–The Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), established to spearhead the nation's digital economy, successfully concluded its 10th year of participation at the prestigious Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

This year, Malaysia's presence includes a delegation of 15 creative companies exhibiting at the Malaysia Pavilion, among which are R&D Studios and Metal Brain Studio, both recognised as Malaysia Digital (MD) status companies and grant recipients from MDEC.

MDEC CEO, Ts. Mahadhir Aziz, commended the selection of the animated feature film "Batik Girl", developed by R&D Studios, as one of eight projects chosen for the "Meet the Producer" session.

This marks a first for Malaysia, as the film was selected from thousands of submissions worldwide, competing with producers from Hong Kong, Singapore, and various European countries.

Another Malaysian studio, Metal Brain, has achieved a significant reach with their IP "Oko Lele," garnering over 4 billion views and exceeding 6 million subscribers across more than 20 YouTube channels.

The studio is currently in the pipeline of producing a game for "Oko Lele," with a projected launch on Playstore platforms in Q3 or Q4 of this year.

Also during the Annecy Festival, witnessed by Malaysia's Minister of Digital, YB Tuan Gobind Singh Deo, MDEC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with key agencies namely Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), Thai Animation and Computer Graphic Association (TACGA) from Thailand, and Digital Content Creation
Alliance (DCCA) from Vietnam.

The signing of this MoU marks a significant milestone in the nations' shared commitment to driving innovation and cultural expression within the Southeast Asian digital content industry, ultimately elevating their presence on the global stage.

The MoU further highlights the commitment to leverage on the region's rich talent pool of artists, directors, writers and producers in the animation sector.

Ts. Mahadhir Aziz further emphasised that through these initiatives, MDEC is actively positioning Malaysia as the digital hub of ASEAN by fostering strong international partnerships.

"We are taking a significant step forward in uniting Southeast Asia's vibrant digital content industries. This collaboration will not only create new opportunities for our local animation studios but also promote our rich Malaysian creativity on a global stage," he stated.

Renowned as a cornerstone of the animation industry, Annecy International Animation Film Festival provides an ideal platform for Malaysian delegates and their Southeast Asian counterparts to network, collaborate, and showcase their exceptional content to a global audience.

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