Marcy (right) celebrating with the The Danish Poet team after the Oscar win last year. © AWN Inc.

I sent out six questions to the nominees and producers of the nominated shorts. I’m hoping everyone will have time to answer them before the Tour begins, however I know how unbelievably busy they are at the moment. Marcy Page, producer of Madame Tutli-Putli and Oscar Tour alum, has written back and here is what she had to say about the Oscar experience, as well as the eye-catching stop-motion film that she worked on. (Okay, that was a pun I couldn’t resist).

THE STORY OF ANIMAGIC, A cross-border North/South of Ireland Film Project. The making of an innovative animasted project to promote peace in a "troubled" time.

By Tim Kridel

It takes guts to quit a good job to launch a company, especially during the worst economy since the Great Depression. But that’s what George Christopher and Suresh Kumar did in late 2011, when they launched Blue Innovations, a Chennai, India-based developer of apps for Android, iOS, Windows and other platforms. Their experiences are worth pondering if you’re a developer considering striking out on your own.

Childhood friends, Christopher and Kumar were working at separate software companies in 2009 when they started to develop apps in their spare time under the name 5dollarapps. Soon they were winning competitions and awards such as Intel’s Black Belt, successes that helped convince them to rebrand their effort as Blue Innovations and turn it into a full-time company. We recently spoke with Christopher and Kumar about how they decided when to quit their day jobs and what they did to increase their odds of success.

2009 TV Series (episodes 1-24). Director: Tsutomo Mizushima. 600 minutes. DVD, bilingual, $69.98. Distributor: Funimation.

Watanuki isn’t your average teenage boy. Spirits have been haunting him since birth; it’s been one disruption after another. But today these meddlesome visions might have actually done some good. They’ve dragged him to the doorstep of Yuko, a mystical witch whose decadence dangerously overshadows the depths of her insight. She’ll quell Watanuki’s visions, if he works in her shop of dreams and wishes.

Once again, I’d like to congratulate the Peter and the Wolf team on their Oscar win, as well as congratulate all the nominees on their wonderful films. Check out a few exclusive pics from the Big Night.

When I say to friends and family that I am off to New York, France or other parts of the world, they all are envious.  They think that I am off for a couple of meetings and then off sunbathing on the Cote D’Azur or drinking at some swank place in the Big Apple. No Way!

For weeks up to the event, I am scrambling to get appointments -- dozens upon dozens of appointments.  I go to these markets with several goals.  I am want to pitch new properties, talk to producers about their production needs both in service work and in co-production and to hunt for new prospects.  My schedule is a veritable rainbow, all color coded so I know at a glance what the topic will be. 

Watch It On AWN TV!

At the ILM Q&A, Madame Tutli-Putli director Maciek Szczerbowski and Peter and the Wolf director Suzie Templeton talk about the scale of their film’s puppets.

 

 

On March 2, 2010 Aria The Origination DVD collection, which includes the final third season and OVA, will drop into stores and cyber outlets everywhere.

 

 

Alloo loves hide-and-seek and fruits. Kalloo loves fishing. Dalloo loves dandelions. These three friends are all different yet have been best friends. One day a new friend from a far away planet, Altoo, came to visit Alloo, Kaloo and Daloo in their forest. The only thing Altoo can say is ‘Altoo.’ The three friends teach Altoo everything and tell lots of stories.