HONG KONG, March 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Co-organized by The Hong Kong Digital Entertainment Association (HKDEA) and Tokyo Broadcasting System Television, Inc (TBS), "DigiCon6 ASIA Awards" is a highly recognized digital content competition in Asia. Its primary objective is to identify and nurture the creative potential of individuals in Hong Kong by providing them with opportunities for promotion and recognition of their innovative digital creations. Sponsored by Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR Government), HKDEA organized the Awards Presentation Ceremony of the "25th DigiCon6 ASIA Awards - Hong Kong" in early March in Premiere Elements, to present Gold Awards, Silver Awards and Next Generation Awards, acknowledging exceptional digital content crafted by talented individuals from Hong Kong.

Co-organizers were honoured to have Mr. LAU Chun, Raistlin, JP, Under Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism of the HKSAR Government to be the Guest of Honour to deliver a welcome speech. Mr. Gabriel PANG, Chairman of HKDEA, and Mr. Takafumi YUKI, coming from Japan intentionally, Representative from DigiCon6 ASIA Headquarters International Alliance also attended the ceremony. On the same occasion, Ms. Noriko MATSUMOTO, Japanese animation producer, Mr. CHEN Lianhua, famous director from Beijing and Mr. LO Che-ying, local animation veteran also provided their insights and perspectives on selected winning entries of "25th DigiCon6 ASIA Awards – Hong Kong". Several exceptional local digital works were showcased on-site, enabling visitors to immerse themselves in the allure of Hong Kong animation.

The "25th DigiCon6 ASIA Awards - Hong Kong" attracted 84 applications. Similar to regional contests in other participating countries and regions, Hong Kong's entries had to compete for the Regional Gold Award, Silver Awards and Next Generation Award before they can be nominated to further compete for highest awards in the Grand Final. 15 Asian countries/ regions participated in the Grand Final of the "25th DigiCon6 ASIA Awards" organized by the TBS, namely China, Iran, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Mongolia and Laos and Hong Kong. Its Awards Presentation Ceremony was successfully held in Tokyo, Japan in October last year (2023).

Flying Monkeys Production, won Hong Kong Gold Award with its entry "Monsoon Blue", meanwhile this entry won both DigiCon6 ASIA Grand Award and the DigiCon6 ASIA Best Story Award, marking another achievement for Hong Kong animation in international competitions. The producer, Donald GUO, collaborated with various teams during this creative process, including working with the professional music team Room 307 to produce background music. Moreover, local famous female singer Kay TSE was invited to be the lead vocalist for the animation, showcasing Donald's network in the pop music industry to add value to "Monsoon Blue."

Speaking at the Award Presentation Ceremony, Mr. LAU Chun, Raistlin, JP, Under Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism of the HKSAR Government congratulated HKDEA and TBS for successfully co-organizing the "25th DigiCon6 ASIA Awards – Hong Kong" and the related activities in Hong Kong. He also congratulated all Hong Kong winners. 

Mr. Gabriel PANG, Chairman of HKDEA, who led the Hong Kong delegation to Japan for the DigiCon6 ASIA Award Presentation Ceremony, said, "We are extremely proud to have witnessed the achievements of Flying Monkeys Production in Tokyo. The success of their animated work 'Monsoon Blue' marks a significant milestone for the Hong Kong animation industry. Their effort, creativity, and talent were first recognized with the Gold Award in the DigiCon6 ASIA Awards - Hong Kong; the entry previously also won both the 'DigiCon6 ASIA Grand Award' and the 'DigiCon6 ASIA Best Story Award', further proving Hong Kong's strength and innovative capacity in digital content. The success of Flying Monkeys Production is not only their personal achievement but also represents the high level and potential of Hong Kong's digital entertainment industry. Their work showcases the uniqueness of Hong Kong culture and highlights the international competitiveness of Hong Kong's creative industries. Meanwhile, the performances of other award-winning works in the Digicon6 ASIA Awards – Hong Kong are also outstanding, and thus we should be proud of our new generation of creators."

The winner list of the "25^th DigiCon6 ASIA Awards – Hong Kong" is as follows:

"The 25^th DigiCon6 ASIA Awards" Extension Activities in Hong KongIn addition to this awards presentation ceremony, HKDEA also successfully held 2 extension activities, including the "Asia Masters Forum" and " Screening Session".

"Asia Masters Forum" invited two Asian animation masters from Japan and Beijing to share their experiences and working process. They were Ms. Noriko MATSUMOTO, Japanese animation producer, Mr. CHEN Lianhua, famous director from Beijing. Both masters shared the creative process and insights and discussed new tends in animation industry from various perspectives.

"Screen Session" displayed couples of the award-winning works, including "Monsoon Blue" from Hong Kong, "The Red Fire" from Iran and "Sewing Love" from Japan. Directors and producers of the screened works were also invited to share their production experiences on stage.

More details of the "25th DigiCon6 ASIA Awards – Hong Kong" are available at: https://www.digicon6asia.hk

About Hong Kong Digital Entertainment Association (HKDEA)Established in 1999, HKDEA is a non-profit organization aiming to promote digital entertainment development in Hong Kong. Its mission points toward the achievement of the following goals - boosting prosperity of the digital entertainment industry by fostering cooperation among local developers; opening up and developing digital market; enhancement of local technology so as to enhance the competitiveness of Hong Kong's production; promoting communication between the digital entertainment industry and other related industries such as toys, entertainment and visual games; building a favourable image for digital entertainment; and protection of intellectual property right and scrapping counterfeit products.

About Tokyo Broadcasting System Holdings, Inc.Tokyo Broadcasting System Holdings, Inc. (TBS) with its headquarter in Tokyo, Japan, is the key station of a national television and radio network. TBS's 28-affiliate station TV and news network JNN (Japan News Network), and 34-affiliate station radio network, JRN (Japan Radio Network) span the country domestically, in addition to its overseas news bureaus located around the world. Other business activities include: General broadcasting (television broadcasting) in accordance with broadcast law and other broadcasting related regulation/production and distribution of TV programs, DVDs, videos, etc.

Telecommunication services TV broadcasting: JORX-TV/JORX-DTV.

About Create Hong KongCreate Hong Kong (CreateHK) is a dedicated agency set up by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR Government) in June 2009. It is under the Communications and Creative Industries Branch of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau and dedicated to spearheading the development of creative industries in Hong Kong. Its strategic foci are nurturing talent and facilitating start-ups, exploring markets, and promoting Hong Kong as Asia's creative capital and fostering a creative atmosphere in the community. CreateHK sponsors the Microfilm Production Support Scheme (Music) since 2013/14 and other projects to support the further development of local advertising and music industries.Website: http://www.createhk.gov.hk

Disclaimer: The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region provides funding support to the project only, and does not otherwise take part in the project. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials/events (or by members of the project team) are those of the project organizers only and do not reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, Create Hong Kong, the CreateSmart Initiative Secretariat or the CreateSmart Initiative Vetting Committee.