Hangzhou Issues Special Fund Subsidy Arrangement for Animation and Game Industry in 2018
Subsidizing Animation Businesses with Tens of Millions Yuan

2018-12-13 06:19:24

Recently, the Hangzhou municipal government released an arrangement of special fund subsidies for the animation and game development in the city for the year of 2018. It was the first payment of the support funds in accordance with the 18-article new policy that Hangzhou introduced in 2017, with an aim to develop the city’s animation and game industry better and stronger. A total of 247 projects of various levels have applied for the subsidies. After rounds of reviews and examinations, 175 projects won the subsidies totaling nearly 30 million yuan. They are separated in the categories of television broadcast, box office, publication distribution, theatrical box office, new media broadcast, works award-winning, overseas copyright authorization, and exhibitions. In addition, the financial supports are also directed to the introduced key animation and game industry exhibition activities and industry guidance funds. The new policy and special funds, when combined, will further help Hangzhou create excellent original animation works.

Since 2005, Hangzhou has taken the lead in the country in introducing policy support for the animation industry. It has set up a 50 million yuan special fund for the animation and game industry, to boost the animation game industry with incentives, subsidies and interest discounts. The special fund went up to 70 million yuan.

In 2017, Hangzhou issued the Opinion on Promoting the Animation and Game Industry to Develop Better and Stronger in Hangzhou (No.77 document of Communist Party of China Hangzhou Municipal Committee in 2017). This is a new policy Hangzhou has launched after a span of three years on the animation and game industry, and also the fifth round of policies on the animation and game industry since 2005. The new policy of 2017 is condensed from 31 articles of the 2014 version to 18, mainly involving the four sectors of encouraging the development of masterpieces, exploring the overseas markets, carrying out capital operations, and strengthening public service. The special fund support is the first cashing since the promulgation of the new policy. The support standards strictly comply with the new policy, for fairness and justice.

Given this backdrop, Hangzhou has granted support with the special fund to the quality original animation projects, leading companies, especially the works of great influence of the year, in accordance with the new policy. The movie project The Floating Planet, with a box office of more than 50 million yuan, received a maximum subsidy of two million yuan for a single project. Famous animation companies Zoland Animation, A.U Culture, Versatile Media won millions of yuan financial subsidies respectively for projects complying with the policy, such as award-winning works, publication distribution, and overseas exhibitions. Nine excellent original animations works, including The Legend of Qin V, received a total of 1.88 million yuan subsidies for new media screening. Nine excellent original comic books including Fan Man Hua won a total of 1.5 million yuan as distribution subsidies.

In addition, in view of the Eaglet Project Hangzhou launched to boost the animation game industry in 2018, the support policy has given special attention to the “eaglet companies” to help them understand the policy. In this industrial support, five eligible “eaglet companies”, which are Fanfan Culture, Steam Works, Zoland Animation, Ynuo Animation, Yuge Animation, have won a total of nearly six million yuan fund support.

Among the supports, grants to award-winning works, overseas copyright authorizations, and participation in exhibitions are the top three categories, accounting for more than 55% of the total subsidies. The allowance stands at about five million yuan. Forty original animation works produced in Hangzhou received a total of 6.4 million yuan award-winning subsidies. More than 20 Hangzhou companies received subsidies from overseas exhibitions. And nearly 20 companies obtained subsidies for overseas copyright authorization.

The policy encourages companies to make excellent original works. And the fund helps them solve financing difficulties.

In recent years, Hangzhou excellent animation works and animation companies have won a lot of awards home and abroad. More companies have taken the initiative to participate in well-known international exhibitions, and actively expanded overseas cooperation. In 2018, Hangzhou animation game companies attended the MIPCOM as a delegation for the 10th year. From this internationally famous exhibition, Hangzhou companies, such as Zoland Animation, Sparkly Key, Versatile Media, Steam Works, have gradually opened up the world market. To date, Hangzhou companies have made their appearances in increasingly more international famous exhibitions, including the Festival International du Film d'Animation d'Annecy, Games Com, Electronic Entertainment Expo, and Festival international de la bande dessinée d'Angoulême.

This special fund support has embodied Hangzhou's determination to guide the animation industry to create excellent works and encourage originality. It encourages animation game companies, while showing cultural confidence, to actively go global to expand their international horizons, which is fully in line with the guidance direction of the new policy. The Municipal Festival and Exhibition Office has further made rational use of the industrial guidance fund to mobilize the market leverage and help companies solve practical difficulties.