Completing its lineup with 8 additional titles, the event will present 48 featured projects from March 17-19 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, alongside the 29th Hong Kong International Film & TV Market.
The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (HKIFFS) has completed its 2025 HKIFF Industry Project Market lineup with eight additional titles, bringing the number of featured projects to 48. The HKIFF Industry Project Market will be held from March 17-19 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, alongside the 29th Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FILMART).
The new additions include six feature projects for its inaugural animation showcase, including works by Liu Jian (Art College 1994) and Toe Yuen (My Life as McDull), and two projects in a unique Indonesian showcase. These projects join the 40 in-development projects and works-in-progress previously announced for the Hong Kong - Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF).
“Outstanding animated projects from previous HAF editions, such as Liu Jian's second Berlinale entry, Art College 1994, and Yee Chih-yen's Golden Horse Award winner, City of Lost Things, have instilled in us the conviction to showcase and promote promising talents and projects through this new animation initiative,” said Jacob Wong, Director of HKIFF Industry.
Three of the six selected animation feature projects are works-in-progress. They will participate in HAF's WIP Open Pitch Session on March 17. These works are:
- A Mighty Adventure - Directed by Yuen, the film is about a grasshopper, a spider, and a butterfly who dare to choose their future. Yuen shot the entire film live in Taiwan, with 90% of the computer animation performed in Malaysia.
- MIN - Directed by Li Jiajia, the film chronicles the struggles of a 40-year-old woman trapped in a mundane marriage who must make an important decision about her future before she is past her childbearing age. Li is a professor at the School of Animation and Games of the China Academy of Art. Jian serves as producer.
- Wildheart - Directed by Marceau Nakayama, the film is a coming-of-age drama about two young orphans who rely on one another while searching for their families in 1960s Tokyo. Justin Ambrosino serves as the producer.
The three showcase projects currently in development are:
- Cloud of the Unknown - Directed by Gao Yuan, the film follows two dreamers as they share secrets about their strange worlds, ultimately questioning their own existence. Gao’s eponymous animated short film premiered at Locarno in 2020, and received the Arte Laguna prize. Isabelle Glachant serves as the producer.
- The Tale of the Holy Beast - From Triparna Maiti, the project recounts the captivity and lost childhood of a four-year-old elephant trained to be a circus performer before becoming a star temple elephant bound by heavy chains. The project was previously selected for Mifa Pitches at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
- Light Pillar - Directed by Xu Zao and produced by Da Peng, the film is a romantic comedy-drama about a film studio's janitor who navigates a romantic relationship with a woman in the virtual world, unaware that she is a 10-year-old boy in the real world. Xu's No Changes Have Taken in Our Life, won the Golden Dove at DOK Leipzig.
THKIFF Industry Project Market will also collaborate with Jakarta Film Week (JFW) to launch a new section titled Jakarta Film Week Projects, showcasing the in-development projects of two emerging Indonesian filmmakers.
The two projects are:
- First Breath After Coma - Directed by Jason Iskandar, the project follows three Chinese Indonesian siblings torn between their dilemmas and family obligations as their father lies in a coma in the late 1990s, during Indonesia's political transition. Iskander’s first feature, Akhirat: A Love Story, was the 15th highest-grossing film in Indonesia in 2021.
- Fly! - From Pelixiano, the project is an animated family adventure that follows a young boy on a mystical journey to the afterlife, where he befriends a spirit creature in his quest to find his late father. Pelixiano has 18 years of experience in game development.
“Through this collaboration with HKIFF Industry, we hope to enhance the visibility of Indonesian projects on the international stage and help them find production and investment partners and global distribution opportunities,” said JFW Festival Director Rina Damayanti.
Source: HKIFF
Journalist, antique shop owner, aspiring gemologist—L'Wren brings a diverse perspective to animation, where every frame reflects her varied passions.
