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May 7, 2009
 The Stuttgart International Animation Festival (better known in its native country as Internationales Trickfilmfestival Stuttgart) is now in full swing. The weekend will feature many screenings, including the European premiere of Afro Samurai Resurrection, and the German premieres of Coraline and The Missing Lynx. Shorts are also present at the festival, both in the competition and in several retrospective screenings celebrating 100 years of German animation. Labels: Afro Samurai, Coraline, events, Germany, ITFS, Stuttgart February 26, 2009
 The first cartoon star will be at the Cinemathèque Québécoise in Montréal for Spring Break. Screenings of seven Felix the Cat shorts will take place every afternoon from March 2nd to the 6th. The movies will be accompanied by live music written and performed by Université de Montréal music students. Parents who can't go with their kids can always catch a screening of Ratatouille on Thursday at 18:30. For more information, check out the schedule on the Cinémathèque's website (in French) Labels: Cinematheque quebecoise, events, Felix the Cat, music February 6, 2009
Each year The Animation Guild, ASIFA Hollywood and Women In Animation present a non-denominational celebration of departed friends from our animation community. It will be on Saturday, February 7 at the Lasky-DeMille Barn in Hollywood across from the Hollywood Bowl. The 2008 honorees include
John Ahern, Gus Arriola, Phyllis Barnhart, Gordon Bellamy, Harriet Burns, Greg Burson, John W. Burton, Jr., Vivian Byrne, Joyce Carlson, Bob Carr, Rose Di Bucci, Charlie Downs, Ray Ellis, Joni Jones Fitts, Etsuko Fujioka, Steve Gerber, Fernando Gonzalez, Yoo Sik Ham, Larry Harmon, Margie Hermanson, Ollie Johnston, Ted Key, Eartha Kitt, Andy Knight, Harvey Korman, Lyn Kroeger, Brice Mack, Bill Melendez, David Mitton, Gary Mooney, Jim Mueller, June Nam, Ethan Ormsby, Bill Perez, Richard Pimm, Oliver Postgate, Denis Rich, Dodie Roberts, Irma Rosien, Gerard Salvio, Gina Sheppherd, Robert Smith, Jim Snider, Al Stetter, Dave Stevens, Morris Sullivan, Emru Townsend, Pat Raine Webb, Chiyoko Wergles, Bob Winquist and Justin Wright. (Thank you, Karl Cohen) Labels: events, Los Angeles January 17, 2009
The deadline to apply for the grant is Jan. 23, 2009. Applicants must send their request by email, adhering to the guidelines (CV, abstract/proposal, short essay describing your request) as outlined in the link provided below. The award recipients will be announced in late February or March. "The travel grant has been named in the memory of our dear colleague, Emru Townsend, who remains an inspiration to all of us, for his many efforts promoting the study and appreciation of animation." (Props to Animation Journal) Labels: Emru Townsend, events, Society of Animation Studies December 4, 2008
 Whoa! Christmas shows up early for Montreal animation lovers. This year's Sommets du cinema d'animation de Montreal (Montreal Animation Summit) literally explodes this year, with an expanded lineup, including exhibits and great guests.As in recent years, Marco de Blois, animation curator at the Cinematheque quebecoise, has gathered some of the year's best animated shorts in two programs screening on Friday and Saturday. This year, the audience gets to vote on their favourite and award a public prize to the best director. This is just the beginning. This weekend includes a program of the notable international student films from 2006, 2007, and 2008; the best recent Canadian animation; and a free screening of Acme Filmworks and Animation World Network's The Show of Shows, presented by Ron Diamond. I'm not done yet: A major restrospective, Du praxinoscope au cellulo (From Praxinoscope to Cel), is divided into three programs, two of them specifically targeted to include younger viewers. This film series focuses on the evolution of French moving images, and touches on drawings, marionettes, and pin, cell, cut-out, mixed media, and computer animation. This is an extraordinary chance to see shorts by Emile Cohl, Ladislaw Starevich, and Paul Grimault, among others. Now get a load of these prices. Free 0–5 years accompanied by an adult Free Show of Shows $4 6–15 years $6 students and seniors $7 adults $50 CinéSommets passport, all-access pass For the full schedule, including parties and concurrent exhibits, download the PDF program. Labels: Canada, events, exhibitions, festivals, France, Montreal, schools, shorts October 28, 2008
 They're showing Grave of the Fireflies in Guinea and The Adventures of Prince Achmed in Latvia. One world, inspired by the animated image. As usual, the Brazilians know how to party, with 100 cities taking part in ASIFA's seventh World Animation Day. France's list is pretty impressive, as they have a reputation to uphold for the holiday instigated in their country. Here's a list of some of the events happening today. Feel free to fill in my gaps. Allendale Atlanta Cape Town Caraquet Colorado Halifax Hiroshima Kyoto Montreal Riga Seoul Vancouver You can find more events on ASIFA's website. Events through to November in Ghana, India and Canada. Labels: events, international animation day October 27, 2008
 If you didn't get a chance to attend Richard Williams' masterclass at the 2008 Ottawa International Animation Festival, and live on the west coast, you may have another chance to catch him. Beginning today, the award-winning animator will be touring several west coast cities until November 7th.Tonight, ACM SIGGRAPH's Vancouver chapter will host a free two-hour masterclass, signing and a screening of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? On Wednesday the 29th, he will be in Redmond, WA, at as a run-up to Seattle's 2D Or Not 2D festival. While the event is free, it is open only to DigiPen BFA alumni and working professionals, so follow the link if you qualify to find out how to get your tickets. On Thursday the 30th, it's Portland time with the Cascade ACM SIGGRAPH chapter. The event is free for chapter members and 5.00 dollars for everyone else, but attendees need to RSVP by the 28th. The last public event on November 2nd happens in San Francisco. A benefit for ASIFA-SF, this event will feature the two-hour masterclass and the event will be moderated by author and chapter president Karl Cohen (shown above, left, with Richard Williams, and Cohen's wife Denise McEvoy at the OIAF Animators' Picnic). The admission is only 9.00 dollars and only 6.50 for a child or a senior. A mere pittance for the wealth of information and experience that will be available and to help a great organization. Labels: 2D Or Not 2D, ASIFA, events, festivals, Portland, Richard Williams, San Francisco, Seattle, SIGGRAPH, Vancouver October 22, 2008
  The National Film Board is getting an early start on World Animation Day festivities and is turning the party out well after. From October 24 to November 12, Canadians in 13 cities will be able to enjoy free screenings of the Get Animated! series to celebrate World Animation Day (October 28). Get Animated! features one program of ten new works (including Theodor Ushev's Drux Flux and George Schwizgebel's Retouches) and a second of ten children's animation shorts (including Claude Cloutier's Sleeping Betty, and shorts from Hothouse 4 participants Carla Coma and Jody Kramer). Many of the cities will include complementary screenings and workshops in addition to these programs. Two short are available at the event site. Just click a graphic above to view Howie Shia's Flutter (top) or Tali's At Home With Mrs. Hen. Thanks, Matt and Jody! Labels: Calgary, Edmonton, events, Halifax, Hothouse, Moncton, Montreal, National Film Board of Canada, NFB, shorts, Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria, Winnipeg September 4, 2008
The Montreal chapter of ACM SIGGRAPH is holding its season opener with an open-air screening in the park next to their usual haunt, the Society for Arts and Technology. Selections from the 2008 Computer Animation Festival will be shown, and while the event is free, you can pick up your annual membership to help support the chapter. "Doors open" on Saturday, September 6, at 9:30 at Parc de la Paix. There's more info on the SAT website. 2008 SIGGRAPH Computer Animation Festival trailer August 14, 2008
Film festival venues can be overwhelming and conference venues can be overwhelming, but when you combine them... well, the experience hovers somewhat above the horizon. That said, here are some tidbits:
1. Much discussion, several panels, and two full days of screenings of stereoscopic (3D) films, commercials, sports events, games and scientific visualizations on the first day of the conference. 3D is the agenda for 21st-century digital releases. I took in the two-hour screening of 3D clips and then heard fine artist and installation/performance artist Catherine Owens speak about collaborating with Bono on the 3D film of U2's concert in Buenos Aires. She spoke convincingly about "experimental" exploration and commitment to "idea" in relationship to her personal art, as well as in relationship to her directorial debut of the film U2 3D. 2. The Computer Animation Festival is programmed into seven two-hour screenings that most often repeat the commercials, trailers, and synopses of film titles submitted. For example, Rhythm and Hues showcased effects scenes of the polar bears in "The Golden Compass" and that is screened alongside the commercial from Bridgestone Tires many have seen of the squirrel running onto the highway to retrieve a nut as a car swerves to miss killing him. The festival is screening two impressive studio shorts worth mentioning here: Pixar Studios' Presto and Disney Studios' Glago's Guest. If you've seen WALL-E you've seen Presto before the feature screens. 3) A wonderful Tribute To Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas happened today with Tom Sito moderating a panel that included Frank Thomas' son, Theodore Thomas, documentary filmmaker, as well as a group of celebrity animators who had worked with the two of them in a mentor relationship. All of them delightfully shared their experiences with Frank and Ollie and were very well received. More on this later. A closing note in case you don't want to wait: you may go online to read about all the sessions at SIGGRAPH 08 and can listen to them on DVD. All panels and discussions have been recorded are available for purchase. I have constantly forgotten the number one rule for attending film festivals and conferences: find a place to sit, eat well and if you do this, thinking might follow! That said, I will return to report more soon, in spite of the L.A. smog my allergies are swimming in... Labels: 3D, CGI, Disney, events, festivals, Los Angeles, Pixar, SIGGRAPH August 13, 2008
 Gallery Nucleus in Los Angeles will be hosting The Great Great Grand Show, beginning August 16th and continuing until September 1st. Saturday's opening reception runs from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., and you're encouraged to show up in historical garb if you have it (ninjas and pirates welcome). Two of the artists exhibiting are Scott Campbell and Graham Annable, both Hickee comics anthology contributors. Scott C has also contributed work to I Am 8-Bit and Totoro Forest Project, and Graham's known for his comic foray, Grickle, whose misadventures continue in animated form. He is also a story artist on Coraline, Laika's much anticipated feature. Here's The Last Duet On Earth, a little future history until you get to see Graham's latest, From Whence Before Times, which debuts at the show. The show is rounded out by Flight regular Israel Sanchez, and Jon Klaasen, who animated the super-sweet Eye for Annai. Several of us fps-side are huge fans of this short. So if you're in LA on Saturday, you know where you need to be. Labels: comics, events, exhibitions, Los Angeles, shorts December 4, 2007
 Norman's Montreal run begins this week. It's been getting excellent reviews in Canada, and the Montreal run will be at one of the city's best live venues, Place des Arts.Click the graphic to enlarge for location and ticket information. Labels: dance, events, Montreal, National Film Board of Canada, NFB, Norman McLaren, visual music November 21, 2007
 (click image for complete schedule.)UPDATE: There is a misprint on page 2 of the program. Saturday screenings are as follows: Program 2 at 5:oo p.m., Program 1 at 7:00 p.m. The Montreal stop of the annual Sommets du Cinema d'Animation will be at the Cinematheque Quebecoise on Friday, November 23 and Saturday, November 24. Over two days, Montrealers can see some of the best animation shorts in recent memory, from the haunting Madame Tutli-Putli, the harrowing Milk Teeth, to the laugh-out-loud funny Cold Calling. And that's just  It all begins on Friday at 5:00 p.m. with the launch of the Isabelle au Bois Dormant/Sleeping Betty exhibit featuring the latest work of Claude Cloutier.Labels: events, exhibitions, Madame Tutli-Putli, Montreal, shorts November 12, 2007
   This Wednesday, November 14, at 6:00 p.m., the Montreal chapter of ACM SIGGRAPH is screening the 2007 Electronic Theatre at the SAT. Admission is free and so is the popcorn! Labels: computer animation, events, Montreal, shorts, SIGGRAPH November 8, 2007
 This Saturday and Sunday afternoon, November 10 and 11: leading up to the Waterloo Festival for Animated Cinema, WFAC in partnership with Bandai Visual and the Waterloo Children's Museum will be holding a 20th anniversary screening of Wings of Honneamise, one the best anime features of the 80s, and the first feature ever produced by Gainax.If you are anywhere near Waterloo, Ontario, this is not to be missed. All screenings are free. Showtimes Labels: anime, events, features, Gainax, Mamoru Oshii, Waterloo Festival for Animated Cinema, WFAC November 4, 2007
 Got plans this coming weekend? If you're in New York, make sure to swing by the Museum of Modern Art, which is going to be showcasing the work of Michael Sporn from Friday to Monday. Friday and Saturday will feature fourteen of his shorts from 1984 to the present (they'll all have second screenings on Saturday and Sunday); Monday night features a discussion between Sporn, fellow New York independent animator John Canemaker, and MoMA assistant curator Joshua Siegel, plus a screening of Sporn's commercial work and a preview of his current feature. Each program is about 90 minutes.Friday, November 9, 6:30; Repeated Saturday, November 10, 1:30 Program 1: New York Stories Mona Mon Amour (2001) Champagne (1996) The Man Who Walked Between the Towers (2005) Lyle, Lyle Crocodile (1987) The Little Match Girl (1991) Saturday, November 10, 3:30; Repeated Sunday, November 11, 2:45 Program 2: Fables Doctor DeSoto (1984) Abel's Island (1988) The Red Shoes (1990) The Hunting of the Snark (1989) Saturday, November 10, 5:30; Repeated Sunday, November 11, 4:45 Program 3: A Peaceable Kingdom Goodnight Moon (1999) The Marzipan Pig (1990) The Amazing Bone (1985) Ira Sleeps Over (1992) The Story of the Dancing Frog (1989) Monday, November 12, 7:00 An Evening with Michael Sporn Previously reviewed on fps: The Films of Michael Sporn, Vols. 1 & 2 Labels: events, Michael Sporn, New York, shorts October 27, 2007
Sunday is World Animation Day. Here are some events that are happening in different cities. Check with web sites, media outlets and your friends to learn more. Let us know what's up in your neighbourhood.
