MANILA, Philippines ? Animation and gaming enthusiasts will get the chance to meet and share insights with the most respected names in the industry when the 3rd Animahenasyon Pinoy Animation Film Festival opens on Nov. 25 at the Gateway Mall in Cubao, Quezon City.

The festival, which will run until Nov. 28, has been showcasing original animated works of both aspiring and professional Filipino animators for the past three years.

On Nov. 26, Sean Craig, program coordinator at the Seneca College in Ontario, Canada, will be the key speaker in a symposium on Learning and Teaching Animation, said Michael Kho Lim, executive director of the Animation Council of the Philippines Inc., organizer of Animahenasyon.

On Nov. 27, Robin King, president of the Canada-based Imagina Corp. which specializes in digital media, will talk about major developments in the global animation industry. On the same day there will be a forum on Entrepreneurship in Animation featuring speakers from the groups Go Negosyo and Tuldok Animation Studios.

On Nov. 28, a symposium on Game Development will feature speaker David Tene of Supinfogame School, France?s oldest videogame-oriented school that trains students in game design and production management. Vincent Ricot, founder of Gameloft, will talk about the future of the local game development industry and why he decided to set up operations in the Philippines.

Dominant themes

According to festival programmer Ricky Orellana, problems concerning the deterioration of the environment and how to solve them are the dominant themes in this year?s animation film fest.

?I?ve noticed that there are more features tackling environmental issues. There are also those about fantasy and science fiction, most notable of which is an experimental film on cloning,? said Orellana, animator and archives head of the Mowelfund Film Institute.

?Most of the entries were made only this year. This is a good sign. This means there is a steady flow in the production of local animated content,? Orellana pointed out.

?Ligtas Likas,? the animated feature co-produced by the Creative Media and Film Society of the Philippines (CreaM) and Sen. Loren Legarda, is this year?s opening film.

Also part of Animahenasyon is an exhibit of the life and works of this year?s Lifetime Achievement awardee, Jose Zabala Santos, uncle of renowned artist Nonoy Marcelo. The awards ceremony is on Nov. 28.

For details, log on to www.animationcouncil.org.