SINGAPORE: For the upcoming 2025 ANSEA Awards, Animation Nation, a festival of animation works organised by the Singapore Film Society, has announced a short film category, in collaboration with the DreamWorks channel.
This initiative aims to celebrate and showcase the diverse talents of filmmakers across the ASEAN region, providing them with a platform to express their creativity through the medium of animation.
This competition invites aspiring and professional filmmakers from ASEAN member states to submit two-minute original short films, along with a 100-word synopsis, exploring the theme of “family.”
Screening chances
The winners will get to enjoy screening chances and three virtual mentorship sessions with a DreamWorks animator, among other amazing incentives.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with DreamWorks channel on this initiative that both fosters creativity and encourages cultural exchange among ASEAN nations,” said Michael Lim, Festival Director at Animation Nation. “Aligning perfectly with our vision for the festival, this competition is a fantastic opportunity for animators to share their unique stories and perspectives with the world.”
Interested parties can submit their entries from Apr 8 to Aug 15, and finalists will be announced between September and October 2025. A grand prize and two consolation awards will be awarded to the three winners.
Chance to show off skills
Animation Nation 2025 will include the winning films, and the grand prize winner will get the chance to perform live on the DreamWorks channel, giving them a chance to show off their skills to a global audience.
For more information on submission guidelines and competition details, please visit www.filmfreeway.com/ANSEA_Awards.
The judging panel consists of four jurors: three from Animation Nation and one from DreamWorks Animation, including:
• Brandon Oldenburg, Academy Award®-winning filmmaker, is a co-founder of Flight School Studio, Moonbot Studios, and Reel FX animation. He has received multiple Emmys and Gold Lions, including the Grand Prix. As an executive producer of Lost Ollie, he most recently received five out of ten Emmy nominations.
• Rodney Uhler, Director of Acquisitions and Development of GKIDS, serves as the Programming Director for the Animation Is Film Festival, the annual Los Angeles animation film festival produced by GKIDS, an Academy Award® winning producer and distributor of acclaimed animation for both adult and family audiences.
• H.J. Jinny Choo is an artist, educator, and curator specializing in animation and digital art. She holds a Ph.D. in Animation Theory and Content Producing from Chung-Ang University and, since 2009, has been teaching at Korea National University of Arts. With over 25 years of experience in animation curation, production, and teaching, she continues to shape animation as an artist and educator.
• Annette Cryan, Creative Director, DreamWorks channel. That’s a big job because she’s responsible for the creative vision of ten different channels that people can watch in over 100 countries. Plus, these channels are in 13 different languages, which is amazing. With more than 20 years of experience in the media world, she’s been the one in charge of how things look and feel for lots of well-known international brands, and she’s also great at figuring out smart, creative strategies for content.
For more information, check out the website: www.animation-nation.co and follow Animation Nation on Instagram (@animationnationsg) or Facebook.