JAPAN Hiroshima: Award-winning works of the Hiroshima International Animation Festival INDIA Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram: Simultaneous ASIFA-India celebration CANADA Montreal: 1 p.m. Catherine Arcand discusses her film Nightmare at School 3 p.m. Master class with Madame Tutli-Putli directors Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski 7 p.m. Toon Boom Internet Animation Contest Screening and Classic Films of the DEFA Screening Toronto: 1 p.m. Talespinners 2 workshop for children and families Vancouver: 2 p.m. Animate It! workshop for youth Winnipeg: 2 p.m. Talespinners 2 screening (recommended for children ages 5-9) UNITED STATES Boston: 3 p.m. Institute of Contemporary Art presents New England Animation Labels: Boston, Canada, events, India, international animation day, Japan, Madame Tutli-Putli, Montreal, shorts, workshops October 24, 2007
 The Cinematheque Quebecoise focuses on German animation this week. Filmfest Dresden Presents New German Animation screens on Thursday, October 25 at 6:30 p.m., and repeats on Friday at 4:00 p.m.Our Man in Nirvana Jan Koester Mr. Schwartz, Mr. Hazen & Mr. Horlocker Stefan Müller Delivery Till Nowak (attending) Close Your Eyes and Do Not Breathe Vuk Jevremovic Lovesick Speka Cadez Bildfenster/Fensterbilder Bert Gottschalk The Tell-Tale Heart (Der Verrückte, das Herz und das Auge) Annette Jung Diary of a Perfect Love (Tagebuch einer perfekten Liebe) Sebastien Peterson As part of its World Animation Day events on Sunday, October 28th, Hints of Excellence: Classics of the DEFA screens for free. Labels: events, festivals, Filmfest Dresden, Germany, Montreal, shorts October 13, 2007
 Animation fans in LA who didn't make it to the Platform International Animation Festival (or those who simply want to relive it) will get a chance to see selections from the festival during a screening on Monday, October 15, at 8:00 p.m. at the Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theater.There were many notable shorts during the festival although I haven't been able to find out the full lineup for this screening (Luis Cook's The Pearce Sisters and work by Don Hertzfeldt and Miwa Matreyek will be featured), I don't doubt for a moment that the variety and selection of shorts will be entirely worth your time. Previously on fps Platform International Animation Festival coverage Labels: events, festivals, Los Angeles, Platform, shorts October 10, 2007
 Since Persepolis and Madame Tutli-Putli each screened at Cannes and won awards this year in May, they have appeared at animation and mainstream film festivals to acclaim. Montrealers can now finally see both films by attending the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, which begins today. Animation seems to have taken on a more important role in the festival with more shorts than ever. However, a few might slip through the cracks if you aren't careful. The visceral Face lies in wait in Competition 1, on Thursday, October 11 and Wednesday, October 17th. Madame Tutli-Putli is showing during Competition 2 this Friday, October 12 and Tuesday, October 16. Selina Cobley's Crow Moon screens in Competition 3 next week on the 17th and 18th.The National Film Board of Canada Stereo Lab is screening four stereoscopic shorts, which 2004 OIAF attendees might have seen, but this screening includes the premiere of a stereoscopic version of Theodor Ushev's phenomenal Tower Bawher. Previously on fps Festival du Nouveau Cinéma coverage Persepolis coverage Two Podcasts for Madame Tutli-Putli Labels: computer animation, events, features, festivals, France, Madame Tutli-Putli, Montreal, National Film Board of Canada, NFB, OIAF, Ottawa International Animation Festival, Persepolis, shorts, stop-motion, United Kingdom October 5, 2007
 If you're in Montreal, before you go to the Poetry in Motion screening tomorrow, you may want to drop in at the National Film Board's Cinérobotheque, less than a 5 minute walk away. As part of a weekend of screenings of short programmes from this year's Fantasia festival, the Outer Limits of Animation Program will be screening at 3:00 p.m. The program repeats on Sunday at 5:00 p.m.For nearly two hours, you will be able to see shorts selected by North America's premiere cult film festival for just $7 (less if you're a student). Labels: events, Fantasia festival, Montreal, National Film Board of Canada, NFB, shorts October 2, 2007
 Didn't go to Ottawa this year? Even if you went, you might not have been able to see the special screenings on poetry and animation, Poetry in Motion. If you live in Montreal, you can see both programs this week on Thursday and Saturday at the Cinémathèque Québécoise. The programmer is the National Film Board producer and author Marcel Jean, and he has selected shorts that span decades and geographical boundaries (although the first screening is half Canadian, including Québécois, in its content).From Words to Images Thursday, October 4, 6:30 p.m. Primiti Too Taa, Ed Akerman, Colin Morton Essere morti o essere vivi è la stessa cosa, Gianluigi Toccafondo Forgetfulness, Julian Grey Rain, Michael Sewnarain Espolio, Sidney Goldsmith Aloud/Bagatelle, Don McWilliams 6 haïku, Éric Ledune A Said Poem, Veronika Soul Tengo la posizione, Simone Massi The Old Fools, Ruth Lingford Poetry is Child’s Play, Bouwine Pool Sandburg’s Arithmetic, Lynn Smith Tread Softly, Heebok Lee At the Quinte Hotel, Bruce Alcock (click the image above for an excerpt.) The Film as Poetry Itself Saturday, October 6, 5:00 p.m. Accordion, Michèle Cournoyer Stones (Sten), Lejf Marcussen Beginnings, Clorinda Warny, Suzanne Gervais, Lina Gagnon As people, Ursula Ferrara Kaiten Mokuba, Thomas Hicks 9 in a Chimney 10 in a Bed or Hates A Strong Word, Jean-Jacques Villard Renaissance, Walerian Borowczyk Night on Bald Mountain, Alexandre Alexeïeff, Claire Parker Grace, Lorelei Pepi Mr. Pascal, Alison de Vere Repete, Michaela Pavlátová Labels: events, Montreal, OIAF, Ottawa International Animation Festival, shorts September 25, 2007
 The Halo phenomenon continued unabated with today's release of Bungie Studios' Halo 3. I think it is inarguable that the most viewed animation today was seen by the countless fans who lined up to buy the Xbox 360 game and who ran home early or even took the day off (you know who you are) to play. The 20 minutes of cinematics in the game were completed by animators at the Montreal animation and effects house DamnFx. It's refreshing that their team has not been shy about their enthusiasm for being able to work on the character animation, something people tend not to think of when considering CG or in-game animation. The creators who will also have a presence at this year's ADAPT conference, including a special presentation by Bungie Studios' lead producer and cinematics director on the animation contribution to Halo 3 on Thursday, September 27.Labels: ADAPT, computer animation, events, Montreal September 24, 2007
 Wrapping up Norman McLaren's retrospective world tour, the NFB pairs up with the Montreal Symphony to present a special hybrid performance of music and cinema.Next week in Montreal, the symphony will play musical accompaniment to four of the animator's greatest works; Blinkity Blank, Love on the Wing, Neighbours/Voisins and Hell Unlimited. The richness of full symphonic sound will no doubt offer a fitting complement to the large screen presentation of McLaren's animation genius. The evening performance comes first (October 2), followed by the matinee (October 3), which sounds like a great idea for a class field trip to me. For school group reservations, call the MSO at 514-842-3402. What: The Air Canada Words and Music Concerts series When: Tuesday, October 2, 2007 at 8:00 p.m. Where: Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier at Place des Arts, Montreal Kent Nagano, conductor Gabriel Thibaudeau, pianist What: The Symphonic Matinees series When: Wednesday, October 3, 2007 at 10:30 a.m.Where: Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier at Place des Arts, Montreal Kent Nagano, conductor John Zirbel, OSM principal horn Gabriel Thibaudeau, pianist Labels: events, Montreal, National Film Board of Canada, NFB, Norman McLaren, shorts, visual music September 22, 2007
 The Animator's Picnic in Strathcona Park was plenty of fun. Lots of people were glad to see familiar faces and make new connections. This was my chance to see Martine Chartrand and Pilar Newton again. Pilar was one of the winners in the annual pumpkin carving contest again this year. Her pumpkin toaster was a hit with the crowd, along with many others. Another prizewinner was a pumpkin inspired by Luis Cook's Aardman Animation short, The Pearce Sisters. It was also a chance for the animation community to come together to help the family of the late Helen Hill. During the picnic, donations were contributed to an education fund for her son, the Francis Pop Education Fund.Labels: Aardman Animations, events, festivals, National Film Board of Canada, NFB, OIAF, Ottawa International Animation Festival  People often forget that not every event at the Ottawa International Animation Festival requires that you get a babysitter before you leave home. There are many opportunities to take the kids with you. Here's a list of family friendly events.Labels: events, festivals, OIAF, Ottawa International Animation Festival, shorts, workshops September 21, 2007
 (click to enlarge.)The single largest digital animation-related event in Montreal this year is the ADAPT conference, which began last year with a bang. The conference (Monday, September 24 to Friday, September 28) focuses on digital art production techniques, including animation and game development. Some highlights this year include keynote speaker Phil Tippett, returning guest Syd Mead, and speakers from Pixar, Sony Imageworks, Dreamworks and Industrial Light and Magic, among others. Those looking for work in concept design and animation will want to attend the ADAPT job fair and master classes. If you're in Ottawa this year for the Ottawa International Animation Festival, you can get a reciprocal discount for each event. Check their sites for details. Labels: ADAPT, CGI, computer animation, events, Montreal, OIAF, Ottawa International Animation Festival, workshops  Last year, the Tokyo Museum of Contemporary Art (also just known as Museum of Tokyo or MOT) held a notable exhibition, The Art of Disney. A beautiful catalogue was also published for the exhibit featuring works that were once thought lost. This summer, the DVD catalogue of the exhibit was released in Japan as well.I decided I was going to see whatever exhibit was showing at the museum when I was in Tokyo, as I like to do in any new city I visit. It ended up the major exhibit was also animation-related this year: a retrospective of work by Art Director Kazuo Oga. Kazuo Oga worked on a diverse animation projects such as Barefoot Gen, Dagger of Kamui and Wicked City before creating the background art for My Neighbor Totoro at Studio Ghibli. He went on to work on all of the subsequent features for the studio, and last year, directed his own film for the studio, Taneyamagahara no Yoru.  The lush scenery he creates with his brush is truly breathtaking, and the museum selection was as dense as an of the green forest background he is known for. The sheer number of pieces was more than I have seen for comparatively-sized art exhibitions of any type, and I have never seen its like for animation artwork, mostly from the Studio Ghibli archives. He captures the spirit of the countryside, but also of everyday Japan with a balance of love and accuracy. Almost all of the art is unphotographable. Near the end of the exhibit, after a room of multiplane setups, there are a number of backgrounds that are blown up so that people can pose in front of them, but most people just step back in wonder to take a whole new look at the art. (I couldn't help posing with Totoro, though.)Afterward, everyone was invited to fold an origami Totoro in an open room, with mini-backgrounds. Here's mine. Like the Art of Disney catalogue, a catalogue has been published for this exhibit as well. A DVD is forthcoming for the end of the year. The exhibit has been extended until September 30. If you find yourself in Tokyo, you won't want to miss it. Labels: anime, art, books, Disney, events, exhibitions, Japan, Studio Ghibli, Totoro September 18, 2007
 As a delegate for the 67th World Science Fiction Convention bid for 2009, I had the chance to attend this year's 65th Worldcon in Yokohama, Japan. While I was there, people were buzzing about many different types of fandom, including science fiction and fantasy in animated form. In addition to the Artist Guest of Honour Yoshitaka Amano, who got his start working on Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (Battle of the Planets or G-Force) and more recently contributed the character designs for Final Fantasy and the seventh dream in Ten Nights of Dreams, the big animation talk among fans from East and West was the DVD release of Studio Ghibli's Gedo Senki (Tales from Earthsea).It didn't hurt that Yoji Takeshige, the film's art director, was on hand to discuss the look of the film and (unfortunately, unphotographable) art from the film was entered in the Art Show. The film was selling swiftly in the dealers' room, especially to North Americans who will be among the last to see the film because of a rights issue with the Sci-Fi Network, who released the execrable live-action mini-series based in the same world created by Ursula K. Le Guin (as a fan of her works, I am at once excited and scared to watch the entire film based on her reaction). Although , I am not so sure about the overall direction of the film given the very public tensions between Miyazaki father and son, one thing I do know is that the dub will be superb, as it has been overseen by John Lasseter. I'll crack it open soon and see how it goes. Labels: anime, events, features, Hayao Miyazaki, Japan, Studio Ghibli, Yoshitaka Amano September 13, 2007
If you're an animator looking for work, you need to get yourself over to the Ottawa International Animation Festival if you can humanly manage it. For a number of reasons, but one is the Animators For Hire event featuring companies like Blue Sky, Nelvana and Walt Disney Animation Studios.
