International partnerships were the order of the day at the networking cocktail held by the Media Development Authority (MDA) as part of Singapore’s line-up of activities as “Country of Focus” at MIPTV 2010 on Tuesday.

The event saw new deals and initiatives taking flight, among them the collaboration between MDA and FremantleMedia Enterprises on the International Animation Fund. Aimed at stimulating co-productions for Singapore animation firms, the fund will see MDA co-investing up to S$5 million (US$3.5 million) for each qualifying project while FremantleMedia will act as worldwide distributor for the chosen projects.

MDA also inked a deal with Singapore animation firm Scrawl Studios to co-produce, together with international partners, up to five new animation projects amounting to US$13.5 million over the next five years.

In addition, come 2012, a 3D stereoscopic film called Shelldon will be in cinemas due to a tie-up between Singapore’s Tiny Island Productions and Thailand’s Shellhut Entertainment.

Not surprisingly, drawn by the buzz surrounding Singapore and convinced of the benefits of working with its media industry, international producers, distributors and government officials from all over the world attended the networking cocktail.