Malaysian Companies Seal 12 Deals Worth US$30 Mln At MIPCOM 2012

From Kamallaila Sulaiman CANNES (France), Oct 9 (Bernama) -- Malaysian companies sealed 12 deals worth US$30 million at the World Audio Visual Trade Exhibition (MIPCOM) 2012 here on Monday. Information, Communications and Culture Ministry Secretary-General Kamaruddin Siaraf said the deals with foreign partners is related to international co-productions, distribution and global product launches. Kamaruddin is leading a Malaysian delegation comprising 40 creative content companies to the four-day MIPCOM 2012 which ends on Oct 11. "I am very proud to say that over the past few years, the government's significant investment and support for the entertainment and media industry, is finally paying off. "The international deals signed are certainly a testament to Malaysia's strength and capability in developing award-winning, world-class properties for the international market at a very competitive cost," he said in his speech at the Creative Malaysia Networking Reception at the Hotel Gray D'Albion here on Monday. Los Angeles-based Hasbro Studios signed a production agreement with Malaysia's Vision Animation and Australia's Moody Street Kid, for the animated TV series "Transformers - Rescue Bots (Season 2)". The 26-episode production is to be undertaken jointly by Vision Animation and Moody Street Kids, with work distributed in Malaysia, Australia, Canada and the United States. Hasbro Studio's President, Stephen Davis said to stay competitive, it was important to work with experienced producers from Asia and co-producing with Malaysia was an ideal choice. He praised the Malaysian government for creating a conducive creative eco-system for international producers. Malaysian companies, Animasia Studio, Clover Sky, Creative Media Point, Funcel, Giggle Garage, Inspidea, Roar Studios and Worldwide Right Corporation, also revealed deals with partners from the United States, Australia, France, South Africa, Korea, China, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore at MIPCOM. Kamaruddin said the government strongly supports and encourages the establishment of smart partnerships of any form such as co-production, distribution, work-for-hire projects or even investment opportunities. He said the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas) has brought almost 200 new programmes to MIPCOM 2012, to be offered for distribution and acquisition for global consumption. "Malaysia has achieved a major breakthrough this year at MIPCOM, in managing to significantly enhance the number of Malaysian participants, and available intellectual properties," he added. The networking reception was co-organised by Finas, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC), in association with the Malaysian External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade). MIPCOM is a yearly global content event for co-producing, buying, selling, financing and distribution of entertainment content across all platforms. -- BERNAMA