 It's simple, just go to the OIAF website, check out the list of interviewees, and follow the steps (but do it all by this Friday, September 14): 1. Review what each company is looking for to make sure you would be a good fit. Take note of what countries they can take applicants from, and the level of experience they are looking for.Forget speed-dating. Clean up your portfolio, and get ready for the speed-meeting that could really change your life. Labels: events, festivals, OIAF, Ottawa International Animation Festival August 17, 2007
 The annual SIGGRAPH conference ended less than a week ago, and Emru is still in recovery. Here's something for those of us who couldn't make it.Our local chapter, ACM SIGGRAPH Montreal, is hosting a screening of selections from the Computer Animation Festival in Parc de la Paix, the space next to the Society of Arts and Technology (SAT) at 1195 Saint-Laurent this Saturday, August 18. An outdoor screening would be great, but in case of rain, it will move next door to the SAT who are always gracious hosts. You can view the 2007 trailer here. Find your local SIGGRAPH chapter. July 4, 2007
 There's once again talk of a Samurai Jack feature, but this time, rather more sensibly, it's to be animated, with creator Genndy Tartakovsky directing. Fred Seibert has launched Frederator Films (along with Kevin Kolde and Eric Gardner), with the aim of producing animated features for under $20 million. Aside from Samurai Jack, the other initial projects are stop-motion The Neverhood (based on the game I praised last year, with creator Doug TenNapel on board to direct) and the hip-hop The Seven Deadly Sins, with Don King signed to provide a voice (!).If you happen to find yourself in Beja, Portugal in the next two months, the Animatu digital animation festival is screening the best of last year's films. In July they'll be screening a short every hour from 9:00 p.m. to midnight at the Galeria do Desassossego; in August they'll be screening a short before every feature on Mondays at the Pax Julia Municipal Theatre. And if you're a digital filmmaker, don't forget: you've still got just under two weeks to submit your work for this year's festival. (The new deadline's July 15.) Teheran's Experimental and Documentary Film Center wants to kick-start Iran's animation industry by supporting the production of more animated shorts, as well as theatrical features, with an emphasis on films with a distinctive directorial touch. I'm all for auteur cinema, especially those that are distinctly of the culture that produced them, but I'm curious as to the flavour of the films that will be produced, as Iran has a history of being less than supportive of films the government deems anti-Islamic, anti-Iranian or anti-government (including the recent Persepolis). In some cases that makes the resulting films more interesting, as directors find new, creative ways of slipping in their messages while getting around state censors and critics. This Saturday the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco plays host to Blast Off!, an exhibition on comics and manga that will feature taiko drumming, cosplay, panel discussions with Gilles Poitras and Fred Schodt, and more. The event, which ties into the museum's Osamu Tezuka exhibit, appears to have the goal of connecting teens who are into manga and anime with a deeper understanding of Japan, anime and manga. Cool. July 11 will see a tribute to Woody Woodpecker in Hollywood, at Mann's Chinese 6 Theater. On the guest list are Leonard Maltin, Billy West, June Foray, Maurice LaMarche and Phil Roman. (I'm assuming that there will be actual Woody Woodpecker cartoons screened as well, but there's no mention.) People in the neighbourhood can go to this event for free, and the rest of us can watch the show online. Either way, you'll need to visit the website to sign up. Labels: Animatu, anime, events, festivals, Frederator, Iran, Los Angeles, Persepolis, Portugal, Samurai Jack, San Francisco, shorts, The Neverhood June 18, 2007
 It's rare that we run more than one contest at a time, but sometimes we're just bursting with giveaway goodness. We're giving two winners a two full passes each for next week's Platform International Animation Festival, and another two winners are getting a copy The Art of Ratatouille, which features 160 pages of art and text (text? No, really, we get it for the pictures) about the making of Pixar's latest feature. You can enter the Platform contest here and the Art of Ratatouille contest here. The contests close 1t 11:59 p.m. on June 22 and June 29, respectively.Labels: contest, events, festivals, Pixar, Platform, Portland June 5, 2007
 I have a soft spot for mythology and folk tales, especially when they're produced by individuals or small teams. Favourites include the Dust Echoes series and the films of Nick Kozis; now I can add Croatian Tales of Long Ago, produced by Helena Bulaja. Helena brought together animators from around the world to create eight Flash-animated shorts based on stories from Ivana Brlić Mažuranić's 1916 book of the same name, allowing each one to put his or her spin on it and add interactive elements. For me, the perfect matchup between story, style and interactivity was How Quest Sought the Truth by Nathan Jurevicius: the laid-back delivery, quirky style and fun but challenging (and completely optional) Flash games just clicked for me. But honestly, the whole project is a delight. You can check out segments for free on the project's website, or buy the CD-ROMs—which are chock full of extras, including the original stories—from the Web shop.Last year, many of us in the northeast faced an enormous quandary: go to the 30th anniversary Ottawa International Animation Festival, or to the inaugural ADAPT Conference in Montreal, held the same weekend? Independent animation or the gorgeous art to be found in big-budget features? Konstantin Bronzit or Syd Mead? It was a dilemma of soul-crushing, garment-rending proportions. Fortunately, this year our spirits and outerwear are safe: the 2007 edition of ADAPT is being held immediately after Ottawa, so you could conceivably rush from one to the other. None of the master class topics have been announced as yet, but Syd Mead, Iain McCaig and Mark Goerner are already confirmed as guests. Forgot to mention earlier that Laurie Maher and Jason Walker will be hosting the North American premiere of Madame Tutli-Putli at the Worldwide Short Film Festival in Toronto on June 13. Coolest mug ever. Do you create animation in SWF format? If so, you'll want to contact Adobe's Customer Research team; they're looking to collect SWF content to get an idea of what people are using the format for, so they can better support them. If you want to make sure animation is well represented, send the following to flashresearch [at] adobe.com by July 6:
Labels: anime, computer animation, Croatia, events, Flash animation, Madame Tutli-Putli, Montreal, National Film Board of Canada, NFB, reviews May 29, 2007
 This weekend was Anime North 2007, and convention goers made the most of it with plenty of cosplay, hours of video, and panels that stretched long into the night.As a four-time panelist, I introduced myself as a blogger for fps. My panels included musings on Avatar: The Last Airbender, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, the hikikomori phenomenon in Japan, and cyborgs in anime. I was a panelist alongside Dr. David Stephenson and Derwin Mak, among others. Being a panelist is very rewarding, and lends structure to what otherwise might be an incomprehensible whirlwind of photo-taking, squeeing fangirls, and scrambling to find that last-minute steal in the dealers' room.  As an anime convention, Anime North is the laid-back, easy-going Canadian cousin of Anime Expo or the Big Apple Anime Festival. It's not American, so distributors are sceptical of debuting new titles there. On the other hand, last year's convention boasted ten thousand attendees. There seemed to be a little something for everyone -- one hotel was designated "Yaoi North," featuring both yaoi-themed panels as well as viewing rooms for teens 18 and older -- with all-night anime, gaming rooms for all platforms, and pencil-and-paper RPGs, and multi-franchise masquerade competitions, fashion shows, tea parties, midnight ballroom dancing, J-rock and J-pop performances, multi-hour AMV competitions, autographs from the likes of Wendee Lee and Johnny Yong Bosch, and chocolate fountains. There was even a pool party. All of this is very fun, especially if one is staying in one of the three or four hotels involved in the convention. But the trade-off is that with programming and attendees spread over multiple locations, volunteers and programmers have no central authority. Several times during the convention, I would ask volunteers for assistance, and was given misinformed or conflicting advice. Case in point: when joining a long autograph queue, I asked a volunteer where exactly the end of the line was. "I have no idea," he said. He pointed, and said: "It's there, I think." Naturally, the line changed direction after an hour, proving both the volunteer -- and my good sense -- completely wrong. When I asked another volunteer why the person I had spoken with earlier was so misinformed, she said: "He just didn't know we were going to change things around." This kind of misunderstanding ruled at the convention, with volunteers posted at doors proclaiming them to be "exit only," (instead of, say, clearly-posted exit signs) and volunteers loudly complaining "I don't know what my job is!" to their alleged supervisors while waiting anxiously in panel-designated areas. This is not to say that I do not endorse Anime North wholeheartedly. Anime conventions in general are like a kinder, gentler three-day Mardi Gras, and there's something good for the soul about basking in the presence of other fans. Watching first-time visitors, talented cosplayers, and wide-eyed parents with their much-savvier children is always a treat, and part of the convention experience. "I've had such an awesome time," said a first-time attendee to me on the final day. "I don't ever want it to end." And it's that sense of comfortable wonder and community that fans and friends-of-fans should attempt to facilitate at these gatherings. I fully intend to visit next year. You should come, too.Labels: anime, Anime North, conventions, events, Toronto May 11, 2007
 Last night, Montreal's animation community descended on the Cinémathèque Québecoise to honour the National Film Board's Hélène Tanguay. Thirty-seven years after starting at the Board—her first and only place of employment—she'll be retiring from her position as marketing manager for the NFB's English Animation Studio, and about a hundred of her friends and colleagues showed up to wish her well. (The picture at left was taken seconds before the evening was officially underway. Hélène is in the orange shirt, at right.)"Marketing manager" sounds like a dull title, perilously close to the "suits" that are reviled by many animation artists and fans. Hélène, however, is no self-important suit. More than once, the words "passionate" and "devoted" were used to describe her love of animation, and she counts many of its most prodigious practitioners as friends. It's not her fault that other marketing managers don't live up to her gold standard. My view of Hélène is that she's one of those people for whom the phrase joie de vivre was invented. She's always smiling or laughing whenever I see her, as are the people around her. In 2004, the train we were riding to the Ottawa International Animation Festival broke down in the middle of nowhere. It was a warm and humid day, and without air conditioning it didn't take long for us to start roasting. We waited for hours before another train showed up to push us to a station and we could be transferred to buses—and Hélène was cracking jokes throughout, despite her obvious discomfort. At the two Ottawa festivals since then she's found new ways to mine the event for laughs. I mention this to set the context for last night's vibe. Cinémathèque animation curator Marco de Blois was wearing what I'll call Hélène-style earrings, as were Chris Hinton, NFB executive producer David Verrall, and animator Jacques Drouin. Introductions and tributes were accompanied by chuckles and outright howls of laughter. But there was a lot of affection, and I suspect Hélène made good use of the box of tissues Marco supplied her with at the outset. This was all part of the first part of the evening, which Marco referred to as "The H.T. Project," hatched by a secret cabal of animators and NFB personnel. Nine tributes were paid by ten animators, who each gave an introduction (in person, by written note, or by video) and explained the personal connection behind the particular film they'd selected to be screened for Hélène and everyone in attendance. Here's a list of the presenters and the lineup: Michèle Cournoyer - The Big Snit Cordell Barker - An Old Box Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis - The Hedgehog in the Mist (in the original Russian, with a live voiceover by Martine Chartrand) Jacques Drouin - The Little Forest Chris Hinton - Rabbit Marv Newland - Dinner for Two Martin Rose - My Financial Career Paul Driessen - Broken Down Film Stephen McCallum - Sledgehammer After the films, we went to the lobby to pose for pictures with Hélène, then to the café to talk about the evening, stun Hélène with her third standing ovation, and generally mingle. A few hours later on the train ride home I reflected on the fact that the audience represented, for me at least, twenty years of relationships: friends, classmates, professors, and a few inspirations as well. I've been to more than a few gatherings like these, but it's rare that they have as much energy as this—and never before has the linchpin been someone who isn't an animator. It reminded me of something Kino Kid said two years ago: Animation is people . Hélène's love for the form and those that are equally passionate about it was felt and shared by everyone there.Though she's worked behind the scenes for all this time, her influence has been profound. Labels: events, Montreal, National Film Board of Canada, NFB May 9, 2007
 A special tribute to animation stalwart Helene Tanguay will be held on Thursday, May 10 at La Cinematheque Quebecoise.After several months of preparation by the National Film Board of Canada and La Cinematheque Quebecoise, a selection of films by ten Canadian filmmakers have been hand-picked just for her in the utmost secrecy. Attend the screening to find out the 10 films that have been dedicated to her (and who did the dedicating) on the brink of her retirement from the NFB. Helene has also been named Honorary President of the Ottawa International Animation Festival for 2007. May at La Cinematheque Quebecoise Labels: events, Montreal, National Film Board of Canada, NFB, OIAF, Ottawa International Animation Festival, shorts May 8, 2007
 I've got to find a way to get to San Francisco. From June 2 to September 9, the Asian Art Museum plays host to Tezuka: The Marvel of Manga, an exhibition focusing on the work of the man who revolutionized manga and anime. Anime hipsters take note: without Tezuka's lovable, cute-as-a-button characters, you wouldn't have Ghost in the Shell, Neon Genesis Evangelion and Death Note to swoon over. You can pay the man his due by visiting the exhibit, which will feature over 200 pieces of artwork from the God of Manga, including. And that's just the tip of the iceberg, with presentations, screenings and other events accompanying the exhibit. Can't make it to SF? Then at least check out the podcasts on the man and the manga. (You'll find them under the "Tezuka" link from the entry page.)A couple of festivals are looking for animation submissions: Romania's aniMOTION European Animation Festival is accepting entries until May 20; the Woodstock Museum Film/Video Festival in New York has an early deadline of May 31. Don Bluth and Gary Goldman still want to make a feature-length prequel feature based on the Dragon's Lair arcade game. In the right hands, I think I might enjoy the comedic adventures of Dirk the Daring as a young, somewhat hapless knight. I just don't know who "the right hands" would be. A team of Iranian animators aims to produce two animated works with the theme of "National Unity, Islamic Solidarity" on July 5, with the intent of establishing (or breaking?) the record for the world’s fastest animation. Uh, how is that measured, exactly? I can make animation pretty quickly—it just wouldn't be particularly long. Anyway, the films will be produced between the morning and evening calls to prayer. Animator Steve Moore has launched Flip, an online magazine entirely created by animators and animation artists. The first issue features an interview with storyboarding guru and all-around nice lady Nancy Beiman. Labels: anime, events, exhibitions, features, festivals, Osamu Tezuka, Romania May 3, 2007
 The 34th Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema Student Film Festival a.k.a Concordia University's YES—year end screening—will be held at the very scenic Cinema du Parc arthouse theatre. There won't be an animation exclusive night but plenty of student frame-by-frame films are scattered throughout the week—from May 4th to the 10th.Most of the screenings include at least 5 animated shorts. The Best of the Fest happenin' on thursday May 10th includes only 2 though. So check out the very intensive program and plan your schedule. Concordia shorts—whether live action or animation—are generally very refreshing. Attend a few screenings and you just might catch some films that will become student fest favorites by the end of the year. General admission is 5$, 3.50$ for students. Best of the Fest is respectively 7$ and 10$. Cinema du Parc is located at 3575 ave. du Parc, Montreal. May 2, 2007
 Last week was only a warm-up: May is a busy animation month at the Cinematheque Quebecoise. Things get underway Thursday, May 3, with a selection of Animation Classics of the 1980s. Each of the six films would make it worth seeing an entire program of animation shorts.Tale of Tales, Yuri Norstein Tyll the Giant, Rein Raamat The Cat Came Back, Cordell Barker Rectangles & Rectangles & Rectangle, René Jodoin Do Pivnice (Down in the Cellar), Jan Svankmajer Jumping, Osamu Tezuka May 10 On the eve of her retirement, a secret program of 10 films has been prepared for Hélène Tanguay (Marketing Manager for the NFB's English Animation Studio) by a team of employees at the CQ and the National Film Board. Details to come. May 17, May 18, May 20, May 24, May 25, May 31, June 1, June 7  New York independent animator Bill Plympton graces the city once again with his presence. Yes, his films will be showing right until June!May 17 is a special workshop with Bill Plympton. He will discuss his career as an animator, do an drawing demonstration and explain how directors can make a living working on short films. On May 18, there will be a screening of his shorts from 1977-1994 (in the presence of the director), and May 19, watch the balance of shorts from 1994 to the present. The next four screenings will be devoted to his features, The Tune, I Married a Strange Person!, Mutant Aliens, and Hair High. If I died from an overdose, this is the way I'd want to go out. Labels: Bill Plympton, events, features, Montreal, National Film Board of Canada, New York, NFB, shorts April 26, 2007
 This has been kicking around on my hard drive for some time, and I was surprised to discover I hadn't posted it here before. Someone has posted an extensive collection of opening credit sequences from anime robot shows on YouTube, spanning from 1963 to 1996. The first collection starts with Tetsujin 28, the very first giant robot show, and the last collection closes out with Gaogaigar. A nice look at what hasn't changed (catchy pop songs, lots of crazy camera moves over zooming mecha) and what has (the sudden transition from black and white to colour, the creeping introduction of CGI) over the first 33 years of robot anime. Old-school anime fans can also see the original openings to Go Lion (brought over here as the five-lion Voltron), Dairugger XV (the vehicle Voltron, my favourite), Mazinger Z (Tranzor Z) and UFO Robot Grendizer (Grendizer, Goldorak and Goldrake in English, French and Italian).Last week we kinda snuck a little note in our newsletter about a special going on at Amazon.ca right now, where several dozen anime DVDs are being sold for up to 42% off. Strangely enough, one of the discounted titles is the decidedly Danish The Boy Who Wanted to Be a Bear, which René Walling reviewed in our May 2005 issue. From May 4–25, the Stay Gold Gallery in Brooklyn, New York is hosting the latest Too Art for TV exhibition, in which artists who have worked on such productions as Ice Age, SpongeBob SquarePants, A Scanner Darkly and Venture Bros. present their own artistic creations. Black Entertainment Television are putting three new animated series into production: Bufu, an animated sketch comedy; Cipha, a near-future science fiction story in which young people rebel against the outlawing of hip-hop culture; and Hannibal the Conqueror, a series that aims to tell the life story of the legendary military genius. The variety of genres certainly looks promising, and the sort of thing I was hoping for when Denys Cowan signed on at the network. New Israeli studio Animation Lab is embarking on a feature with a script by Philip LaZebnik, Alex Williams as director and Jim Ballantine as producer. Between the three of them they've worked on Mulan, Pocahontas, Open Season, Robots, Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, Brother Bear 2 and Bambi II. The movie is called The Wild Bunch and is about "a group of genetically modified cornstalks who attack a group of common wildflowers." That's the best you guys could do? Really? Labels: anime, Black Entertainment Television, events, exhibitions, features, Israel, New York  I'm a big fan of sampling, mash-ups and multidisciplinary work, and of animation and dance. So I'm intrigued by tomorrow's premiere of Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon's Norman. The creators aim to use projections of Norman McLaren's work combined with live classic and contemporary dance.If you're in Ottawa, you can see it on April 26-30 at the National Arts Centre (NAC) during the Québec Scene festival. A personal viewing station will be set up at NAC with McLaren's work during the course of the festival. After that, 4DArt will stage Norman in Toronto, throughout Asia, Montreal, and throughout France. Labels: events, festivals, National Film Board of Canada, NFB, Norman McLaren, visual music April 25, 2007
Two great events are happening in Montreal on Thursday evening, April 26th. The problem is figuring out which one to go to or how to attend both without running oneself ragged.
