Press release:
– 80 new projects of animated TV series will be presented at this co-production forum
– Submissions to the event have increased a 50% from last year
– France leads the selection with 1/3 of the projects followed by UK, Ireland and Belgium
The French city of Toulouse will host the 25th edition of Cartoon Forum, the co-production platform for European animation series that will present 80 new projects from across Europe from 23-26 September. Over the past quarter of a century, Cartoon Forum has steadily grown in quality and size, with a record 150 projects submitted this year, up 50 percent from a year earlier. About 850 sector professionals, including 250 buyers, will have the opportunity to discover some 500 hours of animated series that can boast of original stories and innovative visual material.
France leads the line-up by country with one third of the projects followed by the United Kingdom, which confirms its steady production trend with 11 projects. Ireland and Belgium are also among the most active countries in terms of production with 9 and 8 projects respectively, followed by Denmark, Italy and Spain with 5 projects each, and Germany with 4 projects. Animation production has also expanded across the rest of Europe, reaching new EU countries like Malta – making their first steps at the event – or Bulgaria, Latvia, Estonia and Croatia, which return to the Cartoon Forum after having participated in previous editions.
Toulouse will be the stage for new characters and concepts to be presented by primarily independent producers from some 19 European countries. Through pitching sessions in front of professional audiences, including some 250 broadcasters and investors, these producers will have an opportunity to find cross-border partners and speed up financial arrangements for their projects in development. Cartoon Forum’s efficient formula has ensured financing for over 525 projects over the past 25 years with a total budget of 1.8 billion euros.
In 25 years, the Cartoon Forum has played an essential role in structuring the European market, by creating a true network of transborder cooperation, by restoring confidence in the relationship between producers and broadcasters, and by showing that there is sufficient on offer, of quality, within the European Union. And the results are considerable. European animation has become the leader on its own territory.
About CARTOON FORUM
Created in 1990 to boost the co-production and distribution of European animation for television and new media platforms, Cartoon Forum has helped 525 animation series obtain financing to the tune of over 1.8 billion euros. The main partners of Cartoon Forum Toulouse are Creative Europe – MEDIA, CNC (Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée), Région Midi-Pyrénées, Mairie de Toulouse, la communauté urbaine de Toulouse Métropole, Casino Barrière and France Télévisions.
About CARTOON
CARTOON is an international non-profit association based in Brussels organising Cartoon Forum, along with Cartoon Movie, a co-production forum for feature-length animation; the Cartoon Master training seminars; and Cartoon Connection, a programme intended to explore ways of reinforcing cooperation between EU and non-EU animation professionals.
