Animation, LASALLE College of the Arts

02/10/2025

A huge congratulations from us all to Hideho Urata, Senior Lecturer, for his exceptional contribution as Cinematographer (DP) for the film 'Renoir'.

'Renoir' is a coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Chie Hayakawa. 11-year-old Fuki’s father is battling a terminal illness and is in and out of hospital. Her mother is constantly stressed out from caring for him while holding down a full-time job. Left alone with her rich imagination, Fuki becomes fascinated by telepathy and falls ever deeper into her own fantasy world...

The film had its world premiere in the main competition of the 78th Cannes Film Festival on 17 May 2025, where it was nominated for the Palme d'Or.

Starring: Yui Suzuki (鈴木唯), Lily Franky (リリー・フランキー), Hikari Ishida (石田ひかり), Yuumi Kawai (河合優実), and Ayumu Nakajima (中島歩).Director: Chie Hayakawa (早川千絵).FOLLO...

02/09/2025

Making Anime Symposium 2024
Reflections on last year's fantastically successful Making Anime Symposium. Three full days of amazing international speakers and professional artists, contributing insight, discussion and debate.

The symposium returns on Tuesday, 9th September.

Symposium Microsite: https://www.lasalle.edu.sg/research/making-animation-2025-independent-voices-and-perspectives-asia

02/09/2025

Making Animation Symposium 2025 @ LASALLE College of te Arts

The 'Making Animation Symposium 2025' asks what animation can do now and what makers need to do it well. In a fast-moving visual culture where platforms overlap, generative AI sharpens the questions: what makes a story meaningful, and which skills and sensibilities matter as habits and technologies change?

Date: 9th September 2025
Location: F202, LASALLE College of the Arts, 1 McNally Street
Convened by Dr Gan Sheuo Hui
Registration: https://forms.gle/XYZtXMDgDKjGPfuK6
Symposium Microsite: https://www.lasalle.edu.sg/research/making-animation-2025-independent-voices-and-perspectives-asia

About Koji Yamamura (Keynote Speaker)
Nominated for the Oscar for Best Animated Short, "Mt. Head" (2002) was awarded 6 grand prizes. His film "Franz Kafka’s A Country Doctor" (2007) received 6 grand prizes. His 2011 short film "Muybridge's Strings" was one of five animated shorts nominated for the Genie Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 32nd Genie Awards in 2012. In total, his films have received more than 100 awards and prizes. Koji Yamamura is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a sub-chairman of the Japan Animation Association and a member of the board of directors of ASIFA.

Kōji Yamamura is a Japanese independent animator who, after leaving a career as a background artist at an animation studio, directs, writes, edits, animates, creates the model sheets and background art for and sometimes produces his own short films and has worked on many commissions such as music videos, television advertisements, title sequences and station idents, both on his own and under or with other directors. He is also a regular illustrator of children's literature and textbooks.

His animation spans a variety of media, his earliest independent works mixing clay painting and stop motion with cels, but later focused on traditional cel animation.

Symposium Microsite: https://www.lasalle.edu.sg/research/making-animation-2025-independent-voices-and-perspectives-asia

26/08/2025

Making Animation 2025: Independent Voices from Asia Symposium

Date: 9th September 2025 (Tuesday)
Time: 10.00am (registration) / 10.30am - 5pm
Venue: F202 LASALLE College of the Arts (McNally Campus)

Keynote: Koji Yamamura, Tokyo University of the Arts, Japan

About the Symposium
Making Animation 2025 asks what animation can do now and what makers need to do it well. In a fast-moving visual culture where platforms overlap, generative AI sharpens the questions: what makes a story meaningful, and which skills and sensibilities matter as habits and technologies change?

The symposium looks to independent animation: solo and small-team practices valued for self-expression, craft and reflective storytelling. It asks what grounded approaches can teach. Keynote speaker Yamamura Koji treats animation as giving shape to “invisible movements of light beyond reality,” favouring imagination and “thinking with the hands” over copying and algorithmic styling.

The morning frames the discussion. Gan Sheuo Hui (LASALLE) examines how anime-styled filters and AI shorts drive trend-led mimicry and asks where replication ends and expression begins. Lim Beng Choo (NUS) considers post‑COVID experiments in noh and kabuki with VR and AI, keeping performers and embodied practice central. Akiho‑Toyoda Noriko (Niigata University of Health and Welfare) presents an occupational therapy collaboration that uses animation to clarify the field’s holistic approach and foreground storytelling as care. Usui Michiko (Kanto Gakuin University) revisits Utsushi‑e, a magic‑lantern theatre, to show how voice, music and timing turn technique into story.

The afternoon turns to practice. Yamamura Koji deepens his theme of “invisible movements of light,” from hand‑drawn films to VR experiments, reflecting on materiality, timing and image‑making beyond replication (Japanese with simultaneous translation). Lefty Julian (Malaysia), a documentary comics creator, shares Making George Town, rooted in community stories and cultural memory. NOvia Shin (Malaysia), a multidisciplinary creator, presents Let the Map Speak, mapping overlooked everyday details through layered media and quiet storytelling (Mandarin with simultaneous translation). Together, these voices show how independent practice shapes meaningful animation and connected practices today.