At 6:30, The Cinémathèque Québécoise screens a program of Hélène Tanguay's picks for Animation Classics of the 1970s, with an emphasis on Polish shorts and cream of the crop from the NFB. Shorts by Ivanov Vano and Yuri Norstein, John Weldon and Eunice Macaulay are included and this will also be another chance to see Frank Film. The program continues next week with the '80s picks. [Correction: The April 26 and May 3 programs aren't related to the Hélène Tanguay program, which is top-secret and appears on May 10. However, the lineups are still several levels of amazing. —Emru]  At 8:00, Red Bird Studios (135 Van Horne) is hosting a one-night only art show for the creators of the indie comics anthology Hickee. I especially like the work of editor Graham Annable (check out the Grickle comics and shorts), Scott Campbell and Raz. The contributors also work in other artistic disciplines, including animation and game design, but after picking up an issue - you don't need to be told - it becomes pleasantly obvious in much of the work.Labels: comics, events, Montreal, National Film Board of Canada, NFB, Oscars, Poland April 23, 2007
 This Saturday the Boston Cyberarts Festival will be hosting the first Visual Music Marathon, a twelve-hour screening of 64 historic and contemporary animated works that marry sight and sound. The Marathon starts runs from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. at Northeastern University's Raytheon Amphitheater. You can find the complete lineup, as well as a nine-minute compilation of clips from the marathon, here. Labels: Boston, events, festivals, visual music April 19, 2007
Germany is the host country at the international animation festival Cartoons on the Bay in Salerno, Italy / Seven German programmes announced as official selections for the Pulcinella Award / Berlin-based Cartoon Film named Studio of the Year
Berlin/Salerno, 19 April 2007 – 'Focus on Germany' – Germany is the featured country at Cartoons on the Bay, the international animation festival in Salerno, Italy which gets underway today and continues until Sunday. The festival released the following statement: "Every year Cartoons on the Bay highlights a particular country that has shown significant growth and development in the field of animation. For this year's edition Germany was selected because of its long artistic, technological and industrial traditions. This special 'Focus on Germany' will devote particular attention to independent German producers, public institutions and other top players in German animation by means of presentations of their activities, perspectives and strategies as well as round tables discussing the potential of institutional agreements, funding and co-production possibilities. So far over 15 German production companies have registered." 'Cartoons on the Bay – il Festival Internazionale dell'Animazione Televisiva' is Italy's most distinguished international animation festival and one of the most important in the world. This year's will mark the eleventh edition of the festival. The gala will present animated television programme and film premieres and include workshops, a conference, various informational events and round table discussions. One of the festival's mainstays is the Pulcinella Awards, distinctions granted solely to international animated television shows. This year 280 programmes were submitted from 36 countries. Of these, seven German works were chosen in one of eight categories of the Pulcinella Award's official selection. "School of Vampires”, a production of Berlin's Hahn Film, received a Pulcinella Award nomination in the category TV Series for Children. In the Studio of the Year category, which was announced in advance, Berlin-based Cartoon Film and Italy's Maga Animation Studio took home Pulcinella Awards, joining previous winners, among them studios such as Aardman and Pixar. April 17, 2007
 On Wednesday, April 18th at 6:30 p.m., the animation community will pay tribute to Ryan Larkin, who left many—friends and strangers—heartbroken when word of his death from cancer occurred in mid-February. Just before his death, Larkin had begun animating again and had embarked on a project called Spare Change (the producer still plans to finish this film).This event is graciously hosted by the Cinémathèque Québécoise with the collaboration of the National Film Board of Canada. The following films will be screened: - excerpts from Pin Screen, Norman McLaren, 1973 - excerpts from Chez Schwartz, 2006 (documentary) - Alter Egos, 52 min (documentary on the making of Ryan) - interstitials for MTV - Forest Fire Clip: Burning Fox, 1971 - Canada Vignette: Trading Post, 1978 - Cityscape, 1966 - Syrinx, 1965 - Walking, 1968 - Street Musique, 1972 The evening promises many tributes from his friends and peers, including Chris Landreth and David Verrall. Labels: events, Montreal, National Film Board of Canada, NFB, Ryan Larkin April 2, 2007
 Ah, springtime. When a young fan's fancy turns to thoughts of... anime! Polygon Pictures' Kenji Ishimaru was at this year's Tokyo International Anime Fair, and he provides us with almost two dozen photos of who and what were happening. Labels: anime, events, festivals, Tokyo International Anime Fair
NEW YORK – April 2, 2007 – Calling all animators! Nicktoons Network, Nickelodeon's 24-hour animation network, in partnership with Frederator Studios, the festival's production house, are seeking entries for the fourth annual Nicktoons Network Animation Festival. Animators from around the world can submit their work to the first and only multiplatform animation festival from Sunday, April 1st through Friday, June 1st. Entry forms can be downloaded on www.nicktoonsnetwork.com.
"This is the Animation Festival's fourth year, and we're certain it'll be the best one yet," said Keith Dawkins, Vice President and General Manager, Nicktoons Network. "We're excited to work with Frederator once again and are looking forward to receiving submissions from around the globe for a festival created for animators and lovers of animation alike." "The film festival has allowed us to help independent animators reach a larger audience, which is very important to us," said Fred Seibert, Festival Executive Director and President, Frederator Studios. "We are also pleased to award prizes to indies to help them continue their work and realize their unique visions." The Nicktoons Network Animation Festival, co-produced by Radar Cartoons, is on the hunt for a selection of original short films created in any style of animation that do not exceed 10 minutes in length. Submitted shorts will be chosen by a pre-selection jury and will be showcased on-air and online on Nicktoons Network with five half-hour episodes kicking off Sunday, August 26 through Thursday, August 30, in addition to a "Best Of" episode on Friday, August 31. A grand jury will select a $10,000 grand prize winner from the top ten films chosen by the pre-selection jury. Labels: events, festivals, Nickelodeon, Nicktoons
Singaporean students fascinated by the delightful two-dimensional animation cartoons of SpongeBob SquarePants, The Simpsons and The Rugrats now have the opportunity to master the Emmy Award-winning technology behind these celebrated cartoon series and showcase their creative works for international voting and judging as part of a digital animation competition.
Toon Boom Animation Festival 2007 – first in Singapore Singapore will be the first country to host the inaugural Toon Boom Animation Festival, which kicks off on 2 April 2007 (www.toonboomcom/singaporeFestival). Co-organised by Toon Boom Animation Inc (Canada), Canadian High Commission and Media Development Authority of Singapore, with the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) as a Technology Partner, the Inaugural Toon Boom Animation Festival aims to encourage Singaporean students to express their creativity and talent through creating animation content using Toon Boom software, which has been used extensively by industry professionals to create popular animation series such as Spongebob Squarepants and the Simpsons. Upon the success of the Singapore edition, the Festival will travel to the other parts of the world, starting with Brazil later this year. Ms Joan Vogelesang, President and Chief Executive Officer, Toon Boom Animation Inc., said: "Recognising the wealth of creative potential Singapore has to offer and their intent to become a Digital Animation Hub, we are proud to launch our first-ever Toon Boom animation competition in Singapore and dedicate it to all its students. We thank the Canadian High Commission, the Institute of Technical Education and the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA), for their tremendous support and look forward to creative entries of students." Dr Christopher Chia, Chief Executive of MDA said: "We are pleased that Toon Boom has chosen Singapore as the first country to hold this digital animation competition. By providing Singaporeans with the opportunity to learn how to use media for work, learning and play, the Festival is one way to help raise the capabilities of our students and equip them with the skill sets relevant to the booming IDM (Interactive & Digital Media) industry. "This competition is another milestone that reflects the close collaborations between Singapore and Canada. It follows the Audio Visual Treaty on co-production signed in October 1998 between the Prime Ministers of Canada and Singapore, and the MOU between the National Film Board of Canada and the MDA signed last year on November 29 during the Asia Media Festival." "Canada is recognized internationally as a leader in new media and animation technologies. Our unique strength coupled with Singapore’s vision in becoming a world leading digital media capital give us great synergy to work together as partners," said His Excellency Alan Virtue, High Commissioner of Canada to Singapore. "We are extremely delighted to be a co-organiser of this competition and I hope it will inspire creative expressions in new media from young Singaporeans. I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to ITE and Toon Boom on the occasion of the Official Opening of their joint Centre of Excellence and I hope this will be the grooming ground for Singapore’s next generation of world-class animation artists." Through the Festival, Singaporean students will have the opportunity to create and showcase their works to an international audience and have their works judged by a global panel of expert judges, so they can gauge for themselves where they stand internationally. Free workshops will be conducted by ITE to train students who are not familiar with the Toon Boom software. Said Mr Bruce Poh, Director & CEO, ITE: "Through the ITE-Toon Boom collaboration which was forged last year, ITE lecturers were equipped with the skills in using the Toon Boom software solutions. They will now impart their knowledge in Toon Boom technology to participants to prepare them for the competition." What’s In It for Winners The top team to emerge from this competition will be rewarded with a one-month industry internship to top production studios, such as Nelvana Studios, located in Canada. The full details and Terms & Conditions of the Festival are listed at Annex A. Official Opening of ITE-Toon Boom Centre of Excellence in New Media In conjunction with the Launch of the Festival, ITE and Toon Boom Animation Inc (Canada) will also officially open its joint Centre of Excellence in New Media at ITE College Central. The Centre, which facilitates the execution of industry project development works by ITE staff using the Toon Boom software, is part of the two-year Memorandum of Understanding which ITE and Toon Boom Animation Inc (Canada) inked on 19 June 2006.
Norwalk, CT, April 1, 2007: Fans of anime and manga may now look forward to a brand new annual festival celebrating the very best of Japanese popular culture launching later this year in New York City. Reed Exhibitions, the organizer of New York Comic Con, has today announced the creation of the New York Anime Festival (NYAF) which will take place December 7-9, 2007 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in midtown Manhattan. "New York finally has an anime event of its own!" proclaims John McGeary, Show Manager for NYAF. Show planners note that the new event will be an extravaganza featuring the latest in anime, manga, Japanese cinema, music, and games, and the best of anime-influenced comics, animation, and film from around the world.
Show staff also note that by being in New York City, NYAF will allow exhibitors to interact with one of the largest anime fan bases in the country and at the same time garner tremendous exposure by being in the media capital of the world. "We are using our experience at New York Comic Con as our springboard," McGeary states. "We will continue to have strong anime programming at NYCC, but at the same time, we want to serve the anime community directly by giving them their own show. Anime has taken the nation by storm, and the professional and fan community in New York is looking for more. We want to give them as much as possible." By bringing professionals together with fans, convention organizers seek to create a productive and energized atmosphere that is modeled on NYCC. The professional element at NYAF will include book buyers, video retailers, libraries, booksellers, and other assorted industry professionals. The festival will span the complete breadth of anime pop culture including exclusive and extensive screenings, a gala cosplay masquerade, and sessions with the biggest names in anime from Japan, Asia, and America. The event will also explore the Japanese cultural experience with a showcase of both traditional and cutting-edge Japanese cuisine, apparel, and lifestyles. Of course, NYAF will also feature the latest in manga, toys, costumes, video games, trading card games, DVDs, music, and much more on the show floor. Festival organizers are anticipating that the early December date will be a major attraction to fans and other festival attendees as it is an exciting time to be in New York and see the city in the full splendor of the holiday season. McGeary states, "Our festival is a celebration of the anime art form, and so it seems only appropriate that we would have the show at a time when New York is abuzz with traditional holiday celebrations." The website for NYAF is now live and tickets are available at http://www.nyanimefestival.com/. Fans are also encouraged to sign up for a monthly newsletter by visiting the website. The New York Anime Festival will be sponsored by ADV Films, Anime Insider Magazine, Anime Network, Anime News Network, AnimeNEXT, Diamond Book Distributors, ICv2, Newtype USA Magazine, Playthings Magazine, TOKYOPOP, and VIZ Media. March 30, 2007
Starting tomorrow, the Smithsonian Associates in Washington, D.C. kicks off a two-and-a-half-month series of presentations on Japan titled Japan WOW! From Traditions to Trends. Looking through the Japan WOW! page, it looks like the events will be a nice mix of old and new, with presentations on Noh, ukiyo-e, bunraku, technology, fashion and pop culture.
On April 21 is Manga to Anime: From Astro Boy to Spirited Away. The morning program features Michael Uslan (executive producer on every Batman feature, live-action or animated, since 1989), director Ryuhei Kitamura, Production I.G co-founder Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, composer Kazuhiko Kato and Lotus representative Hiroshi Koizumi (Lotus is one of Japan WOW!'s many supporters) discussing the history and influence of manga. The afternoon program has Susan Napier examining anime as a global phenomenon. While I've never seen one of her presentations, I've praised Napier's writing before, so I expect this will be both enlightening and entertaining. [Thanks, ActiveAnime.] At $45 for general admission, Manga to Anime: From Astro Boy to Spirited Away ain't cheap. But given its length (it runs from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) and its guest list, I expect you'll get a lot for your money. March 14, 2007
Just corrected a minor oversight: For people who'd rather not download our last two video podcasts but are still interested in the interviews, I've added two audio-only versions for your enjoyment, with the earlier one back-dated to when it was supposed to go up. You'll find the Bruno Girveau interview here and the Lella Smith interview here.
