Genius Talk, another key element of the fest, will run parallel with the screenings throughout the weekend.

Geared toward aspiring animators, a total of 33 talks and roundtables will be given by more than 30 seasoned animators and cartoonists from home and abroad, who will share their career experiences, give advice and discuss important issues facing the industry.

Among the speakers will be Chris Bremble, visual effects expert, founder and CEO of Base Media and Li Wei, director of the 2020 animated hit Jiang Ziya: Legend of Deification.

Major issues to be explored at the talks include how to create Chinese animation that appeals to global markets and what other inspirations animators can draw from besides Chinese mythology.