Animation experts gather in Beijing

About 100 scholars and animation experts gathered on Oct 28 at the opening ceremony of the 7th China (Beijing) International Student Animation Festival at the Communication University of China.

The festival received 1,486 works from 32 countries and regions, with 718 of the works from outside China. After a strict selection, 206 works made it into the final.

During the four-day festival, more than 40 hours of animation works from Canada, France, the United Kingdom, South Korea and the United States are being shown.

There are also eight animation workshops with scholars from the University of Abertay Dundee in the UK and the University of Potsdam in Germany.

The university also signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Goblins School of Image in France and the China Publishing Group Corporation at the opening ceremony to promote Chinese animation via academic communication and publications.

"Chinese animation has been developing very fast in recent years. I'm grateful that the festival gives us an opportunity to communicate with others as well as display ourselves," says Shelley Page, head of International Outreach, DreamWorks Animation.

Cai Zhijun, director of CCTV Animation Studios, said that some of the works in the festival are splendid.

The Communication University of China has trained numerous animation talents, many of whom have become the backbone of China's animation industry. The closing and awards ceremony will be on Oct 31.