Labels: Disney, events, exhibitions, interviews, Montreal  Much of the artwork seen at the Once Upon a Time Walt Disney exhibit comes courtesy of the Disney Animation Research Library, which is under the direction of Lella Smith. In this video podcast you can listen to my interview with her while watching a slideshow of some of the Library's artwork that's on display at the exhibit.Watch the video Labels: Disney, events, exhibitions, interviews, Montreal March 12, 2007
 Veteran Disney animator Andreas Deja was an unexpected guest at the press conference for the Once Upon a Time Walt Disney exhibit at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. I sat down with him and talked about how he was inspired to become an animator, and how he feels about anime, CGI, and people referencing his animation the way he used to reference his predecessors.Listen to the interview Labels: Disney, events, exhibitions, interviews, Montreal March 10, 2007
 Two days before the Once Upon a Time Walt Disney exhibit officially opened in Montreal, members of the press and other guests were invited to roam the museum during the morning press conference and the evening reception. Although the sheer amount of material is staggering, we hope this selection of photos will give you a taste of what's on display.See the photos Photos by Emru Townsend and Roy Patrick Disney Labels: Disney, events, exhibitions, Montreal  There is lots of programming today at the Festival of Films on Art (FIFA). There's something for everybody.If you missed the documentary Il Etait Un Fois... Walt Disney when it aired late last year with English subtitles, it will be showing again today and Sunday in French at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, where the exhibit of the same name has just started its North American run. The program begins at 2:00 p.m. (4:30 on Sunday) and is preceded by a documentary (with some animated sequences) on Kinder Surprise, a guilty pleasure of mine. (Note that today and tomorrow are also your last two chances to see Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the museum).  If you're all Disneyed out, at 4:30 p.m. there is a screening of Parnography, a documentary about Estonian animator Pritt Parn and his contemparies. It repeats later in the week.The documentary airs with Drawing Lessons and Histoires Mysterieuses d'Aujourd'hui, a collection of six Japanese tales of horror and does not have the typical hallmarks of mainstream Japanese animation. Both sound utterly fascinating. Labels: anime, Disney, documentaries, Estonia, events, exhibitions, features, festivals, FIFA, International Festival of Films on Art, Montreal, shorts March 7, 2007
The Once Upon a Time Walt Disney exhibit opens tomorrow at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and we did a tour of the exhibit yesterday. We've got a lot to say about the exhibit, but right now I'd like to point you to our first video podcast, in which we give a taste of what's on display, and interview curator Bruno Girveau. (Anime fans will also want to check out the interview for a surprise Girveau drops toward the end.) Labels: Disney, events, exhibitions, interviews March 5, 2007
Bill Kroyer, who has been working in animation for at least 25 years (his first credit I'm aware of is in Tron, and in 1988 he hilariously married hand-drawn and digital animation in his short Technological Threat) will be giving a free presentation at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon this Friday at 7:30 p.m. The presentation has the intriguing title "Animation and the Death of Fantasy," and is a look at computer animation techniques and their relation to traditional animation—which, given Kroyer's handiness with both forms, should make it quite the event.
The announcement mentions that he directed FernGully: The Last Rainforest, but you may also remember that he was tapped to direct the ill-fated Quest for Camelot, which ended up in the hands of Frederik Du Chau, considerably worse for the wear. If you end up going to the presentation and you must bring up Quest, please be gentle. Labels: events February 26, 2007
 As fascinating as it may be to see the inspiration, pre-production and final images from various Disney animated features, the Once Upon a Time Walt Disney exhibition wouldn't be complete without seeing the final products being discussed. To that end, the Cinémathèque Québécoise and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts are both screening Disney films to complement the exhibition, starting in March.The Cinémathèque starts things off this Friday with a collection of Alice shorts, the series that Walt Disney worked on before the Disney studio we know was formed. These silent films mixed live action and animation—and when you think about it, that wasn't all that uncommon back then—and will be screened to live piano accompaniment. The other two programs will feature Mickey Mouse shorts and Silly Symphonies. All of the programs will repeat at least once between March 2 and April 5; you can see the schedule on the Cinémathèque's Cinéma d'animation page. The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts will be screening eight Disney features (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo, Bambi, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan) between March 8 and April 29. (They'll be showing all of the Disney movies until The Jungle Book through to the exhibition's end in June; the rest of the schedule will appear on the site in time.) There will be English and French screenings, and admission is free, though you do have to pick up a ticket; details are on the museum's Films at the Museum page. Are you going to the screenings? And if so, which films are you looking forward to the most? Labels: Disney, events, exhibitions, Montreal  Disney fever will be sweeping Montreal shortly, what with the Il était une fois Walt Disney (Once Upon a Time Walt Disney) exhibition coming to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts for a three and a half-month run. If you're in town between March 8 and June 24, why not enter our Once Upon a Time Walt Disney contest? We're giving away two double passes for the exhibition, and all you've got to do is click here to enter.Labels: contest, Disney, events, exhibitions, Montreal February 23, 2007
Who says animating doesn't require physical fortitude? This year's SIGGRAPH features something new—the first international Fjorg! competition, in which sixteen teams of three animators each will have to put together a minimum of fifteen seconds of animation over 32 straight hours, using only the materials provided. Most intriguing are the planned but unspecified "distractions" that they must overcome.
If you're brave enough to give this a shot, you've got until May 1 to get a team together and submit a demo reel. More details are available on the SIGGRAPH 2007 site. February 3, 2007
Angelenos will also be able to feel the Oscar-short love; as in New York, all ten nominated shorts will be screened at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills on February 20 at 7:30 p.m. Unlike New York, this screening will feature onstage discussions with the nominated filmmakers (the ones that can make it, at any rate) and admission is free. To reserve your free tickets, call (310) 247-3000 or visit the Oscars website.
New Yorkers will have two chances to see all ten of this year’s Oscar-nominated films in the Animated and Live Action Short Film categories.
The Oscar PR department has announced in a press release that their annual Shorts! program will be presented on Saturday, February 17, at 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. at the Academy Theater in New York City. The screenings will be hosted by Robert Osborne, Hollywood Reporter columnist, host of Turner Classic Movies and official biographer of the Academy Awards. The 2006 Animated Short Film and Live Action Short Film nominees are: Short Film (Animated) The Danish Poet, Torill Kove, director Lifted, Gary Rydstrom, director The Little Matchgirl, Roger Allers, director; Don Hahn, producer Maestro, Geza M. Toth, director No Time for Nuts, Chris Renaud and Michael Thurmeier, directors Short Film (Live Action) Binta and the Great Idea, Javier Fesser, director; Luis Manso, producer Eramos Pocos, Borja Cobeaga, director Helmer & Son, Soren Pilmark, director; Kim Magnusson, executive producer The Saviour, Peter Templeman, director; Stuart Parkyn, producer West Bank Story, Ari Sandel, director Tickets for Shorts! are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. All seating is unreserved. Tickets may be reserved by calling 1-888-778-7575. Depending on availability, tickets may be purchased the day of the screenings. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. The Academy Theater is located at 111 East 59th Street in New York City. The Academy Awards will be presented on Sunday, February 25, 2007, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center. If you don't yet happen to have tickets to the big event, you will of course be able to catch it live on ABC TV like the rest of us.  We've got nothing but love for Mamoru Hosoda's feature The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, so I'm quite pleased to say that the film will be making its US premiere at the New York International Childrens's Festival on March 3. The screening is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.Animation is well represented at the festival. This year's lineup includes U and The Ugly Duckling on Film!, and the shorts cover a broad range, including several programs of NFB shorts, a Dr. Seuss retrospective (including the ever-timely The Lorax) and compilations grouped by age range. Early March looks like a great time to be a kid in New York. January 15, 2007
 Glitch, Montreal animation filmmaker Peter Ricq's new short, will premiere at Café Romolo this Friday, January 19. It's a sci-fi thriller that finds its protagonist, George, dragged into a parallel dimension. Ricq's films borrow equally from cutting edge design work, surrealism, absurd humour and classic character animation. His previous works have been shown in France, Taiwan, South Korea, Australia and Canada.Montreal premiere of Glitch Cafe Romolo, 272 Bernard West, (Metro Place des arts, Bus 80, Parc Ave). (514) 272-5035 Entrance to the screening is free. There will be an auction of Peter Ricq's illustrations and paintings. Check out the very cool trailer at: www.myspace.com/glitchfilm Peter Ricq's homepage: www.autacoid.net Labels: events December 30, 2006
 I've never been to the Barbican in London, but by all accounts it's a friend to animated cinema. The Independent reports that on January 30, February 20 and March 27 there will be three showings of anime hosted and curated by Helen McCarthy, in which she will illustrate how contemporary anime relates with world cinema. The three screenings will feature Perfect Blue, My Neighbor Totoro and part of Samurai 7. The Independent article makes a little gaffe in that it says that modern Disney influenced Totoro (the author misses the fact that her example of Lilo and Stitch came fourteen years after Totoro), but that shouldn't ruin your enjoyment of the films. Labels: anime, events, Hayao Miyazaki, Studio Ghibli, Totoro December 20, 2006
 Set the timer on your VCR/DVR, then tell your friends: The French documentary Walt Disney: Once Upon a Time, a companion to the similarly named museum exhibition that is nearing the end of its Paris run, is airing on CBC Newsworld across Canada on December 24 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT and again at 1:00 a.m. ET/PT. If we could, we'd already be lining up for the exhibition's arrival in Montreal on March 8; as it is, we'll content ourselves with devouring the hour-long special.
November 30, 2006
 The fifth edition of Les Sommets du Cinema d'Animation begins tomorrow at the Cinematheque quebecoise and repeats on Saturday.Animation curator Marco de Blois notes that humour in all of its forms is a dominant thread in many of the best shorts of the year. He also remarks that drama can still have a hint of humour, but a couple of the shorts remind us that sometimes laughter is futile in the face of the sadness that fills the world. Like life, animation is an emotional rollercoaster: hop on. This is a fine way to catch up on some of the most interesting animation that has shown in the last year, including Rabbit, Never Like The First Time, Jeu, Ici Par Ici, and Carnival of Animals. Download the entire screening list here. PROGRAM 1: Friday, Dec 1 (6:30 p.m) and Saturday, Dec 2 (9 p.m.) PROGRAM 2: Friday, Dec 1 (8:30 p.m.) and Saturday, Dec 2 at (7 p.m.) Tickets: $7 $6 Students and Seniors $4 Children 6-15 November 24, 2006
A quick note: RESfest's 10th edition of music, film, and live events returns for another Montreal stop this weekend. As usual, there is always something worth watching if you're an animation fan in search of some of the year's most innovative works.
My bet is on these four shows:  Shorts One includes Run Wrake's compelling Rabbit, PES' Game Over, Silence Is Golden and Ten Thousand Pictures of You. Richard Fenwick has a live-action short, but if you get a chance check out some of his work in animation. Shorts Two includes fewer shorts, but longer ones, including the documentary Never Like The First Time, the William Blake inspired Tyger, and Joanna Quinn's Dreams and Desires - Family Ties. Videos That Rock features the year's most beautifully crafted videos, and guess what: almost every one is animated, and in a wide variety of styles. I've been selling it to my friends by telling them this is the way Joel Trussell's War Photographer should be seen. Monkmus will be getting play with his video for Mogwai during this screening, and his older videos for Kid Koala, Basin Street Blues and Fender Bender will be shown at Kid Koala's special presentation. By Design is a tribute to technique but doesn't leave the artistry behind. A narrow-minded programmer would not include non-CGI animation in this selection, but the people at RESfest seem to understand that innovation transcends the tool being used.There's more animation during the festival, but if you have to pick and choose, and you want an excellent sample of cutting-edge animated work, these shows are a great start. Let us know what you think if you see RESfest in your city. November 18, 2006
 On Friday, 24 November, the National Film Board of Canada will open its doors to Animation Soup, a traveling showcase of up-and-coming Japanese animators working in media like clay, cut-paper, and even yarn. In addition, Japanese ukelele artist Futaba Nakayama and Toronto jazz band Phil n' Dots will provide live musical "collaboration" with the assembled short films. This is Animation Soup's first Canadian exhibit, having previously toured in Japan and Germany.Location: National Film Board of Canada (NFB Mediateque), 150 John St. Toronto, ON Phone: 416-973-3013 Doors: 7:30 pm Screening: 8:00 pm Tickets: $10.00 advance, $12.00 at the door Box offices: NFB, Queen Video, All in One Toronto Labels: anime, events, National Film Board of Canada, NFB November 13, 2006
 The Film Society in Montreal will be screening a 16mm print of Remembering Winsor McCay before the feature film The Fallen Idol. The short film is a 1976 documentary by animator and historian John Canemaker (also author of Winsor McCay: His Life and Art).Film Society screenings are always free (but you are encouraged to bring drinks and snacks for intermission) and often include animated selections. Wednesday, November 14th 7:30 pm Faubourg Tower, Room 401 (Metro Guy-Concordia) Labels: events  Emru and I are packing our bags and getting ready for the Waterloo Festival of Animated Cinema, in Waterloo, Ontario, which takes place next week. With an emphasis on feature films, we've noted before that the lineup is also notable because of its content and international scope. New films have been added since the initial announcement a few weeks ago, including The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (Japan) and Blood Tea and Red String (USA).It's especially easy to get to if you are in upstate New York, Michigan, Ontario, or Southern Quebec, but you shouldn't let distance stop you. Some of these films will not get this type of treatment in North America soon. This may be one of the few chances to see many program selections on the big screen. Would you rather see these films in 35mm or on DVD if you had the choice? Labels: anime, events, festivals, Waterloo Festival for Animated Cinema, WFAC October 29, 2006
