The China International Cartoon & Animation Festival (CICAF) is hosted by the National Radio and Television Administration, the China Media Group and the People's Government of Zhejiang Province, and undertaken by the Hangzhou Municipal People's Government, the Zhejiang Provincial Radio and Television Administration and the Zhejiang Radio & TV Group. It is China's first national world-oriented animation festival, and a cultural trading platform key supported by the Chinese Culture Going-Global Project.
Since 2005, the CICAF has been successfully held in Hangzhou for 17 times. Adhering to the goal of being "a grand event for animation and a festival for the people", the CICAF includes five major sections of conventions and exhibitions, forums, business, competitions and activities. Through making constant improvements in specialization, internationalization, industrialization, branding and marketization, it has become the largest, most popular and most influential animation professional event in China, which plays a pivotal role as a platform and bridge in advancing the development of Chinese animation industry, demonstrating the growth momentum of animation industry, and expediting the in-depth exchanges and cooperation between China and other countries in animation culture. It has also deeply integrated the animation elements into the city temperament of Hangzhou, making Hangzhou, the City of Animation, go global with its excellent city culture.
The 17th CICAF was staged from September 29 to October 4, 2021. The year 2021 coincided with the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, the first year of the 14th Five-Year Plan, and the first year of Zhejiang's high-quality development and construction of a common prosperity demonstration area. Around the theme of "Common Prosperity in a New Era - Animation Inspires the Future", this year's CICAF carried out scientific epidemic prevention, effectively controlled the number of participants, streamlined the content while maintaining high quality, and encouraged participants to enjoy the exhibition in a safe, orderly and civilized manner. In this way, the 17th CICAF was a complete success both online and offline. With the theme of "Common Prosperity in a New Era - Animation Inspires the Future", this year's CICAF included a total of 28 activities in five sections, including conventions and exhibitions, forums, business, competitions and activities, through the combination of online and offline channels. Despite the impact of the epidemic, this year's CICAF still attracted 335 Chinese and foreign enterprises and institutions, 4,031 exhibitors, merchants and professionals from 56 countries and regions to participate in various activities online and offline, and conducted 1,646 one-to-one matchmakings. As a result, the on-site signed contract amount topped 480 million yuan. It was strictly stipulated that only 3,000 tickets were available per day, and all tickets were sold out within six days. 16,500 people visited the site, and 13 million people participated in online interactions through the Online CICAF platform.
Listen to the dialogues among masterminds and draw inspiration from the wits of the professionals. Over 1000 experts, scholars, veteran professionals and animation fans participate in the series forums with different topics where sparks of thoughts bursti
The largest and most popular exhibition of its kind in China, CICAF is credited, by the China Animation Association (CAA), as the country’s most influential animation festival.
Business sessions held throughout the festival provide opportunities for professionals in the industry to meet, discuss and do business deals in both domestic and international markets.
Festival highlights include the presentation of the prestigious Golden Monkey King Award (GMKA), which is given to esteemed academic institutions and professionals for excellence in the cartoon and animation industry.