Lights, camera, animation! Hong Kong’s film scene is about to get a dazzling upgrade as the Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) Society drops a bombshell announcement that’s sending cinephiles into a tailspin. Just over the weekend, with the hype hitting fever pitch today, February 24, 2025, the HKIFF Industry Project Market unveiled eight dazzling new projects for its 2025 lineup—six of them animation features that promise to paint the town (and the screen) in vivid, jaw-dropping hues. This isn’t just a festival flex; it’s a full-on glow-up for Hong Kong’s status as Asia’s cinematic powerhouse!
The news, first teased on February 16 but exploding across local blogs and social media today, has the city’s film fanatics buzzing like a hive of neon-lit bees. With the HKIFF Industry Project Market set to strut its stuff from March 17-19 alongside Filmart, this expansion is a love letter to animators and storytellers who’ve long dreamed of seeing their wildest visions come to life. “Hong Kong’s always been a melting pot of creativity,” gushes Jacob Wong, the HKIFF Industry director, who’s clearly relishing this moment. “These animation projects? They’re the cherry on top of a record-breaking 48-project slate—the most we’ve seen in years!”
So, what’s on the reel? While the full deets on these animated gems won’t drop until mid-March, whispers from the industry hint at a lineup that’s equal parts quirky and groundbreaking. Think along the lines of past HKIFF darlings like Liu Jian’s Art College 1994 (a Berlinale fave) or Yee Chih-yen’s Golden Horse-winning City of Lost Things. This time, we’ve got heavy hitters like Toe Yuen—yes, the genius behind the beloved McDull series—teaming up with fresh talents like Li Jiajia, whose Min is produced by the boundary-pushing Liu Jian himself. And let’s not sleep on Marceau Nakayama’s Wildheart, a coming-of-age tale with a French-Tokyo twist that’s already got insiders swooning.
Hong Kong’s animation fans are practically vibrating with excitement. “This is huge!” squeals Emma Chan, a 24-year-old animator and self-confessed HKIFF stan from Causeway Bay. “We’ve got local legends mixing it up with global voices—it’s like the Avengers of animation assembling right here!” Social media’s on fire too, with #HKIFF2025 and #HKAnimation trending as fans speculate about the stories headed our way. Will we get a neon-soaked cyberpunk epic? A whimsical nod to Hong Kong’s chaotic charm? The suspense is killing us—and we’re here for it!
The timing’s pure kismet. With the festival’s main event slated for April 10-21, spotlighting local icon Louis Koo as this year’s Filmmaker in Focus, this animation push feels like HKIFF’s bid to cement its rep as a global player. Insider scoop? At least three of these projects are works-in-progress—like Yuen’s A Mighty Adventure—while others, like Gao Yuan’s Cloud of the Unknown, are still in development, fresh off buzz from festivals like Locarno. “It’s not just about screening films,” teases a festival rep. “We’re building a launchpad for the next big thing in animation—and Hong Kong’s at the heart of it!”
The city’s creative crowd is already dreaming big. From Central’s hip cafés to Sham Shui Po’s indie studios, animators are sketching out their own pitches, hoping to ride this wave. “This could be our Pixar moment,” muses Tony Leung (no, not that Tony Leung), a veteran illustrator sipping coffee in Sheung Wan. “Hong Kong’s got the talent, the hustle, and now the stage—watch us shine!” Even the casual moviegoer’s caught the fever, with ticket-talk heating up months in advance.
As the countdown to March ticks on, one thing’s clear: HKIFF isn’t just playing in the animation sandbox—it’s rewriting the rules. So, grab your popcorn, Hong Kong, because 2025’s about to be a frame-by-frame fiesta that’ll have us all seeing stars—animated ones, of course!