 If you have read the article about the Computer Animation Festival and the Electronic Theater in our latest issue, you'll know that this selection of animation is among the most notable recent computer animation (among them is Michel Gagné's Insanely Twisted Shadow Puppets, shown here). It is the tradition of Montreal ACM SIGGRAPH to begin its season with a screening of Electronic Theater from the annual conference. This year's kick-off event will occur this week Wednesday, November 1st at the Society for Arts and Technology followed by an audio-visual remixing of the Electronic Theater as part of a special event in the [SAT]MixSessions series.What animation-related events are happening at your local chapter? October 27, 2006
 Karl Cohen at ASIFA San Francisco (ASIFA-SF) wrote about International Animation Day, and made a list of International Animation Day events. This is a long read—it covers every continent that has at least one cinema—so you'd better sit down.[Source: Maureen Furniss's Animation Journal mailing list.] In 2002, ASIFA (www.asifa.net), the International Animated Film Association, launched a global event to celebrate the art of animation. October 28th was proclaimed as International Animation Day, commemorating the first public performance of Emile Reynaud's Theatre Optique at the Grevin Museum in Paris in 1892. Beyond the several national ASIFA national Chapters (more than 30 different countries) which celebrate the International Animation Day, ASIFA invites you to join in by screening animated films, organizing workshops, exhibiting artwork and stills, providing technical demonstrations, and helping to promote the art of animation. Such a celebration is an outstanding opportunity of putting the animated film in the limelight, and making this art more accessible to the public. This year International Animation Day will be observed in 49 different countries all over the world. For the first time, countries as culturally diverse as Columbia, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, Turkey, Lebanon, Greece, Cuba, Estonia, Italy, China and even Russia will participate. In Brazil, Canada, Finland, India, Iran, Israel, Japan, Portugal, Spain and USA, there will be several days of celebration in different places, two weeks in France and a whole month in Beijing China (French Institute). In 2006, a system of program exchanges has been created to help participants put together culturally diverse animation programs from around the world. Some ASIFA chapters have planned free programs on DVD (Bulgaria, France, Hungary, Israel, Japan and USA Atlanta) and some programs have also been proposed from countries without ASIFA chapters (Argentina, Brazil and Portugal). This will definitely be a great benefit for the development of International Animation Day. List of the countries participating, by continents: Africa - Algeria, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal. America - Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Paraguay, Uruguay, USA. Asia - China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Lebanon, Uzbekistan, Taiwan. Europe - Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom. Oceania - Australia. AFRICA Algeria The 6th and 7th of November, the association Patrimoine and the French Institute will organize a lecture with Mr Jean-Pierre Pagliano about Paul Grimault and the French Animation Graduation Showcase will be screen in four different cities. Ghana Between the 21th and the 27th of October, in Accra, The NAFTI (The National Film and Television Institute) will organize the second edition of the African animation celebration. Morocco The 28th and the 30th of October, the French Institute of Meknès, organizer of the Intenational Animation Cinema Festival (FICAM), will organize several screenings of the French feature films It's Raining Cats and Dogs by Jacques-Rémy Girerd and Kaena, the Prophecy by Chris Delaporte and Pascal Pinon and will organize a workshop with the Moroccan animation director and teacher Said Bouftass. Senegal The Neighbourhood Film Festival of Dakar, will present the French animation graduation film showcase. AMERICA Argentina The 27th of October, at the Spanish Cultural Center, the Cordoba International Animation Festival "Anima", will screen a selection of animations from its three first editions as well as the French animation graduation showcase. At Villa Maria (Cordoba state), in collaboration with the collective of artists DestilArte Project, Anima festival will also organize the screening of a selection of animation schools from the UNC and the UNVM. http://www.animafestival.com.ar/ Bolivia At the Demiurgo Animation Workshop, screening of a selection of student works, a Nicobis Showcase (a production company that developped animation in Bolivia) for its 25th birthday, the feature Emeterio (1965), first animation film in Bolivia. The celebration will end by the screening of two features from Ghibli studios with the collaboration of the Japanese embassy. Brazil Coordinate by the ABCA (Brazilian Animation Cinema Association), The International animation day will be celebrate in 19 different cities all over the country, with many screenings of the ABCA programme, the House of Animation of Portugal's programme, the French Graduation Film Showcase's programme and differentworkshops and lectures. http://www.abca.org.br/ http://diadaanimacao.atspace.com/ Canada The 28th of October, the Canadian Film Institute in Ottawa, in collaboration with the Ottawa International Animation Festival will screen a special program of ten short films, from Fantasmagorie by Emile Cohl, 1908 to Red Buffalo Skydive by Jude Norris, 2005. http://www.cfi-icf.ca/ani_day.html The 17th of November, The Emily Carr Institute of Vancouver will present the French Animation Graduation Showcase. http://www.eciad.ca/www/ The 28th of October, à the CinéRobothèque, the NFB (National Film Board of Canada) will organise a master workshop « Animation witloof préméditation » with Jean Detheux. The same day, will begin the animation contest « Animate your clicks ! » http://www.onf.ca/animation/ The 27th at the Musée de la civilisation in Québec, will held a live performance by Frédéric Alouf, inspired by Norman McLaren's work and the 28th and 29th, workshops witloof camera will be directed by Geneviève Roy and Karl Lemieux, and the 29th, a program of McLaren's classiques will be screen http://www.onf.ca/ The 28th of October, The Cinematheque québécoise will screen the 10 films selected for the Animation Celebration Contest organized by the AFCA and Toonboom. http://www.cinematheque.qc.ca/ Chile The 24th of October, the Cinetheque of the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaiso, will organise two lectures, one with Jaime Cañas Lemesch and the other with Carlos Sespedes Aravena and will screen the French animation graduation showcase, the student films of Cordoba university, two short films programs and the documentary Magia Russica. http://www.flipfestival.org/ Colombia At the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano and the Universidad Los Libertadores, ASIFA Colombia will organize several screenings (including French animation graduation showcase), speeches and a forum. Cuba The International School of Film and TV of Havana will organize a whole week of exhibition of contemporary animation in the school and in San Antonio de los Baños. Besides, there will be a workshop and a special lecture of the greatest collector of animated films in the country. Paraguay The 15th Asunción International Film Festival (5th to 26th of October) celebrated animation in screening 7 animated features : Waking Life, Howl´s Moving Castle, The Dog, the General and the Birds, The King and the Monckinbir, It's Raining Cats and Dogs, Black Mor's Island, The Triplettes of Belleville and over 30 animated shorts from Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Czech Republic and the United States. The 26th of October, Lourdes Villagomez will give a presentation of Mexican Animation and a talk on independent animated shorts production in her country http://www.pla.net.py/cinefest Uruguay From the 9th to the 14th of November the Cinemateca Uruguaya will present 5 days of animation, on the topic proposed by the French Foreign Office : « Le Long s'anime », with 7 French feature films, from The King and theMockinbird by Paul Grimault to Black Mor's Island by Jean-François Laguionie. http://www.cinemateca.org.uy/ USA ASIFA Central will organize screenings in several schools in Michigan, including Grand Valley State University, Kellogg Community College, and Kendall College of Art and Design. http://www.swcp.com/animate/ Baltimore University will screen the French animation graduation showcase. ASIFA Hollywood will do a setting entitled "Smokin' Toons" http://www.asifa-hollywood.org/ ASIFA San Francisco ASIFA-San Francisco asked David Andrews, a former director at ILM, to present an illustrated talk on creating animated characters in features. He discussed various acting styles to a large audience of students, professionals and the general public at San Francisco State University. He showed clips that included Snow White and Dobby, the character he directed in the second Harry Potter feature. http://www.asifa-sf.org/ ASIFA Atlanta The 4th of November, in the Atlanta Relapse Theatre, ASIFA Atlanta will screen several animation programs, including the French Animation Graduation Showcase, ASIFA Japan program and ASIFA Hungary program http://www.asifa-atlanta.com/ ASIA China The French Cultural Center of Beijing will present during the whole month of October a large panorama of French contemporary animation, with Christian Volckman - who directed the feature Renaissance- as a special guest. Three short films programs and six features will be screened (Renaissance, Kirikou and the Sorceress, It's Raining Cats and Dogs, The Triplets of Beleville, Kaena the Prophecy), with a special non stop day screening, the 28th of Octobre at the Chinese Cinematheque. www.ccfpekin.org/cinema India The 28th of October, in Tata Theatre, National Centre for the Performing Arts at Mumbai (Bombay), ASIFA India and TASI (The Animation Society of India), will organize several events. Kicking off the celebration will be the Arts Mela, a 3 hour long free flow banquet of screenings, interactive sessions and animation art. The screenings will take place in multiple mini theatre settings, highlighting the finest of Indian and international animation from studios and students. In addition, the best animation from the Gaming industry and the best Indian ad films will be screened. A special showing of the award winning short film, Ryan, from the National Film Board of Canada, will also be screened. Interactive sessions will include Indian Puppet Shows, Claymation/Stop Motion, 3D Animation and 2D Animation. The main auditorium activities will include the world premiere of Maaa, a short film by Animagic for the Children's Film Society of India. This will be followed by the ASIFA Awards of Excellence for the best films in Indian animation for 2006. After dinner will be a special sneak screening of a new animated feature film… surprise! Smaller regional celebrations are planned to be held in other cities around the country including Delhi and Bangalore. http://ww.asifa.in Iran L'ASIFA Iran celebrates the day in Tehran Museum of Contemporary Arts, a bit in advance this year, from October 6th to 8th. It will include screenings of French new animated films, with the co-operation of the French Embassy, two workshops on traditional and new technology in 2D, 3D computer animation, two meetings of three generations of animators, an exhibition of drawing and design for animation from 30 artists, a Media Art non stop screening, a tribute to Mr. N. Karimi one of the pioneers in Animation art and a closing ceremony including awarding Plate of Honor to top artists in different professions of animation. There are some parallel activities in animation held in the provinces as well. Israel From 27th of October to 28th of November, Co-ordinated by ASIFA Israel, nine different places will celebrate International Animation Day, in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa, in screening 19 different programs including Among the Thorns, Lotta and Uzi Geffenblad, the documentary Pace of Peace, the French animation graduation showcase, The Moon and the Sun by John Canemaker, the Portuguese House of Animation's Program and an International selection of short films. Japan ASIFA Japan will organize screenings at Tokyo, Hiroshima and Kyoto. http://www.asifa.jp Jordan On the 28th of October at Aman, the Abu Mahjoob Studios will screen several Jordanian short films from Hadi and Hajjawari Productions, Jordan Pioneers Productions, Tharamedia, Saba & Younis E-Solutions, and animation independant directors Abtal Al Mahaba, Mahmmoud Hindawi, Mohammad Hushki, Lama Al Johary, Tarek Al Khateeb and Anas Balawi. http://www.mahjoob.com/ Korea Three days of célébration will be organized between the 17th and 19th of November, at the Seoul Animation Center Theatre, by the ASIFA Korea, in association with Korean Animation Artists Association, Korean Society of Cartoon & Animation Studies and Korean Independant Animation. Lebanon On the 28th of October, the French Institute of Beyruth will screen the French animation graduation showcase and a selection of Lebanese short films. Taiwan From the 27th to the 31th of October, in the Digital Content Institute and Dun-Nan Eslite Bookshop in Taipei and Tunghai University in Taichung, the Taiwan Animation Association (TAA) will organize the screening of "Taiwan New Talents", « Welcome Taiwan-2004 Annecy », "ASIFA Japan program ", "French animation graduation showcase from AFCA" and films from the Russian " Pilot Animation Studio". There will also be two master classes, the first with the French director and producer Georges Lacroix, and the second with the English director Joanna Quinn and the producer and scripwriter Les Mills. http://www.taa-animation.org/2006IAD Uzbekistan From the 28th to the 30th of October, at Tashkent, the Uzbekfilm studios will screen the French animation graduation showcase, the Portuguese program of the House of Animation, the documentary about Russian animation Magia Russica, a program of Argentinean University of Cordoba graduation films and will propose a meeting with the Uzbek director Sergey Alibekov, with a retrospective of his short films. There will also be a meeting with the pupils of Children's Art Studio. International Animation Day will also be celebrated in Indonesia. EUROPE Austria ASIFA Austria will present "Mozart Animations" - animated films connected with Mozart, "YEAH ! - Vol. 01", Yearly European Animation Highlights, A programme from the Crossing Europe Filmfestival. http://asifa.net/austria Belgium From 26th of October to the 7th of November, the Folioscope Association will present the Best of Anima 2006 in 14 movie theatres of Wallonie, Brussels and Flanders. http://folioscope.awn.com/ The High School of Visual Arts of La Cambre of Bruxelles and The Jacques Franck Cultural Center will present the 2005/2006 promotion of the school. The 21th of October, the Hogeschool in Gent (K.A.S.K.) had screened a selection of films from around the world, collected by Nancy Phelps, the French animation graduation showcase, a reel from students at the K.A.S.K. and a history of music through animation which Nancy and Terry Phelps originally created for the Film, Television and Animation Museum in Bradford, England. http://www.hogent.be/ Bulgaria At the cinema of the Bulgarian Films Archives, ASIFA Bulgaria will screen different animation programs, including the French animation graduation showcase. Croatia On the 29th of October, ASIFA Croatia will present "The Day of Croatian Animation", with the screening of animation works from Croatian children workshops 2005/2006, animation works by students of animation at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb (Animation Department) and professional Croatian animation 2005/2006. Three awards (one by category) will be attributed on this occasion. Czech Republic On the 24th and 25th of October at the Ponrepo Cinema, in Prague, the National Film Archive of Prague will present two programs : at first, a Russian program nammed Russian Impression, composed by films from the beginning of Russian animation, with also some Alexandre