Hong Kong Digital Entertainment Association’s 3rd “Future Animation – AI-Assisted Animation Production Support Scheme” Experience Sharing Seminar cum Premiere Successfully Held

Six AI-Assisted Original Animation Premiere in Hong Kong

Industry Professionals Share Creative Achievements

HONG KONG, July 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Organised by the Hong Kong Digital Entertainment Association (HKDEA) and sponsored by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA) of the Hong Kong SAR Government, the 3^rd “Future Animation – AI-Assisted Animation Production Support Scheme” (“Future Animation” Scheme) held its Experience Sharing Seminar cum Premiere today. Following nearly a year of production, six AI-assisted original animations were completed and premiered in Hong Kong for the first time. During the event, representatives from the six selected companies shared their creative journeys and experiences in applying artificial intelligence (AI) throughout the animation production process.

HKDEA was honored to have Miss Yvonne IP, Assistant Commissioner for Cultural and Creative Industries as the Guest of Honour, alongside Mr. Gabriel PANG, Chairman of HKDEA, to present the three Jury’s Choice Awards in recognition of the outstanding achievements of the production teams and their animated works under the Scheme.

Mr. Gabriel PANG, Chairman of HKDEA, expressed, “We are delighted that the 3^rd “Future Animation” Scheme has been successfully implemented, and would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency for their unwavering support. As AI technology continues to evolve, it is opening up new possibilities for animation production. Through subsidies, professional mentoring and comprehensive support, the “Future Animation” Scheme encourages local animation companies to explore AI applications in creative production. Earlier this June, the selected companies showcased their original works at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Market 2026 in France, strengthening international exchange and creating new collaboration opportunities. We look forward to nurturing more local animation talent and original productions through the Scheme, and bringing Hong Kong animation to the international stage.”

Jury’s Choice Awards of the 3^rd “Future Animation – AI-Assisted Animation Production Support Scheme”:

(Listed in alphabetical order by company name)

Company Names	Work Title
Fanflare Creative	Tai Lung Fung – Full Throttle Kitchen
Newgen Creativity	Tuen Mun vs. Tin Shui Wai
Queenkong	Cirkillation

About 3^rd “Future Animation – AI-Assisted Animation Production Support Scheme”

The “Future Animation” Scheme aims to support the local animation industry in achieving breakthroughs and innovation in animation production. It provides comprehensive support to six selected local animation companies to enhance their animation production capabilities and strengthen their expertise in applying AI technology. The 3^rd “Future Animation” Scheme received an enthusiastic response, attracting over 30 applications. Following rigorous evaluations and interviews, the judging panel selected six local animation companies and their proposed projects based on criteria including creativity and originality, artistic quality, narrative ability and visual impact, as well as each company’s capabilities in animation production and AI application.

Each selected company received up to HK$850,000 in subsidies to produce a 15- to 20-minute AI-assisted original animation. In addition to financial support, the companies also benefited from professional mentoring by industry experts, internship support, participation in international industry exchange activities, experience sharing seminar, training courses and pitching workshops.

Following the successful Experience Sharing Seminar, the Hong Kong premiere of all six original animations under the 3^rd “Future Animation” Scheme was held, offering industry professionals, media representatives and the public a first look at the innovative achievements of local animation creators through the integration of AI technology and animation creativity. For more information about the 3^rd “Future Animation – AI-Assisted Animation Production Support Scheme”, please visit the official website: https://futureanimation.com.hk/en/home-en/

List of six selected companies of
The 3^rd “Future Animation – AI-Assisted Animation Production Support Scheme”
(arranged in alphabetical order by company name)

