of the ATF Animation, Chinese and Formats Pitches were announced Friday after a series of exciting on-stage pitches, where finalists presented their ideas to panels of elite judges – the likes of leading producers and commissioning editors, who provided their invaluable input for each of the pitched projects.
The pitch competitions are part of the ecosystem that the Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF) has built for content creators. Apart from providing them a platform to showcase their creativity, winning projects are linked up with well-established industry players who can propel the winning concept into production for exposure within and outside Asia.
The third winner of the ATF Animation Pitch, Weatherville by Riki Group, highlights the importance of protecting the environment by educating children about how to treat the Earth well and encouraging young viewers to learn more about the causes behind climate change. Judges noted that this topic made the concept feasible for export and development outside Asia. (http://www.riki-group.com/projects/weatherville/)
Selected from amongst 41 entries and five finalists, Riki Group received a $19,000 USD prize from Green Gold Animation Pvt Ltd. This comprises a $2,500 cash award and a consultancy package worth $16,500 tailormade for Riki Group to further develop Weatherville, making it ready to pitch to broadcasters – a catalyst to eventually take this project to Asia and beyond.
“This win is not just about the prize money – what’s more important is the opportunity to find the right partners for our show,” said Diana Yurinova, CEO of Riki Group. “I feel very happy about winning because it opens doors to securing co-producers, investors and potentially broadcasters.”
With the theme “Dream. Believe. Dare.”, the ATF Animation Pitch is the premier Asian pitching competition where individuals, students and small to medium-sized companies can share new and innovative concepts for animation targeted at kids. Co-organized by Reed Exhibitions and Green Gold Animation Pvt Ltd, it is a platform that showcases Asian originality and facilitates the exchange of ideas and talent between leading international television, distribution and Asian-based producers.
The winners of the ATF Chinese Pitch, now in its second year, were Malaysian indie director Ang Yee Sien’s The Lost Phone (Online Drama Series), Low Hui Hui’s Cia, Old Hero! (Theatrical/Online Movie), and Absolute Sincerity by Singaporean freelance screenwriter Link Sng.
And taking the prize of the fourth ATF Formats Pitch was Gamaliel (Gammy) Paulus S., for the vibrant clue-solving game show concept Don’t Block the Numbers.
Apart from ATF Animation Pitch and ATF Formats Pitch, ATF and ScreenSingapore are home to the ATF Chinese Pitch and Southeast Asian Film Financing (SAFF) Project Market.
ATF and ScreenSingapore are part of the Singapore Media Festival (SMF).
For more information, visit www.asiatvforum.com.