Alexeieff and Youri Norstein's short films. The second program is a VSMU (the Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts of Bratislava) selection, presented in co-operation with the Biennial of Animation of Bratislava. http://www.nfa.cz/ Estonia On the 28th of October, the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival's animation sub-festival "Animated Dreams" will organise a special screening with some of the short animations from their archives. http://2005.poff.ee/anima/ Finland The ASIFA Finland and The Finnish Animation Association will co-ordinate different events in the whole country. On the 28th of October, The Finnish Film Archive, will offer a tribute to Walerian Borowczyk. The Animatricks festival held on the same week end with several programs. The Art House Cinema in Tampere and the Turku Art Academy will screen the French animation graduation showcase. Sininen Verstas (workshop for educating unemployed youth) will screen their own animations in one of Helsinki's shopping centers. France Two full weeks on célébrations in France (October 18-31). Our guest of honor this year is filmmaker Florence Miailhe. During the fifteen days, she will present her films in different cities throughout the country. We will have an exhibition of her work in Paris where, on October 28th, Miailhe will have carte blanche to present, along with her work, her own special selection of films by her favorite artists. Thanks to the organized efforts of our regional co-ordinators throughout France, we have succeeded in planning almot 300 events. These include, of course, screenings: powder animation in Beaubourg - Paris (with artists Nag Ansorge and Alexandra Korejwo attending); a night of animation in Lille; tributes to Frederic Back, Jean-François Laguionie, Jérôme Boulbes, Norman McLaren, and the Ghibli Studio; exhibitions (including Alexandre Alexeieff, Philippe Jullien, Michel Ocelot, and Norman McLaren; workshops; conferences (including animation creation in France in the Grand Palais, Paris) and The Internet « Animation Celebration Contest » in association with Toonboom. http://www.afca.asso.fr Germany On the 28th of October, the House of France (French Institute) of Mains will present the French animation graduation showcase. Greece On the 27th of October in Ianos Bookshop in Athens, will held a presentation about the art of caricature, with the presentation of Aristarchos Papadaniel's book Greek Political Caricature -The Serious side of a Funny Art and Dutse Recalls, the first Greek animation movie (1945), directed by the famous caricaturist Stamatis Polenakis. Several personalities and specialists will give some lectures about this subject. Hungary On the 28th of October, ASIFA Hungary will organize at the Uránia National Motion Picture Theatre and the Toldi Arts Cinema in Budapest several screenings of the ASIFA Hungary, France, Japan, Atlanta programs, House of Animation Portuguese program, Argentinian Cordoba Uiversity's films, ABCA's Brazilian programs, the selection of Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Best of Anifest, Best animation of Mediawave, Best of Kecskemétfilm Ltd, features A Monkey's Castle, Asterix and the Vikings, Cars, the documentary Magia Russica... There will be also a children animation workshop and a one for comics development with the collaboration of the association of "Hungarian Comics Academy" at the Uránia National Motion Picture Theatre, different exhibitions, performances and chats about animation and comics. http://www.manifeszt.hu/ On the 27th and 28th, at the Grand Café, Szeged, screening of Animated Tales, Howl's Moving Castle, Pal Toth's 3D animation short films (meeting with the author), Youri Norstein's short films, Cat Tales' serie (meeting with Béla Ternovszky), Cat's City's serial, Istvan Orosz's short films (meeting with the author) and French animation graduation showcase. http://www.grandcafe.szeged.hu/ Italy On the 28th and 29th of October, the International Festival of Animation Cinema and Comics "Cartoon Club" of Rimini, will screen the feature Curious George, and a selection of short films. http://www.cartoonclub.it/ Latvia In Animation Museum in Riga will be celebrated the 80th anniversary of the first European feature film, The Adventures of Prince Achmed, and the 40th anniversary of Latvian animation. The famous Lotte Reiniger's film will then be screened, with the live accompaniment performed by the Orchestra of Academy of Music, as welle as two Latvian films programs. http://www.muzeji.lv/index.php Portugal From the 23th to the 29th of October, the House of Animation of Porto, will organise several projections of the Brazilian Animation Cinema Association (ABCA) programme, the Moholy-Nagy Fine Arts Academy of Budapest, the French animation graduation showcase, the Bezalel Academy of Jerusalem, the 2006 Golden Cartoons, the new Aardman feature Flushed Away's making of and a children's programme. Several events will also be held in about 15 different cities, including Lisbon, Coimbra, Espinho, Vila do Conde… http://www.casa-da-animacao.pt/ Romania From 26th to 28th of Octobre, at the Filmmakers' Union's head, ASIFA Romania will organize, with the British Council's collaboration, a screening of a Czech "best of 2002-2006" and a selection of films awarded in the most important animation festivals. Russia On the 28th of October, the International Festival of Animation Arts "Multivision" of St-Petersburg will screen the French animation graduation showcase, the ASIFA Japan program and documentary Magia Russica. http://www.multivision.ru/ Serbia Several screenings will organize different screenings in Belgrade, Vranye, Nis, Cacak, etc. Slovakia During The Biennial of Animation of Bratislava (17th to 20th of October), to celebrate International Animation Day, the festival has screened the "Celebrity of Czech animated film" in collaboration with the National Films Archives of Prague, as well as the French animation graduation showcase. Slovenia On the 28th of October, Izolanima Festival (26-28th of October) will organise two special screenings, the first will be dedicated to Norman McLaren and the second will present the French animation graduation showcase. http://www.cksp-izola.si/festival/ Spain The 30th of October, Animadrid Festival will present at the Capitol Theater in Madrid a short films program with a selection of awarded films of Animadrid 2005 and 2006 and other shorts including Vincent by Tim Burton and Guide Dog by Bill Plympton. http://www.animadrid.com/ The 4th and the 5th of November, Cinetic association will organize different exhibitions, a presentation of Alfons Moliné's book "The Great Book of Mangas" and will Screen film of Jan Baca, "Film Film Film" and "The Island" by Fiodor Khitruk and the feature "It's Raining Cats and Dogs" by Jacques-Rémy Girerd. Switzerland On the 28th and 29th of October, during the festival Cinematou for children, at the Grottes Cinema, the GSFA (Swiss Animated Films Group) will screen a special selection of Swiss films, presented to the Soleure Animated Film Festival. Turkey On the 28th of October, at Zoo, Istanbul, the Kolektif Produksiyon will organize three screenings of the French animation graduation showcase. United Kingdom On the 28th of October, at the National Museum of Photography, Film & Television, The Bradford Animation Festival will present screenings of My Neighbour Totoro, Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke by Hayao Miyazaki, a BAF06 Selection Preview, a Bradford Big Screen Festival Preview and will offer a free workshop. http://www.nmpft.org.uk/ On the same day, the Barbican Centre in London will screen the Taiwanaise feature Grandma and her Ghosts and throughout the day will be screened a short animation before each of the new releases : Rabbit by Run Wrake, Know Your Europeans UK by Bob Godfrey and Love Then First Fight by Tim Hope. http://www.barbican.org.uk/film OCEANIA Australia On the 28th of October, The Queensland animators Group will organize the screening of Queensland Animation Show and French animation graduation showcase at the Globe, Fortitute Valley. http://www.globetheatre.com.au Labels: ASIFA, events, international animation day, National Film Board of Canada, NFB, OIAF, Ottawa International Animation Festival  Tomorrow is International Animation Day, an event started by ASIFA in 2002 to celebrate the art we all love. (Why today? It commemorates the first public screening of Emile Reynaud's Théâtre optique in Paris in 1892. Animation has many parents.)How does one celebrate a day like this? Easy—by watching, creating, and discussing animation and its creation. The ASIFA website lists events 11 events happening in Bulgaria, Brazil, the US, Portugal, Canada, Israel, Hungary, Argentina, France, and Japan, but there's a lot more happening. Here are just four examples from our neck of the woods: As part of the National Film Board of Canada's 65 Years of Animation at the NFB, the CinéRobothèque in downtown Montreal is presenting Animation Without Premeditation at 1:00 p.m., a workshop on music and abstract animation. At 7:00 p.m., the Cinémathèque Québécoise presents La Fête du Cinéma d'Animation, the results of a joint venture by Toon Boom Animation and l'Association française du cinéma d'animation (AFCA), in which films were submitted, screened and subsequently voted on via the Internet. The theme for the films was "An Unusual Encounter." Admission to both events is free. In nearby Quebec City, the Musée de la Civilisation presents a special program on 65 years of animation at the NFB, a Best of Norman McLaren program, and Paris's VJ Oof doing a live remix of McLaren's music and animation. These events start today and end on October 29. And finally, in Ottawa, the Canadian Film Institute and the Ottawa International Animation Festival are screening ten short films from France, the US, the UK, Canada and Japan at Library and Archives Canada at 2:00 p.m., from Emile Cohl's 1908 Fantasmagorie to 2005's Great Emarican Music. How is International Animation Day being celebrated in your neighbourhood? Find out and let us know. Labels: ASIFA, events, international animation day, National Film Board of Canada, NFB, Norman McLaren, OIAF, Ottawa International Animation Festival October 26, 2006
 It was one year ago today that we had Mike Johnson in town for one of our Animation Innovator presentations. As it happens we have a bunch of material on hand that we neglected to post back then for one reason or another, so we've collected it all in an interview and a podcast. The only thing we forgot to mention was that Mike was tapped to direct the animated adaptation of The Tales of Despereaux for Universal a little while ago.Labels: events October 23, 2006
 Interface[s] Montreal is a series of workshops and demonstrations/conferences hosted by Montreal's Society for Arts and Technology (SAT) and its partners.Each gathering is a one-day (or one-evening) event devoted to a concern of the digital interface industry as viewed by artists, local digital media businesses, and other industry players. The conference for Tuesday, October 24, Digital Animation: Limitless Illusion kicks off at 5:30 p.m. The scheduled speakers are: Marc Bourbonnais - Lead 3D Technical Director, Hybride will discuss non-existing environments. Hybride has worked on films such as Sin City, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and the upcoming 300. Yan Breuleux - New Media Artist will present to experimental animation projects, Black Box and After Dark. Eric Chartrand - Lead Designer, Electronic Arts Montreal will discuss AI, animation and game design and how the combination can be used to create more compelling games. Marc Côté - President, Camera-e-motion will discuss the fusion of the real and virtual, a topic of recent discussion on the fps blogs. He will discuss the 3D and motion control tools that enable this. Gilles Monteil - Animation R&D Manager, Ubisoft will discuss how corporeal acting aids 3D animators. In his demonstration description, he acknowledges that all animators can benefit from the rules set down by 2D animators, such as Ollie Johnston, but there are some rules that may prove useful for 3D rigs. This is a steal at $20 with meal if you ran to get there from work, and just $10 for students and artists who are members of a participating organization, such as the local ACM SIGGRAPH chapter. You can also register in advance. October 9, 2006
 The Waterloo Festival of Animated Cinema (WFAC) has launched the website for its 2006 edition. The initial announcement of the first 10 films was relayed earlier on the Festival Watch blog, but WFAC's first update includes stills from each film, as well as studio, country, rating and run time information.Each year, WFAC's lineup is more ambitious and diverse than the last. This year does not disappoint. The features are international in scope, feature stop-motion, 2D and 3D techniques, no film looks like any of the others, and the stories are equally varied. Keep checking their site for lineup updates and information on Earlybird discounts. While you're waiting for the 2006 festival, check out WFAC's past editions and Matt Forsythe's 2005 reports for fps including his views on Mind Game, Fragile Machine and Mike Nguyen. Labels: events, festivals, Waterloo Festival for Animated Cinema, WFAC October 7, 2006
 Last month I pointed to Didier Ghez's blog postings about "Il était une fois Disney" ("Once Upon a Time Disney"), a fantastic exhibit of Disney artwork that starts its tour in Paris. I mentioned that we'd be following up with Didier's reports about the show until it made its way here in the spring, but Didier, busy fellow that he is, didn't have time to do more than post a bit about two people responsible for the show, curator Bruno Birveau and author Robin Allan. However, just yesterday he started to post a few images from the exhibit itself. We can't wait until we can see them for ourselves.Labels: Disney, events, exhibitions September 13, 2006
 The first in a series of six presentations on Thursday launches the new season of animation programming at le Cinémathèque québécoise. Producer and critic Marcel Jean has programmed selections to promote the discussion surrounding those moments captured on film when the wall between animation and live action erode.The retrospective "Quand le cinema d'animation rencontre le vivant" (translated as "When Animation Meets the Living") was presented earlier this year at Annecy by Jean, who will be present at all of this fall's screenings, and the companion book of the same name is now available as well. The official launch occurs this Thursday, too. Event details (in French) September 14: Vanités et nature mortes (Vanity and Still Lives) September 21: La tentation surréelle (The Surreal Temptation) September 27: Hybrides et mutants (Hybrids and Mutants) September 28: Les Soubresauts du temps (Marks in Time) October 5: De l'humain et de la technologie (The Human and Technological Element) October 12: L'insoutenable étrangeté (Unbearable Strangeness) Labels: events, live action September 11, 2006
 Enter now to win an Animapass to the Ottawa International Animation Festival. Even if it wasn't their 30th anniversary, it would still be the biggest, best, shiniest example of how to put on an animation festival in North America, so it's no surprise that this year's edition is jam-packed with a great selection of programming and events.The Animapass allows you access to all OIAF screenings, workshops, panels, events and parties at the festival, from September 20 to September 24. Labels: events, festivals, OIAF, Ottawa International Animation Festival September 3, 2006
One exciting show, two cities. From September 16 to January 15, Les Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, described by Didier Ghez in his blog as "a museum in Paris that is almost as important as Le Louvre," will be hosting Il était une fois Walt Disney (Once Upon a Time Walt Disney), a collection of hundreds of works that show the links between European art and the Disney studio's productions from 1935 to 1967. By "links" I mean the centuries' worth of Western European art that Walt and Roy Disney specifically exposed their artists to, as well as the work that resulted from that inspiration. Most of the Disney art on display will have never been seen before; Didier also notes that the basis for the exhibition is Robin Allan's Walt Disney and Europe: European Influences on the Animated Feature Films of Walt Disney.
