Remarkable Achievements Made at 2026 Chongqing International Animation Film Week as Event Draws to a Close, Paving New Way for Global Animation Industry

The 2026 Chongqing International Animation Film Week concluded successfully on June 12. During the five-day event, leading figures, creative professionals and technical pioneers from the animation sector across China, the United States, Russia, Brazil and other countries and regions gathered in Yongchuan District, Chongqing.

The event launched a global call for entries for the Golden Camellia Awards, receiving a total of 501 outstanding animation works from the United States, France, the United Kingdom and other nations. On the evening of the closing ceremony held on June 12, winners of multiple categories were officially announced, including Best Animated Feature Film, Best Animated Short Film and Best Animated Feature Director.

As a prestigious international animation gala in western China, this film week has yielded fruitful results. It has delivered far-reaching impacts on artistic exchange, technological upgrading, industrial clustering and international cooperation, charting a clear development path for the entire animation industry.

I. Top-tier Awards Unveiled, Global Animated Creations Shine on the World Stage

The Golden Camellia Awards stand as the core competition of the film week, serving as an authoritative platform for global animators to showcase their works, exchange ideas and compete with one another. After rounds of rigorous evaluation by a high-profile international jury, 45 productions stood out from 501 submissions and entered the final selection.

Chaired by Rob Minkoff, director of the classic animated blockbuster The Lion King, the jury consists of renowned domestic and overseas experts, namely Yin Hong, Vice Chairman of the China Film Association, Cheng Teng, director of Jiang Ziya, and Oscar juror Sheila M. Sofian. Upholding the principles of professionalism and impartiality, the panel presented ten awards across four major categories.

The French production Cat in the Rain, winner of Best Animated Feature at the 97th Academy Awards, took home the award for Best Animated Feature Film. This wordless work fully demonstrates the universal artistic charm of animation through pure audio-visual expression. Celebrated French animator Jean-François Laguionie was named Best Animated Feature Director. Yu Shui and Liu Jia, screenwriters of Little Monsters from Langlang Mountain, claimed the Best Animated Feature Screenplay award. Produced by Light Chaser Animation, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio: Lan Ruo Temple won the Best Art Design for Animated Feature. Ran Bi Wa by Shanghai Animation Film Studio was honored with the Best Music for Animated Feature. The Russian work Mikhalych was crowned Best Animated Short Film, while Mountain Folktales: Temple Tiger received the Most Technologically Innovative Animation award for its cutting-edge creative techniques.

The organizing committee presented a special Lifetime Achievement Award to Qian Yunda, a veteran animator who has devoted more than 70 years to China’s animation cause. As a founding figure of the Chinese School of Animation, he created timeless classics such as The Magic Art of Heaven’s Book, The Golden Conch and Goddess Nüwa Mends the Sky. The accolade pays high tribute to senior artists who adhere to original aspirations and uphold fine craftsmanship.

Two official recommendation lists were also released. Ten outstanding animated series including Tales of China Season 2, Spirit Cage Season 2 and Stories of Dunhuang were selected for the Featured Animated Series List. Another ten short works created by emerging young artists made the Emerging Animators’ Short Film List, among which Fire Trees and Silver Flowers created by local animator Long Jiaxin’s team drew inspiration from Chongqing’s intangible cultural heritage of molten iron fireworks. The work organically integrates regional folk culture with animation creation, vividly showcasing the creativity and cultural confidence of China’s new generation of animators.

A display of traditional animation crafts such as cel painting was arranged at the closing ceremony. The perfect combination of time-honored skills and modern creation vividly interprets the inheritance of craftsmanship in China’s animation industry.

II. Abundant Industrial Achievements Accelerate the Improvement of Western China’s Full Animation Industrial Ecosystem

Sticking to the development philosophy of leveraging events to gather momentum and boost industries, the film week has achieved remarkable results in industrial docking and project implementation. At the investment promotion and signing conference held on June 10, 53 enterprises and projects signed cooperation agreements in three batches, involving a total contracted investment of 2.8 billion RMB. These projects cover the entire animation industrial chain, including AIGC content production, film and television technology research and development, high-quality production, industrial operation and professional talent training.