Company Names	Work Title	Animation Synopsis
eMotionLAB LTD.	REFRAME	The story is about a registered therapist Kiki, along with her AI assistant, Neebu, specialising in using advanced AI technology to reframe patients’ traumatic memories. However, a catastrophic error occurs when Kiki accidentally imports a folder of “AI trash”—distorted, failed generations—from the computer directly into a patient’s subconscious. To prevent a mental collapse, Kiki must bridge her consciousness into the patient’s mind before they wake up. Navigating through layers of fragmented recollections, she must hunt down and delete every surreal glitch, fighting to preserve the integrity of the patient’s precious memories.
Fanflare Creative Limited	Full Throttle Kitchen	The story is about the main character, Tai Lung Fung, who must save her family’s legendary restaurant from a ruthless critic’s closure threat. Ah Fan must recreate a forgotten masterpiece: “Calmly (Ping An) White Jade.” Ah Fan has a “super-palate” but a crippling hatred for fish—the dish’s secret core. Thrust into a magical dream, she travels 15 years into the past to apprentice under her late father. To unlock the recipe, she must conquer her deepest prejudice and master her craft. With the real-world deadline looming, Ah Fan races to bridge the gap between memory and flavour before her family’s legacy vanishes forever.
Newgen Creativity Limited	Tuen Mun Vs. Tin Shui Wai	The story is set in a desolate, post-apocalyptic Hong Kong, two robots set out to find a home for an injured bird. Their journey turns chaotic when a relentless alien creature begins hunting them across Tin Shui Wai and Tuen Mun. The alien grows stronger with every encounter, leaving the robots with no choice but to keep running. Fleeing through the Tuen Mun-Chek Lap Kok Tunnel, they finally arrive at the foot of The Big Buddha⋯⋯
Point Five Creations	Airbag	The story is about that the Airbag makes humanity immortal. Death is obsolete; they just reboot. Humanity has rewritten the definition of life. The world is divided into endless communes, each striving for eternity, codifying its memory, defining its soul. But outside the system, the unidentifiable roam. And the outcast—the half-beasts—they hunt the ultimate prize: Airbag.
Queenkong Land ACG., Co., Ltd.	Cirkillation	A story about loneliness and struggle. Protagonist No.11 traps ants in ink spirals and traps himself within them. Childhood memories of his mother’s warm embrace have long faded, reduced to strokes of solace drawn line by line. In the loneliness of relentless bullying, the “circles” grow ever larger, the “obsession” ever deeper. The black cat vanishes, Donny’s ankle throbs in pain, and the spiral devours the suspense of revenge. Until a colossal circle boils like an infant’s cry, will he let go before leaving a last shade of black mark…… In the endless spiral, escape was attempted, yet the wound never heals……
Taproot Studio Limited	Odium ZERO	“Odium ZERO” tells the story of an apocalypse born from lies. Ten days after an extraterrestrial pathogen crashes onto the Earth, its spores begin to resonate with humanity’s “lie brainwaves”, driving people into madness and transforming them into grotesque creatures known as Ashes. Amid the ruins, a live streamer named May and a soldier named Yanga are forced to fight side by side inside a collapsing hospital, confronting both monsters and the fading remnants of human nature. It is a story of truth and redemption — a reflection of how light struggles to survive in the depths of despair. Humanity has never escaped lies, and in the end of the world, deceit becomes a fatal trigger. When truth collides with survival, how will humanity choose?

For details about 3^rd “Future Animation – AI-Assisted Animation Production Support Scheme”, please visit website: https://futureanimation.com.hk/en/home-en/.

Photo Download Link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-WfBvpInpFjBTTUVQErcTx0n2VrDKSMl?usp=sharing

About Hong Kong Digital Entertainment Association (HKDEA)

Established in 1999, HKDEA is a non-profit organisation aiming to promote digital entertainment development in Hong Kong. Its mission points toward the achievement of the following goals – boosting prosperity of the digital entertainment industry by fostering cooperation among local developers; opening up and development of digital market; enhancement of local technology so as to raise the competitiveness of Hong Kong production; promoting communication between digital entertainment industry and other related industries such as toys, entertainment and visual games; building a favourable image for digital entertainment; and protection of intellectual property rights and scrapping counterfeit products.

For more information, please visit HKDEA’s website at www.hkdea.org

About Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA)

The Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA), formerly known as Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) since 2009, was established in June 2024. CCIDA is a dedicated office under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR Government) to provide one-stop services and support to the cultural and creative sectors with a mission to foster a conducive environment in Hong Kong to facilitate development of the arts, culture and creative sectors as industries. CCIDA’s strategic foci are nurturing talent and facilitating start-ups, exploring markets, promoting cross-sectoral and multi-disciplinary collaboration, promoting industrialisation of the arts, culture and creative sectors under the industry-oriented principle, and fostering a creative atmosphere in the community, thereby reinforcing Hong Kong as Asia’s creative capital and our positioning as the East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.

CCIDA’s website: www.ccidahk.gov.hk