As many as 40 new-to-market animated projects will be heading to Seoul, South Korea this November as part of the eighth-annual Asian Animation Summit. Kidscreen has officially opened registration for the event, running from November 20 to 22, and presenting the latest show concepts from studios in Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, Thailand, China and New Zealand looking for financing and production partners to get them off the ground.

New this year, AAS will also feature a co-development initiative to help earlier-stage projects take their next creative steps. Day one and two of the event will kick off with curated collections of these shorter presentations, showcasing projects that are looking for like-minded development partners in the region.

Last year’s event saw several projects lean into their local cultures rather than trying to retell Western stories. Execs from Netflix, Amazon, Nickelodeon, ABC Australia and Super RTL were all in attendance and noted that bringing diverse story elements to shows is often what actually gives the content more of a global appeal. Highlighting the effectiveness of the event as a platform for securing financing, in February, Finnish broadcaster YLE picked up Korean studio Taktoon Enterprises’ animated preschool series The Curious World of Linda, which was pitched at AAS 2018.

Other projects including Bluey (2017), Balloon Barnyard (2014), Kuu Kuu Harajuku (2013), Bottersnikes & Gumbles (2012), Oddbods (2012) and Origanimals (2012) have gone into production since debuting at AAS. In fact, roughly half the animation concepts that have debuted at past events have been made. In addition, 88% of producers who have presented projects at AAS said they met critical broadcast and financing partners there, and 95% report that attending helped them establish important relationships with international producers. It’s anticipated that 250 attendees will take part in AAS 2019.

A US$200 Early Bird discount is available from now until Friday, August 30, and more information can be found on the event website.

AAS is owned and produced by Kidscreen, with support from hosting partner KOCCA (Korea); and presenting and supporting partners BEKRAF (Indonesia), MDEC (Malaysia), Create NSW and Screen Queensland (Australia), DITP (Thailand), ASIFA China and Create Wellington (New Zealand).