The 2010 Seoul International Cartoon & Animation Festival

The market for producing and distributing animation in South Korea brings its attention to southern Seoul this week, for the 2010 Seoul International Cartoon & Animation Festival. The most significant venue for pre-selling or exhibiting new or up and coming animation in Korea or East Asia, the Seoul Int'l Cartoon & Animation Fest (SICAF) has grown immensely over the past decade and a half. The event profiles countless inspirational and eclectic animation year after year -- produced independently or professionally -- and in 2010, again provides some of the most fascinating work the international cartoon community has to offer.

SICAF 2010 is a five-day event (July 21 - July 25, 2010). On the business end, the event is home to a film festival; short-form and theatrical exhibitions; an international digital cartoon competition; character licensing expo; and an expanded Promotional Plan, an exclusive pitch session for domestic and international producers. On the tourist end, travelers to the 2010 SICAF can relish a number of interactive programs; a playground area; booths tended by local industry reps; and many other exhibits and screenings.

This is the fourteenth Seoul Int'l Cartoon & Animation Fest, and festival organizers have made it a point to enhance the event's all-inclusive nature, while still retaining the Asia-centric inimitability its enthusiasts know and respect the festival for.

SICAF 2010 includes more demo booths and galleries (e.g., the latest in CG "augmented reality" animation), but remains dedicated to screening animation from professional co-producers and student artists.

From the Korean and Japanese Goblin Exhibition, which showcases stylized beasts of traditional Asian folklore, to an exhibit tracing the legacy of Italian noir comics, SICAF has expanded rather comfortably.

SICAF 2010 remains true to its mission, however, as a "representative festival" for both Asian and international artists to discover new funding partners, gain exposure, and network with like-minded creators. The Seoul International Cartoon & Animation Festival Promotional Plan (SPP) has finalists flying in from Denmark, Italy, Russia, and Malaysia; the most impressive entry of which is the proposed feature animation from China's B&T Studio, Da.Hai, a beautiful narrative of ingenious mythos and ancient romance.

Notable Screenings this year range phenomenally well, from local feature What is Not Romance? (Korea; 2009) to acclaimed anime director Mamoru Oshii's short film "Je T'aime" (Japan; 2010). From the small screen, animation screenings include The Widely Travelled Little Mouse (Hungary; 2009), Eric Robles' Fanboy & Chum Chum (U.S.; 2009), and the 2D comedy Commander Clark (France; 2010). General programming sessions at SICAF 2010 also include an extraordinary tally of student/graduate film work, among them are promising items from Belgium ("Grise Mine," 2009), France ("Lightmare," 2009), Taiwan ("The Green Willow," 2010), and Korea ("Spring Comes," 2009).

from Da.Hai (2012)
read more on: page four
watch on: page five

As creative and intriguing as SICAF 2010 may be, the Korean animation business desperately needs the event's contributors to take to heart key topics identified/defined by local artists.

In other words, if the local Korean market is to flourish, investors need to take advantage of the year-over-year growth in domestic consumption expenditure on entertainment and culture; establish an outline for the development of cultural derivatives; redefine the marketing infrastructure current in place for children's media; and know that international co-productions are a hot ticket in the European Union as well.

All this to say, SICAF 2010 was contrived to help ameliorate concerns such as these, bringing stability and value to a business/industry in need of more confident financiers to support increasingly anxious, but highly talented artists.

Need to catch-up? Backtrack, SICAF 2009; 2008; and 2007.