A host of influential figures and enterprises settled their projects in Yongchuan. Renowned director Zhang Jizhong and writer Rao Xueman launched new creative projects. The classic IP The Adventures of the Little Carp started new content development, while the literary work Left Ear will be adapted into an AI micro-drama series. Leading domestic production and distribution companies including Maetel Pictures and Dingsheng Jiahe have set up local operations. AI technology enterprises such as Chongqing Digital Resources Group and Yuguang Chenchen have also settled here, empowering film and television creation with artificial intelligence.

In addition, Our Day, a co-production jointly initiated by the Film Producers Association of SCO Member States, officially kicked off production. As an anthology short film jointly produced by filmmakers from multiple countries, it presents diverse cultures and local lifestyles around the world and is expected to be completed in the first half of 2027, setting a new benchmark for cross-border animation cooperation.

A key national-level project has also landed in Chongqing. China Media Group and the local government jointly built the Western Creation Center of “Animation China”. The center focuses on incubating, producing and distributing iconic animation IPs including Journey to the West and The Adventures of the Little Carp, and will build a national creation base equipped with animation corpora, digital asset libraries and virtual human platforms, making up for the lack of high-end animation production capacity in western China.

Driven by the film week, Yongchuan’s film and television industrial cluster continues to expand. The district is now home to over 170 related enterprises, with 42 new post-production and creative R&D enterprises established in the first half of 2026. Key projects such as the Southwest Headquarters of Maoyan Pictures have also been launched. Supported by world-leading virtual shooting systems, intelligent digital set workshops, 23 core technologies and more than 200 patents, local teams have provided technical services for over 140 film and television productions including Ne Zha: Devil Conquers the Sea and Wild Era. Yongchuan is steadily transforming from a mere filming location into a hub for original content creation, technical production and global film cooperation.

To fuel industrial development, Yongchuan rolled out a series of supportive policies, including project subsidies of up to 35%, a 200-million-RMB cultural and creative industry fund and a 2-billion-RMB western cultural technology innovation fund. Complete supporting services covering industrial apartments, performance resources and one-stop government services have also been provided, forming a comprehensive support system integrating capital, venues, computing power, talent and distribution channels. The district has deepened the integration of industry and education by cooperating with more than ten universities to build 36 professional training bases, which have cultivated nearly 8,000 film and television professionals, consolidating the talent foundation for the long-term development of the animation industry.

III. In-depth Discussions on Industry Trends: Exploring the Balance Between Technology, Craftsmanship, Culture and Communication

During the event, more than ten professional activities such as masterclasses, academic seminars and thematic forums were held. Global animation leaders conducted in-depth discussions on technological innovation, content creation, cultural communication and international cooperation, reaching broad consensus across the industry.

Participants shared unified views on the booming AIGC technology. Intelligent digital technologies have effectively lowered creation thresholds, improved production efficiency and reduced operating costs, and are widely applied in script writing, storyboard design, character modeling, special effect composition and other links, becoming a major driving force for industrial upgrading. Nevertheless, technology can never replace the essence of animation. Rob Minkoff and Mike Mitchell, director of Kung Fu Panda 4, pointed out that vivid characters, touching stories and sincere emotions are the soul of animation. The industry should neither resist new technologies nor follow them blindly, and strive to integrate technological empowerment with traditional craftsmanship.

In terms of cultural creation, all guests spoke highly of the value of outstanding traditional Chinese culture for domestic animation development. Works such as Chang An San Wan Li, Tales of China and award-winning productions rooted in folk culture draw nutrients from ancient myths, traditional folk customs and historical stories, and have formed a distinctive oriental aesthetic system. Industry insiders at home and abroad agreed that taking local culture as the foundation and telling national stories well is the core competitiveness for Chinese animation to develop domestically and go global.

