MDJM LTD Wholly-Owned Subsidiary MD Local Global Ltd. Signed Collaboration Agreement with France's H5 Studio -- Strengthening International Cultural IP Strategy and Expanding East-West Creative Partnerships
EDINBURGH, Scotland and PARIS, Dec. 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- MD Local Global Ltd. ("MDLG" or the "Company"), the UK-based wholly owned subsidiary of MDJM LTD (NASDAQ:UOKA), is delighted to announce that on November 20, 2025, MDLG entered into a Development and Co-Production Deal Memo for An Animated Short Film with H5 S.A.R.L.("H5"), one of France's most influential, Academy Award-winning animation and creative studios. This partnership marks a significant milestone in its global cultural expansion, advancing its capabilities in cultural IP development, original animation production, and cross-cultural artistic collaboration.
The agreement reinforces MDLG's long-term strategy to unite Eastern philosophical storytelling with international artistic innovation, while cultivating a new generation of cultural and animation IP with global resonance.
MDLG is accelerating the construction of a comprehensive cultural IP ecosystem, built on four pillars:
1. Cultural IP Ownership & Original IP Development
- Creating original IP rooted in Eastern culture, aesthetics, and philosophy.
- Building cross-cultural storytelling with global appeal.
2. International Cultural IP Licensing & Collaboration
- Introducing and collaborating with internationally recognized cultural IPs.
- Expanding cross-border creative and cultural partnerships to achieve mutual enrichment of cultural resources and artistic expression.
3. Cultural Experience Operations at Fernie Castle
- Utilizing Fernie Castle and its adjacent Oriental Garden in Scotland as the core operational platform to establish an immersive Animation Art Museum, inspired by the aesthetic and experiential philosophy of Japan's Ghibli Museum.
4. Cultural IP Commercialization
- Producing animated shorts and feature films.
- Securing international distribution & streaming partnerships.
- Generating box office and exhibition revenues.
- Developing merchandise and derivative products.
- Licensing globally and expanding brand cooperation.
The collaboration with H5 further strengthens MDLG's foundation in the international cultural landscape, bringing world-class creative talent into MDLG's growing network.
H5 is one of France's most respected creative studios, celebrated for its influential contributions across animation, graphic design, music videos, advertising, and contemporary art. Its creative universe is known for its bold experimentation, media literacy, and distinct visual vocabulary, making it a unique partner in projects that merge artistic expression with cultural meaning. With over 30 years of creative innovation, H5 has shaped the visual identity of France's "French Touch" movement and achieved global recognition with its Academy Award–winning animated short film Logorama (2010). In addition, H5 is known for award-winning works such as Logorama (Academy Award and César Award winner), My Generation (Jury Distinction for Social Significance at Annecy Film Festival), Money Time, and other influential audiovisual and cultural projects.
MDLG and H5 have assembled an exceptional team of internationally acclaimed creators for the upcoming philosophical animation short inspired by Eastern thought. During the development phase, the project will be creatively led by director Ludovic Houplain and artistic producer Federico Matarazzo, acting as co-authors, whose artistic vision will guide the conceptual and visual evolution of the film. While the screenwriter has not yet been finalized, the following key creative collaborators have been confirmed.
Ludovic Houplain — Academy Award and Winning Director
- Co-founder of H5.
- Director of Logorama — Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film (2010) and César Award winner (2011).
- Major creative force behind French electronic music visual culture (Air, Étienne de Crécy, Alex Gopher).
- Director of My Generation (2018), selected at Annecy and celebrated for its contemporary socio-cultural commentary.
- Subject of the 2024–2025 retrospective exhibition H5: Voir la French Touch Ludovic will serve as the project's artistic lead, guiding the film's philosophical tone, visual language, and creative vision.
Federico Matarazzo — Artistic Producer Bridging Art, Animation, and Design
- Former creative producer at H5.
- Produced My Generation with Ludovic Houplain — Special Jury Prize, Annecy (2019).
- Collaborated with Daft Punk, Hermès, Saint Laurent, SK-II, Netflix, Longines, and the Museum of the Future.
- Founder of Space Machine (2025), specializing in animation, motion design and visual storytelling.
- Federico will oversee creative production, visual development, and coordination across international teams.
Stéphane Levallois — Internationally Renowned Concept Artist
- French comic artist, filmmaker, and concept designer.
- Collaborated with leading directors including Ridley Scott, Steven Spielberg, Wong Kar-wai.
- Contributed to major franchises such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Man of Steel, Alien.
- Published award-winning graphic novels in partnership with Musée d'Orsay and the Louvre.
- Stéphane will lead visual concept development, character design, and narrative aesthetic direction.
Vincent Dupuis — VFX Visionary and Co-Founder of Machine Molle
- Major figure in the French VFX and post-production industry.
- Collaborated on music videos for Daft Punk, U2, Rammstein, AIR, Jamiroquai.
- Oversaw VFX for Daft Punk's Infinity Repeating (2023), widely praised for artistic innovation.
- Lecturer at Penninghen, contributing to the education of future French visual artists.
- Vincent will supervise the film's visual effects strategy and technical artistic direction.
The collaboration between MDLG and H5 extends far beyond the production of a single animated short. Both parties are actively exploring multi-layered cultural partnerships, including:
- Co-curated exhibitions within the Fernie Castle Animation Museum.
- Blending French visual culture with Eastern philosophical aesthetics.
- Cross-media cultural experiences: combining animation, sound, interactive design, and spatial storytelling.
- Joint development of future animation IP: creating a sustainable pipeline of artistic and culturally meaningful projects.
This partnership reflects MDLG's commitment to building a future-ready cultural ecosystem that integrates animation, cultural tourism, artistic research, and international collaboration.
About MD Local Global Ltd.
MD Local Global Ltd. is a UK-based cultural innovation company specializing in cultural IP development, animation production, international licensing, and cultural venue operations. The company aims to integrate Eastern philosophy with international artistic practices, creating a global cultural ecosystem built on storytelling and immersive experience.
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 the Company's annual report on Form 20-F and its other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
CONTACT: Fen Wang, [email protected]
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