Home > Colombian Animated Series will be Exhibited in France at MIPCOM 2013

Colombian Animated Series will be Exhibited in France at MIPCOM 2013

22 Colombian companies will offer television and cinema content, video games and animation at MIPCOM 2013. 

"Niña Ají" (Chili Girl in English) is a 13-year old adolescent who has been bullied by her classmates because, instead of a heart, she has a chili embedded in her chest. The mockery ends when she realizes that being different makes her special.

That is the main storyline of the animated series created by Domo Animato, one of the 22 Colombian companies participating with PROCOLOMBIA at MIPCOM 2013, the central event for the global entertainment industry gathering 1,700 exhibitor companies and 4,500 buyers from 100 countries each year.

Colombia will arrive with the resolution of a country that knows how to tell stories and will bring a sample of television and cinema content, video-games and animation to the event that will take place in Cannes (France) from October 7-10.

"This sector offers a winning mix of creativity, technical quality and cost-effectiveness, as well as closeness and cultural similarities to the main global importers: North America and Europe," explained PROCOLOMBIA president Maria Claudia Lacouture.

"Niña Ají" (Chili Girl in English) is an example of Colombian talent. In 2012, they took a pilot of the project to MIPCOM. For that pilot they were selected for The Kids Jury competition, and the same year they won the Ministry of Information Technology and Communications' Digital Creation ("Crea Digital" in Spanish) Award.

They already have 13 finished episodes of the series and are looking for distributors and co-producers in Cannes to sell it in Europe and the United States. "This is a trans-media product, so it's for television but can also be watched online. We are already developing the website and online game," explained Ximena Stahelin, Director of Animation and founding partner of the company.

Other companies will also be there with Domo Animato such as Laberinto, Dynamo, Brash3d, Hierro, Conexión Creativa, Oruga, Digitz Film, Tribu 70, 7glab, Panoramika, Autobotika, Televideo, Sky Branding, Cartoon Snacks, Blockwise, Colombo Films, 4direcciones, Clap Studios, Emotion Collective Design, Producmedia and Demente.

Laberinto's manager, Salua Abisambra, confirmed that Colombia has become a necessary reference point in the international context that's why the company, which was responsible for successful series such as 'Los caballeros las prefieren brutas' (Gentlemen Prefer Them Dumb), will be at MIPCOM looking to export television series and documentaries.

"We have competitive prices, a lot of experience, the preparation is good both technically and professionally, the geographic position is ideal and the neutrality of the language helps, but above all we have the ability to tell stories," confirmed Abisambra.

In their case, the objective will be to strengthen international relations by doing business with cable television operators in Latin America and for the US Spanish-speaking market.

Colombia's participation at MIPCOM is part of the strategy launched by the National Government to internationalize a sector that knows how to channel local talent and business opportunities in the international market.

PROCOLOMBIA has supported the digital content industry since 2009, and since 2012 the Colombian Ministry of Technology and Communications included the sector in its "Vive Digital" strategy.

"We are working to increase the presence of Colombian companies at international events such as MIPCOM which allow them to generate business opportunities in important markets and learn the industry trends first hand. This knowledge has helped them tailor their products and services to global demand," said the PROCOLOMBIA president.

Thanks to this agreement, in 2012 Colombia participated in 22 international events, 150 Colombian companies received support and 85 foreign buyers were invited to learn about Colombian products and to generate new business opportunities. So far in 2013, 80 Colombian companies have already participated in six international events, and 72 foreign buyers from 13 markets have visited Colombia.

Colombian entrepreneurs are receiving valuable international promotion and training. According to the 2012 Euromonitor report, Colombia is the third largest economy in Latin America by number of business and engineering graduates. According to the Ministry of Education, 21,593 engineers graduated between 2001 and 2011 in specialties such as electrics, electronics, and industrial and IT engineering.

All that has been reflected in sustained growth. According to International Data Corporation (IDC) data, the IT market has grown more than 26% in the last five years and exports grew 10.1% on average according to the World Trade Organization.

Another advantage for the international market is that Colombia offers multiple development centers for the sector, such as the cities of Bogota, Medellin, Cali, Barranquilla and Manizales, which have different options in digital animation, video games, mobile applications and cinema.