As an art form that transcends national boundaries, animation serves as an important bridge for cultural exchanges. Cultural officials and animators from Brazil, Cambodia, Russia and other countries stated that animation can break language barriers and realize emotional resonance. More than 40 international film and television institutions participated in this event, promoting mutually beneficial cooperation between Chinese and overseas teams. China boasts profound cultural heritage, a huge market and sound industrial chains; European and American countries have mature industrial systems and global distribution channels; while Russia, Latin America and other regions feature unique artistic styles and thematic characteristics. Joint efforts will promote diversified development and win-win cooperation of the global animation industry.

IV. A Cultural Feast for All: Integrating Animation into Urban Daily Life

Adhering to the principle of professional guidance and public participation, the film week launched a wealth of public welfare activities including animation creativity and technology exhibitions, themed markets and open-air screenings, bringing animation culture to the general public. More than 30 cinemas across Chongqing screened 39 classic Chinese and foreign animated works, and free open-air screenings were held in commercial districts and squares. Millions of cultural and tourism consumption coupons were distributed, and the activity One Movie Ticket for a City Tour allowed audiences to enjoy discounts at scenic spots and hotels with valid cinema tickets, realizing the integrated development of animation, cultural tourism and consumption.

The animation creativity and technology exhibition was open to the public. Interactive experiences of classic IPs such as Journey to the West and Legend of Ne Zha, as well as XR immersive technologies, attracted a large number of citizens and teenagers, enabling them to learn about the digital and intelligent development of the animation industry at first hand. Popular animation-themed markets were set up in major business areas, creating a strong citywide atmosphere for animation culture. These activities have not only enriched people’s spiritual and cultural life, but also expanded the audience base of animation and created a sound social environment for industrial development.

V. Far-reaching Influence on the Industry: Forging Ahead on a New Journey of Global Animation Cooperation

The conclusion of the 2026 Chongqing International Animation Film Week is not merely the end of a five-day cultural event. It has exerted profound and long-lasting influence on the development of China’s and even the world’s animation industry.

From the perspective of industrial ecosystem, the event has linked all segments of the animation industrial chain including creation, production, technology, distribution and derivative development. Taking Yongchuan as the core, it has made up for the shortcomings of western China’s animation industry and built a new pattern of coordinated development between eastern and western regions. The concentrated landing of industrial projects, continuous optimization of supportive policies and improvement of talent training system will accelerate the transformation of China’s animation industry from scale expansion to quality upgrading, and elevate its industrialization and intelligent development to a new level.

In terms of artistic creation, the selection and exhibition of excellent works at the Golden Camellia Awards have built a platform for global animators to learn from each other. The event advocates the creative concept of taking culture as the root, stories as the soul, craftsmanship as the foundation and technology as the driving force. It guides practitioners to strike a balance between technology and art, tradition and trend, and create more high-quality works with profound ideological connotations, artistic value and market appeal. The emergence of a large number of young creators also reserves new forces for the industry and maintains the lasting vitality of animation creation.

In the field of international exchanges, the event has further expanded the channels for Sino-foreign animation cooperation. The in-depth participation of Disney, Universal Pictures, the Russian Animation Association and other international institutions, as well as the launch of SCO co-productions and joint IP projects, mark that Chinese animation has entered a new stage of in-depth cross-border cooperation beyond simple work export. As an important cultural carrier, animation keeps spreading Chinese culture and stories to the world and enhances China’s cultural soft power.

In terms of industrial development model, the film week has explored a mature development model featuring event-driven development, industrial implementation, integration of culture and tourism, and public participation, providing a replicable experience for cities across the country to develop digital cultural and animation industries. By gathering resources through events, expanding industries based on solid foundations and activating the consumer market with IP resources, it has realized the organic unity of cultural value, industrial value and social value.

Though the five-day event has come to an end, its influence will linger on. The global animation industry will continue to advance in cooperation, technological innovation and high-quality creation. In the future, the western animation industrial hub centered on Yongchuan will keep radiating its influence. Relying on the projects and cooperation agreements reached during the film week, it will further deepen global cooperation, pursue technological innovation and explore cultural connotations. With the joint efforts of practitioners worldwide, the animation industry will uphold artistic aspirations, embrace digital transformation, and achieve greater progress through cross-cultural exchanges, writing a brilliant new chapter for the high-quality development of global animation.