Registration Required: https://forms.gle/XYZtXMDgDKjGPfuK6

This event is supported by
Mitsui NUS Japanese Studies in Southeast Asia Endowment Fund
Niigata University of Health and Welfare
Kanto Gakuin University

15/12/2024

This Singaporean gem, an excellent local production by Mocha Chai Labs and MM2, is now available on Netflix (Singapore). Have a good supply of tissues handy 😢 🎬 🍿 .

MAKE IT A HIT...!! Support Local Film..!!

Directed by Chai Yee-Wei
Producer : Michelle Chang
Writers : Situ Bi, Michelle Chang and Chance Wanlass
Starring : Mark Lee and Peter Yu

10/12/2024

Sharing for our collaboration partners at Mediacorp

Inkspiration is now open.

Calling all Chinese scriptwriters! Whether you’re new to storytelling or looking to refine your craft, 《Inkspiration》 is your space to grow. Supported by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), this initiative aims to discover and nurture the next generation of local Chinese storytellers. Open to all scriptwriters, both new and experienced, the programme offers mentorship and training.

华文编剧请注意！ 无论您是故事创作的新手，还是希望精进技艺的编剧，《一剧成名梦工坊》 都是您成长和发展的舞台。在资讯通信媒体发展局（IMDA）的支持下，本计划旨在发掘和培养新一代本地华语编剧。该计划面向所有编剧，所有入选的参与者将获得专业导师的指导机会。

Budding scriptwriters! Stand a chance to be mentored by industry veterans and bring your scripts to life! Submit your concepts by 28 Feb 2025.

05/10/2024

Free stuff is awesome these days - the idea that you can make and render a cinematic like this in two hours with entirely free content is awesome.

This uses Unreal Engine (free) to render, a Mixamo Character with a couple of animations (free) was used for the explorer character. The awesome environment is a free pack this month from Epic Games.

The audio is also free from YouTube Studio.

31/08/2024

Discover the heart of Taiwan through intimate interviews with its people. Meet cocoa and coffee farmers, beer brewers, and artists, and delve into their stories. Uncover the hidden gems of Taiwan that lie off the beaten track, all peppered with engaging...

31/08/2024

Sharing a collaboration project produced for the Taiwan Tourist Board by CAMPUS Magazine and 3 of our PSoFA students from Animation and Broadcast Media. Amazing opportunity for our students to travel to a fantastic country.

Discover the heart of Taiwan through intimate interviews with its people. Meet cocoa and coffee farmers, beer brewers, and artists, and delve into their stories. Uncover the hidden gems of Taiwan that lie off the beaten track, all peppered with engaging...

07/08/2024

In conversation with: Sammo Hung on the non-stop pursuit of hope in filmmaking at Puttnam School of Film & Animation, LASALLE.

In this video, BA (Hons) Animation Art students Jinyi and Grace talk to iconic kung fu star and filmmaker Sammo Hung on the non-stop pursuit of hope in filmmaking.

This interview was made possible by BA (Hons) Animation Art students Grace Tan, Khoo Justen, Chen Jinyi and Kim Jinsol. The video was edited by BA (Hons) Film student Zach Seak Zhen Tsing.

With special thanks to Kenneth Tan of the Singapore Film Society, and the Singapore Chinese Film Festival.

In this video, BA (Hons) Animation Art students Jinyi and Grace talk to iconic kung fu star and filmmaker Sammo Hung on the non-stop pursuit of hope in filmm...

01/03/2024

GIF / Comic Cover Challenge is back!!!

Participants may choose to accept the GIF Challenge or Comic Cover Challenge, or do both!

The Challenge:
Participants have to create either an Animated GIF or a Comic Cover Illustration based on a selection of short texts kindly provided by authors featured at the Asian Festival of Children's Content (AFCC) 2024 before the entry deadline.

These text passages will be made available to participants when they register for the challenge.

A panel of judges from the industry will determine the winners for each category.

Prizes include a complimentary pass to AFCC 2024 and much more!

Free Workshops
To help participants with no prior background in making GIFs or Comic Cover Illustrations, LASALLE has organised 2 free workshops on the following dates. Registration required (see link below).

Illustration Workshop (Online)
7 Mar 2024
7.30pm - 9.30pm
Zoom link will be provided to registered participants.

GIF Workshop (capped at 20pax)
9 Mar 2024
10am - 4pm
Details will be provided to registered participants who signed up.

Please register for either of the Challenges and workshops using the link below!
Register here > https://forms.gle/hwo1tcKH1PSPDja38
Register before 24th Mar, 11.59pm!

16/10/2023

After months of travelling abroad, we are happy to share that “Dreaming & Dying” will finally be coming home to Singapore screens!

The film will make its Singapore Premiere at the Singapore International Film Festival - SGIFF under the Asian Feature Film Competition. A huge congrats from all of us at PSOFA to Dir Nelson Yeo and the team!

Please book lots of tickets and share, share, share this home-grown film.