MD Local Global Ltd. and Goya Award-Winning Animation Studio Abano Producións Sign Feature Film Development Memorandum of Understanding for Journey to the West
LONDON, March 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- MD Local Global Ltd. ("MDLG" or the "Company"), London-based cultural company, today announced that it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (the "MOU") with Abano Producións, a Spanish animation studio, to explore the development of an animated feature film inspired by the Chinese literary classic Journey to the West.
The MOU was signed on March 8, 2026, marking an important step in expanding the collaboration between the two parties beyond their ongoing animated short film project.
Earlier this year, Abano Producións received the 2026 Goya Award for Best Animated Feature Film for Decorado. Presented by the Spanish Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences, the Goya Awards represent the highest honor in Spanish cinema and are widely regarded as the Spanish equivalent of the Academy Awards.
The award further strengthens the international reputation of producer Chelo Loureiro, whose work has long been recognized within the global animation festival circuit.
From Short Film Collaboration to Feature Film Development
On November 12, 2025, MDLG entered into an Animation Production Agreement with Abano Producións, launching the production of the animated short film project. Building upon this ongoing collaboration, MDLG and Abano Producións signed the present MOU, expressing the parties' shared intention to explore the development of a feature-length animated film based on the creative universe established by the short film.
Within the international animation industry, artist-driven animated shorts often serve as both independent artistic works and creative foundations for larger cinematic projects.
Under the MOU, the feature film initiative will seek to expand the narrative and visual identity of the project for a global audience while exploring international co-production structures and distribution opportunities.
An International Creative Collaboration
The project brings together a distinguished international creative team whose work spans animation, cinema, music, and visual storytelling.
The short film is directed by Isabel Herguera, one of Europe's most respected animation auteurs and former Artistic Director of the Animac International Animation Festival of Catalonia.
The screenplay is written by Gianmarco Serra, an interdisciplinary filmmaker, composer, and sound artist known for integrating music, sound design, and narrative structure into a unified cinematic language.
Visual development is supported by Gina Thorstensen, an animation filmmaker and visual artist whose work explores emotional perception and experimental visual storytelling.
Together with Goya Award–winning producer Chelo Loureiro and Abano Producións, the collaboration represents a distinctive international creative partnership combining festival-recognized artistic practice, interdisciplinary storytelling, and global production experience.
Reimagining a Classical Myth for a Global Audience
Inspired by the well-known episode often referred to as "The True and the False Monkey King," the project explores enduring philosophical questions surrounding truth, illusion, identity, and self-awareness.
Through animation, the story becomes a reflection on the human mind itself — where fragmentation gives rise to illusion, while clarity emerges through self-knowledge and transformation.
By combining Chinese mythological imagination with contemporary European animation language, the project seeks to create a cinematic work capable of resonating across cultures while remaining rooted in universal philosophical themes.
Strategic and Economic Potential
Beyond its artistic ambition, the project may also present opportunities within the evolving global animation economy.
Animated films grounded in strong mythological worlds have, in certain cases, demonstrated the potential to generate cultural and commercial value across multiple platforms, including international theatrical distribution, global streaming platforms, and cross-media storytelling opportunities.
With the combination of a globally recognized literary source, a Goya Award–winning production company, and an international creative team with strong festival credentials, the Journey to the West animation initiative may be well suited to pursue both cultural relevance and economic opportunity within the international animation market.
Strategic Outlook
The combination of Abano Producións' recent Goya Award victory, the ongoing short film collaboration, and the newly signed feature film development MOU represents an important milestone for the project.
Together, these developments mark the early stages of an international animation initiative that seeks to bridge Eastern philosophical storytelling with the European auteur animation tradition.
As development progresses, the project intends to continue exploring international partnerships, festival positioning strategies, and potential distribution opportunities across both theatrical and streaming platforms.
About Abano Producións
Abano Producións is a Spanish animation studio internationally recognized for producing distinctive auteur animation projects. Led by Goya Award-winning producer Chelo Loureiro, the studio has established a strong presence across the international festival circuit, with productions selected at more than one hundred festivals worldwide.
About MD Local Global Ltd.
MD Local Global Ltd., headquartered in the United Kingdom, specializes in cultural IP development and ownership, animation film production, international licensing, cultural tourism operations, and cultural venue development.
The Company is committed to building a globally influential cultural and artistic ecosystem, bringing Eastern philosophy and aesthetics into the world through contemporary storytelling.
Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Act. All statements other than statements of historical fact in this announcement are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, and financial needs. Investors can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "aim," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "potential," "continue," "is/are likely to" or other similar expressions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in MDJM LTD's annual report on Form 20-F and its other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Investor Contact:
Sherry Zheng
WAVECREST GROUP INC.
Phone: +1 718-213-7386
Email: [email protected]
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