KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 16 — The Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) will continue to support local companies which have excelled in producing animated films of a global standard.
MDEC chief executive officer Surina Shukri said its continued support was not only to enable local companies to emerge as global champions but also to advance the animation industry which contributes to the country’s digital economy.
“The government’s continued support through MDEC to Les’ Copaque (an animation and film production company) and animated films such as ‘Agent Ali’ and ‘BoBoiBoy: The Movie’, is in line with the policy to support the local animation industry, which also contributes to the country’s digital economy,” she said in a statement today.
Les’ Copaque produced the award-winning animation, ‘Upin & Ipin: Keris Siamang Tunggal’, which was also named as one of the 32 finalists for the Best Animated Film category in the 2020 Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, to be held on Feb 24 in Los Angeles, in the United States.
Surina said MDEC was proud of the outstanding achievement of the local animation, explaining that although it failed to be in the final five for the Oscars, it paved the way for local animations when it became the nation’s first animated film to have been nominated for the prestigious award.
She added that the government through its 2020 Budget, had allocated RM20 million to MDEC to help nurture local talents who can produce world-class digital works.
Meanwhile, Surina said MDEC, together with the Communications and Multimedia Ministry, was working to make the Digital Content Ecosystem (DICE) policy a reality — the policy is aimed at making Malaysia the hub of the digital content industry in the region.
This move, she said, would provide a platform for local talents to hone their creativity and expedite the commercialisation of digital content that was of global quality. — Bernama
