3 teams have been chosen for the 2nd edition of Sony and THU’s creative challenge, each receiving mentoring by leading industry creators, up to 10.000€ in funding and the chance to present their project at the next THU event.
Sony Group Corporation (Sony) and THU have announced the three finalists of the second edition of Sony Talent League by THU, a global challenge that supports young creators worldwide and aims to discover the next generation of creative minds in the digital entertainment industry.
Submissions were received from countries including the United States; Japan; Uganda; China; Portugal; Costa Rica; Lebanon; South Korea; and Germany; projects included works in animation, games, VR, film, and music.
The finalists are:
Knowhere, U.S.A (Elizabeth Dix & Gracie Dix, United States):
- The 6-11 animated show follows Mosi Morgan, an 11-year-old Black NBPakistani New Yorker, as he moves from NYC to his mother's secret, privately-owned hometown of Knowhere, where everyone is considered a global expert in their field. Mosi must figure out how an ordinary kid like himself can fit in among so many extraordinary citizens.
Carmela, A Life of Freedom (Paula Bonaval, Spain):
- The documentary film combining VFX with science and social activism. It will tell the story of Carmela, who was diagnosed with a rare variant of Alzheimer's called PCA, a disease with visuospatial limitations that prevented her from recognizing faces or performing the most basic tasks.
- Using different VFX to depict specific symptoms, the project will help families and healthcare workers understand how a person with PCA sees the world.
Family Britannia (Jide Johnson, United Kingdom):
- A 2D animated adult-comedy TV concept follows the story of 18-year-old, British Born Nigerian tech genius Edward Johnson and his journey through the UK equivalent of Silicon Valley.
- The project aims to address the problem of representation of intelligent male protagonists of African heritage.
The finalists were selected by the public, which voted on their favorite out of the top 10 semi-finalists that were previously selected. The top 10 finalists were selected by the mentor panel that included Shuzo John Shiota, President & CEO of Polygon Pictures; Shuhei Yoshida, Head of Indies Initiative for Sony Interactive Entertainment; Sally Slade, Lead Engineer at Magnopus; David Prescott, SVP Creative Production; Kara Oropallo, Animation Production Manager, Consultant and Trainer; Scot Stafford, Composer, Sound Supervisor and Director; Kevin Young, Head of Creative Technology at The Mills’ London Studio; and Saraswathi Balgam, Writer, Director, and Creative Producer.
Finalists will be supported with 10 weeks of mentoring by leading industry creators, receive funding of up to 10.000€ per submission, and be awarded a full ride to THU’s next event (entry ticket, travel, accommodation, and food) with the opportunity to present their project.
Source: Sony Talent League
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
