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ADDRESS BY DR CHRISTOPHER CHIA, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, MEDIA DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF SINGAPORE, AT THE LAUNCH OF THE INAUGURAL TOON BOOM ANIMATION FESTIVAL 2007 ON MONDAY 2 APRIL 2007 AT ITE COLLEGE CENTRAL

His Excellency Alan Virtue, High Commissioner of Canada to Singapore,

Mr Bruce Poh, Director & CEO, ITE,

Ms Joan Vogelesang, CEO, Toon Boom Animation Inc,

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.

Good afternoon.

         According to Pricewaterhouse Coopers, the digital media market worldwide is expected to grow from US$1 trillion today to US$2.5 trillion in 2015. The local animation industry is estimated to grow by 25% annually to hit S$160 million by 2008.

2        All these numbers are indicative of the gradual shift of the global media and entertainment industry towards Interactive and Digital Media or IDM. And this is across the entire value chain, from production and user interface to distribution and storage.

3        This trend is not limited to the United States, but in Asia Pacific as well, where IDM is also picking up steam.

Laying the bricks to a competitive local IDM industry through R&D programmes

4        In July last year, the government announced its decision to allocate S$500 million over the next five years to fund the development of a strategic IDM research programme. This milestone underscores the government's commitment to developing a strong IDM sector. A month later, a multi-agency IDM R&D Programme Office was set up within MDA to oversee R&D strategies and processes.

Spearheading the growth of the local IDM & animation industry

5        Besides focusing on R&D, MDA also invests in capability development, enterprise skills and content financing of the local animation and games industry.

6         Our efforts are paying off and we are proud to note that Singapore has produced -- often with international partners -- noteworthy exportable products such as the recently Emmy-nominated Growing up Creepie,Nanoboy, Master Raindrop, I Got A Rocket!, Clang Invasion, Katakune and Milly, Molly in the animation arena.

7         Our productions for mobile in the games arena include Hinterwars, Elven Legends and Phoenix Wright and Ace Attorney.

8         We are proud to note that some of our local animation content has been shown around the world. For example, the cartoon, “Tomato Twins” created by Peach Blossom Media and the first Asian originated cartoon to air on Nickelodeon Asia has been seen by millions across the Asia Pacific region. Mentalworks Pte Ltd, another local company specializing in developing 2D/3D animation designs and motion graphics, has won international accolades for its creative and design excellence.

Promoting media literacy amongst consumers to stimulate demand through MediAction!

9          In addition to developing the industry, MDA actively promotes IDM and animation adoption on the consumer end to stimulate industry demand. MediAction! is a year-round initiative organized by the MDA, together with our partners from the private, public and people sectors, to inspire Singaporeans through a string of fun and engaging events to use media for work, learning and play.

10        Today’s inaugural Toon Boom Animation Festival - which Singapore has been chosen to host - is an excellent example of a MediAction! initiative. It also serves as a strategic milestone on several levels.

11        First, this initiative is a good testament to the close bilateral relations between Canada and Singapore. It follows the Audio Visual Treaty on co-production signed in October 1998 between the Prime Ministers of Canada and Singapore, and the MOU between the National Film Board of Canada and MDA signed last year during the Asia Media Festival.

12        Beyond this competition, we look forward to leveraging this strong relationship and forging an even stronger partnership with Canada that will bring forth more projects and co-productions between the two countries in the near future.

13        Second, the Toon Boom Animation Festival supports MDA’s objective to build local capabilities and develop animation talents in the IDM space. Through the Festival, students can create and showcase their works to an international audience and have their works judged by a global panel of expert judges, so they can gauge for themselves where they stand internationally.

14        Students who do not know how to use the Toon Boom software are not left behind as they can enroll for free animation mentoring organized by ITE, and try their hand at creating simple animation clips of their own.

15        I was told that the top team to emerge from this competition will be rewarded with a one-month industry internship at top production studios in Canada such as Nelvana Studios, Mercury Filmworks and Oasis Animation. We hope this internship will serve as a booster to the winners, allowing them to further hone their animation skill sets and spurring them to consider a career in the exciting animation industry.

16        In conclusion, I take this opportunity to thank the Canadian High Commission, ITE and Toon Boom Animation Inc for co-organising the Inaugural Toon Boon Animation Festival in Singapore, and look forward with keen excitement to seeing the creative works by our local students. May the best creation win!

Thank You.