Festival puts spotlight on young animators

Ne Zha, White Snake, Monkey King: Hero is Back, Legend of Hei, Jiang Ziya: Legend of Deification…and the list goes on.

The past few years have seen one Chinese animated film after another bloom into smash hits, wowing audiences of all ages and pumping huge confidence into the country's animators.

To keep up this momentum in China's animation industry, young talent is essential.

The Genius Animation Art Festival, a three-day event kicking off this Friday at the Beijing Times Art Museum, is ready to play its part in sustaining the momentum by "creating a platform to scout animation talents," according to festival organizer Tengen Space Studios, a Beijing-based animation studio specializing in both animation creation and education.

More than 100 animated shorts, selected from nearly 300 entries and created by animation students from Beijing's six major art academies including the Beijing Film Academy and the Communication University of China, will be screened throughout the weekend, transforming the museum into an animation showroom.