Didier will be at the inauguration of the event on September 14, so we'll be checking back with him then. While we'd love to head to France to check this out, we'll have to content ourselves with waiting for March 8, when the exhibition ends up in our backyard at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (curiously, with the "Walt" missing from the title) until June 24; the show may also progress to other cities after, but there's no definite word on that yet. Labels: Disney, events, exhibitions August 30, 2006
 The Japan Foundation in Toronto, Canada has an upcoming show of interest. Shojo Manga! Girl Power! Girls' Comics from Japan runs from September 6 to October 4, 2006. The exhibits at the Japan Foundation are always top notch, and so if you are in T.O. in the next month, be sure to stop by. There's also a reception & talk by curator Dr. Masami Toku on September 6, 6:30 - 8:30 PM, RSVP required. See upcoming.com or jftor.org for more details. More from jftor.org: "Shojo Manga! Girl Power! is part of an international touring exhibit that has traveled to California State University, Chico, University of New Mexico, Columbia College Chicago and The Pratt Institute, Brooklyn. Dr. Masami Toku is an Associate Professor of art education at California State University, Chico. Her research interest is the cross-cultural study of children's artistic and aesthetic developments in their pictorial world and how visual popular culture influences children's visual literacy. In her lecture, Dr. Toku will provide an overview of the works exhibited in the current exhibit and examine more closely the individual creators of Shojo Manga, providing a deeper look into the development and impact of this form of visual pop culture. For more on Dr. Toku see csuchico.edu/~mtoku/vc" Labels: anime, events, exhibitions, shoujo August 25, 2006
 Wow, that Flash intro at adaptmontreal.com really is bowl me over impressive! (But as good as the Flash intro is, why aren't their press releases loading!? Grrrrrrrrr!) If you missed SIGGRAPH and happen to be in Montreal September 23-24, there's no better place to get a behind the scenes look at the latest CG techniques in film, score some autographs, and bump into a few recruiters. UPDATE! Here's a link to the PDF the course outline for the 2 days of master classes. Here's a brief tally of the presenters: Syd Mead (Blade Runner, Tron, Aliens) Jason Spencer-Galsworthy (Chicken Run, Wallace & Gromit, Flushed Away) James Clyne (Battle Angel, X-Men: The Last Stand, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, War of the Worlds, Minority Report, Artificial Intelligence: AI) Christian Lorenz Scheurer (The Matrix, What Dreams May Come, Titanic, Dark City, EA's Spores) Feng Zhu (Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith, Battle Angel) Jeremy Birns (Cars, The Incredibles, Ratatouille) Emile Ghorayeb (Shrek sequels, Madagascar) Dylan Cole (Superman Returns, The Chronicles of Narnia, I Robot, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King) Aaron Holly (The Matrix Revolutions, The Matrix Reloaded, The Mummy Returns, Hollow Man) August 11, 2006
 I haven't seen A Scanner Darkly yet and I wasn't as keen on Monster House as most, but I appreciate both movies for one thing: they've once again reopened the debate on rotoscoping and motion capture ("Satan's rotoscope," according to some) and their relationship to animation. There were several spirited discussions on the subject during SIGGRAPH this year, including one during a lunch with two PC World editors who weren't animation fans.I've often thought that the debate—among animators, at any rate—is spurred by the notion that rotoscoping and motion capture are a kind of cheating, since the animation performance isn't created from whole cloth. But after a week of discussion, I've come to the conclusion that the real crux of the matter is that rotoscoping offends our notion of animation's unreality. It goes hand in hand with the question, "If you can film it in live-action, why animate it?" as well as the seeming paradox of animated documentaries. Little did I know that Marcel Jean has been giving this debate, in a more comprehensive form, serious thought. In fact, he curated a six-part retrospective called "Quand le cinéma d'animation rencontre le vivant" ("When Animation Meets the Living") at the Annecy festival earlier this year. Each part was organized around a particular theme, featuring shorts from as far back as 1907 (James Stuart Blackton's The Haunted Hotel) to as recent as last year (Rosto's Jona/Tomberry and Chris Cunningham's Rubber Johnny)—illustrating how many of these "new" issues in animation that test the boundaries of real and unreal have been around since the medium's inception. If you weren't able to make it to Annecy, you've got a second chance at catching this fascinating retrospective; the Cinémathèque québécoise will be running the retrospective from September 14 to October 12. The six programs are "Vanités et natures mortes" ("Vanity and Still Lives"; September 14), "La Tentation surréelle" ("The Surreal Temptation"; September 21), "Hybrides et mutants" ("Hybrids and Mutants"; September 27), "Les Soubresauts du temps" ("Marks in Time"; September 28), "De l'humain et de la technologie" ("The Human and Technological Element"; October 5) and "L'insoutenable étrangeté" ("Unbearable Strangeness"; October 12). For a complete program listing, check out the Cinémathèque's website; you can search the listings of upcoming programs here. The retrospective will also be the occasion of a book launch: Marcel Jean's Quand le cinéma d'animation rencontre le vivant, a collection of twelve essays and interviews exploring the same themes as the retrospective. More details on that later. Labels: events, live action July 25, 2006
 The Fantasia film festival just wrapped up last night and we're gearing up for the start of SIGGRAPH this weekend, but it's hard not to get excited over this year's recently unveiled lineup for the upcoming Ottawa International Animation Festival's competition screenings.This year Ottawa is playing host to quite a few Canadian and world premieres, which is always exciting—there's nothing like seeing a film when the majority of the audience doesn't know what they're going to see. Most exciting for me is that one of the three features among the official selections is Kihachiro Kawamoto's Shisha no Sho (The Book of the Dead). I fell in love with Kawamoto's heartbreakingly beautiful stop-motion puppet animation when I saw Hanaori: Breaking of Branches is Forbidden almost twenty years ago, and have been looking forward to this movie for quite some time. (You can see a streaming Windows Media trailer here.) The feature version of Phil Mulloy's The Christies also appears, which should be interesting. When we spoke earlier this year The Christies was a series of shorts; I'm curious to see how such a minimalist production, which features such rapid-fire dialogue, can be sustained for 80 minutes. Among the independent shorts I'm looking forward to are Chel White's A Painful Glimpse Into My Writing Process (In Less Than 60 Seconds), partly because I still get a chuckle just thinking of 1991's Photocopy Cha Cha and partly because I love the title; and Run Wrake's Rabbit, which I just saw at Fantasia and haven't been able to get out of my head. Imagine evil, greedy storybook-illustration children, a magical, all-consuming idol, and a soundtrack just disconcerting enough to evoke constant dread. Fun for the whole family. PES's hilarious Game Over is listed as a world premiere, although we featured it in our newsletter almost two months ago; given that the Web is arguably the medium of choice for disseminating short films, I wonder how long it will take before festivals and other organizations decide that the Internet counts when it comes to release dates. All the more confusing is that there's a separate category for animation shorts made for the Internet; they're being shown on the big screen (some not for the first time), so should they really be in a separate category? Were these only ever meant for the Internet? If Game Over made its debut on the Internet, couldn't it arguably be said that it was made for the Internet? Is it the director's intent that makes the difference, or the end result? More questions, and right now no answers. But one way or another, there's a lot to look forward to. Labels: anime, events, festivals, OIAF, Ottawa International Animation Festival July 3, 2006
 There were a few things I couldn't or didn't address properly in my thoughts about this year's Fantasia lineup. First of all, Vaclav Svankmajer's The Torchbearer (pictured) is being screened along with Worlds of Wounded Clay: The Films of Robert Morgan. (Which reminds me to mention Jan Svankmajer's partly stop-motion Lunacy, which will also be in the festival.) Second, Visions of Frank, in which eight Japanese animators interpret Jim Woodring's world and his star character Frank, is part of the Visions of Jim Woodring screening. And finally, I wanted to mention The Outer Limits of Animation, not least because it includes three shorts by Bruno Bozzetto and the festival favourite The Regulator. Why didn't I? Because while I'd written it down in my notes, I couldn't find it in the online schedule. Silly me: it was under its French title, Au-delà de l'animation. Now you know, so you've got no excuse to miss any of these films. Tickets go on sale tomorrow.Labels: anime, events, Fantasia festival, festivals June 30, 2006
 We got the lowdown on this year's Fantasia film festival earlier this week, and we were surprised to discover that there isn't much in the way of feature-length animation this year—there's the bizarre stop-motion feature Blood Tea and Red String (which took thirteen years to make), The Visions of Jim Woodring (whose title speaks for itself), the Fullmetal Alchemist movie, and... that's it. Given that it's the tenth-anniversary iteration of the fest, it's a shame there isn't more, given how significant animated features have been in their lineup all these years.That said, Worlds of Wounded Clay: The Films of Robert Morgan (pictured above), which will be hosted by Morgan himself, promises to be an incredible stop-mo head trip, and DJ XL5's Zappin' Party Cavalcade promises the usual freaked-out collection of obscure, new and old shorts, both animated and live-action. In fact, that's kind of where all the animated action is this year: you have to pick through the various short-film compilations and double- or triple-bills to find them: Negadon: The Monster from Mars (which we reveiwed in our latest issue), The Torchbearer (by Jan Svankmajer's son Vaclav), and Fast Film are just three of the nuggets of buried treasure you'll have to dig for. The fest starts up on July 6, so you'd better start searching the schedule soon. Update: See more details about the festival's animation lineup in my next post. Labels: events, Fantasia festival, festivals June 8, 2006
Well, it's been an anime-filled Spring here at fps. In addition to regular reporting, May was all about the Tokyo International Anime Fair photo gallery, and the month-long anime prize pack contest (congratulations to the winners); and June will include the launch of our bigger, better issues of Frames Per Second magazine, with this issue focusing primarily on anime.
 We'll also be attending Otakuthon, a fan-run convention in the city this weekend. Emru and René Walling will be participating in several panels including Early Days of Anime Fandom and Must See Anime. I'll be there from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday to answer questions about fps projects. We're also sponsoring two free screenings, one of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (co-sponsored with Otakuthon) which is reviewed in issue 8, and Howl's Moving Castle, a favourite of many here at fps.Howl's Moving Castle Saturday, June 10th 12:00 noon FREE Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Sunday, June 11th 1:20 p.m. FREE Room H-110 Hall Auditorium Concordia University Hall Building (Metro Guy-Concordia) Labels: anime, events, Hayao Miyazaki, Studio Ghibli May 21, 2006
 The San Francisco group AOD has announced further details of their upcoming August convention, and joining the event is Merlin Crossingham of Aardman Animations. Merlin is one of Aardman's superstars, having worked on Chicken Run, Tortoise and Hare, and Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit. He joins a growing list of esteemed guests of honour. The non-profit animation fan group AOD was founded back in 1997, and this is the group's fourth convention. For more info, see the Festival Watch section or visit www.aodsf.org
April 19, 2006
 Fyn Stec was diagnosed with liver cancer just over a month ago. Not yet 5, he has a little brother, Felix, and two parents, art director Paul Stec (Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends) and his wife Dayla Corcoran (production coordinator on Dexter's Laboratory and Shrek).At 4 or 5 years old, ideally, between running around like mad, a kid should be having fun watching lots of cartoons without a care in the world. Due to the circumstances, the cartoon world hopes to find another way to bring a smile to Fyn and his family. Cartoon Network will be hosting an auction to pay for Fyn's health care costs. Everyone can participate! The silent online auction ends TONIGHT, Wednesday, April 19, and a live silent auction happens at Cartoon Network Studios on April 20 beginning at 5:30 p.m. and ending at 8:00 p.m. Nearly 200 pieces of mostly animation art (there are a handful of other great items: glassware, photos, original Lone Ranger comic strips and a Marc Chagall print) have been donated, some of which can be viewed here. Click on the item to bid on it. The highest online bid becomes the starting bid at the live auction, but if no one outbids the item, it goes to the online bidder. All of the auction rules are here. The variety and quality of the work is staggering. I wonder who is going to go home with the rare Iron Giant sketch, the Craig McCracken cel or the Tim Biskup or Paul Rudish paintings? If you don't bid but you want to help Fyn, you can also donate directly. Any unused portion of the donation will be donated to the LA's Children's Hospital. (via Amid at Cartoon Brew) April 12, 2006
 A few months ago I posted about the NFB Cinema's animation workshops here in Montreal, an idea I'm very much in favour of. At the time I posted, the workshops were expected to run until early April, but I was hoping they'd be successful enough that there would be more. My wishes were answered: a new series of Sunday Filmmaking Workshops, in which families make animated films together, will be taking place at the Cinérobothèque until May 21. Techniques covered will include clay, chalk, stop-motion and paper cutouts. More good news: the program is already slated to return in the fall after a summer hiatus.Labels: events, National Film Board of Canada, NFB April 9, 2006
 If you've been keeping up with the magazine, you'll know that we're crazy for festivals over here. Issue 7 focuses on animation festivals. It also includes two articles by André R. Coutu, technical director of the Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF).One of André's articles, How to Submit Your Films to Festivals, provides useful steps to submitting your work in a manner that will avoid headaches for both you and the festival receiving it. After you read it, take a look at the OIAF's call for entries, posted last month in the fps Festival Watch blog. The OIAF is North America's largest animation event. To celebrate their 30th anniversary, they will screen one of their marvelous selection of signal films from a past festival before each screening. The OIAF does not just try to be everything for everyone: it does serve everyone and it succeeds beautifully. In addition to their Tech Forum, 3rd annual Television Animation Conference and special market for schools and recruiting, there will be plenty of competition and non-competitive screenings. The 2006 special screenings feature retrospectives of Bruno Bozzetto, Bob Clampett, Konstantin Bronzit, John Straiton, Jeff Scher, Bravo!Fact's best animation shorts and Ottawa-based animators (including Norman McLaren and John Kricfalusi). I know Emru will kill me if I neglect to mention the Animator's Picnic, with its pumpkin-carving contest, for which he has a soft spot. Labels: events, OIAF, Ottawa International Animation Festival March 29, 2006
 Tomorrow night the Cinémathèque québécoise will be screening a selection of recent Canadian animated shorts. I've only seen four of the program's eleven selections, but two of them are among my favourite shorts from last year: Peter Lepeniotis's Surly Squirrel, which I felt was an excellent marriage of the CGI and the hand-drawn aesthetics and was a riot to boot, and Bruce Alcock's At the Quinte Hotel (pictured), based on Canuck poet Al Purdy's 1968 work of the same name. Quinte, with its barroom brawls, appreciation of good beer, and refrain of "I am a sensitive man" is funny, a little melancholy, and the best case for reading (or writing) poetry in recent memory. Three years ago Douglas Bensadoun made a live-action short based on the poem. This one, which uses only Purdy's reading for the vocal track, is better.Labels: events March 27, 2006
 The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)—the "Academy" in "Academy Awards"—have a more or less annual series of presentations called the Marc Davis Lectures on Animation, named after the legendary Disney animator. Featured guests and topicshave included Frédéric Back, anime, and the late Davis himself. This year the tenth presentation is being held on April 21, and the featured guests are none other than the Brothers Quay—which, interestingly enough, continues the current love affair with stop-motion animation. Heavily influenced by Jan Svankmajer, the Quays' work has more in common with the gothic aesthetic of Corpse Bride than the brightness of Curse of the Were-Rabbit, but their puppet work has more of the rough, handmade quality of the latter than the slickness of the former. This is the Quays' first speaking engagement in the USA, and they'll be screening some of their short films and speaking about their work. The presentation takes place at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater at 8948 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, California. Tickets are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with valid ID. The presentation starts at 7:30 p.m.; doors open at 6:30. For more information, call (310) 247-3000, ext. 111. Labels: events March 9, 2006
 Montreal is a happening city. The International Festival of Films on Art (FIFA) begins today, wrapping up on the 19th of March, 2006. As the press release states: "The only cinematic event of its kind in North America, FIFA is the largest festival of films on art in the world." I always love when animation focuses on the subject of art and art history, and the trailer for this year's festival features a grand example by Juan Pablo Etcheverry of Spain (Quicktime preview). Inspired by Picasso's ground-breaking painting Guernica from 1937, the animated short is titled Minotauromaquia, Pablo dans le labyrinthe. It's not the first short I've seen inspired by Guernica, but I'm quite certain Picasso would have appreciated the attention. In fact, I think Pablo would have enjoyed animating a thing or two in his day. His etching The Dream and Lie of Franco (also from 1937) reads like a fine storyboard for an animated short. Act fast. Minotauromaquia, Pablo dans le labyrinthe already appears to be sold out for Saturday, March 18, but tickets remain for Thursday, March 16 at the Musée des beaux-arts in Montreal. March 8, 2006
Adults who like animation spend a significant amount of time explaining that it is "not for kids." While there's a lot of animation that isn't for children, a significant portion is intended for all ages, and some is made for kids but appeals to all ages, and some is just for kids. Also quite a lot of children do appreciate animation that is intended for an older audience. I did when I was younger, and I don't think I was an exception. Children should not be discounted as consumers of animation.
Nor should they be discounted as creators of it.  The Kids for Kids Festival accepts submissions from children from around the world interested in live-action and animated filmmaking. Juried awards are given by a professional jury and by a children's jury.The animation shorts among the 2005 winners will be shown on Friday, March 10, as a workshop of the 9th annual Montreal International Children's Film Festival (FIFEM). (As a matter of fact, four of the five workshops during the festival are for animation, including one on pixilation.) Friday, March 10 10:00 a.m. Recommended for children 9 and up Duration: 2 hours NFB Cinema, 1564 rue Saint-Denis March 5, 2006
I guess this happened when I was looking the other way—Nick Park and Steve Box have also won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film, for Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. I considered the movie to be the odds-on favourite for a number of reasons, not least because Nick Park pretty much always wins when he's nominated for an Oscar. In fact, the only time he's ever lost was when A Grand Day Out didn't snag it—he was beaten by himself, for Creature Comforts. Congratulations, Nick and Steve!
Labels: events
After an embarassingly painful and unfunny intro by badly animated Chicken Little characters, John Canemaker and Peggy Stern graciously won an Academy Award for The Moon and the Son in the category of Best Animated Short Film. Congratulations to John and Peggy!
Labels: events February 25, 2006
 If you live across the pond and have been silently cursing because you couldn't catch the Pixar: 20 Years of Animation exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art, you can stop gnashing your teeth. The exhibit will be moving to London's Science Museum starting April 1. Looks like Kino Kid and I have an excuse to go visit our cousins.Labels: events, exhibitions, Pixar |
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