In the wake of last week's announcement of the departure of Michael Hirsh, CEO of Nelvana, Corus Entertainment Inc. announced that it will combine the operations of Nelvana and its television division into one integrated business unit under the leadership of Paul Robertson. "As president of Corus Television, Paul has consistently delivered outstanding financial results and programming schedules, always with customer service as a top priority," said John Cassaday, president and CEO of Corus Entertainment.

Cartoon Network has added Hungarian and Romanian to its language services making it available in no less than eleven languages in Europe. Starting out as a pan-European channel in 1993, Cartoon Network now has seven dedicated regional channels in Europe, the Middle East and Africa where it can be enjoyed in English, Danish, Dutch, French, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian, Spanish and Swedish.

After successful screenings in San Francisco and New York, the 6th Annual RESFEST will come to Hollywood's Egyptian Theater October 30-November 3, 2002. Showcasing innovative digital films, music videos and animation, the directors of RESFEST created seven thematic shorts programs from over 1,500 submissions. Notable animation screenings include Robert Bradbrook's Cartoon d'Or winning film HOME ROAD MOVIES and the U.S. premiere of Phil Mulloy's THE INVASION.

Cinar's library of over 2,200 half-hours of family programming will soon be traveling to new territories thanks to a distribution agreement with VGI Entertainment Ltd., a UK-based distribution company. Under the terms of the deal, VGI will distribute Cinar titles such as CAILLOU, ARTHUR, MONA THE VAMPIRE and THE BUSY WORLD OF RICHARD SCARY in sub-Saharan Africa. "We are very pleased to add VGI's expertise and knowledge to the Cinar team," said Louis Fournier, head of distribution for Cinar. "We are confident that our fascinating cast of characters will find a welcome home in Africa.

On October 6, 2002, MIPCOM Junior wrapped up its 10th year with the market reaching its all-time high in number of buyers. According to organizers, 433 buyers of children’s programs from 53 countries attended the two-day event, with animation remaining the favorite category and scoring the highest number of screenings. The total number of buyers represented a 19.3% increase compared to last year.

CineGroupe has joined with Fox Kids Europe (FKE) to distribute its new animated TV series PIG CITY. The series is a co-production of CineGroupe and AnimaKids (France), in association with Merchandising Munchen and Fox Kids France. The agreement with FKE includes the television, home video and merchandising rights to the series across Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. CineGroupe will continue to distribute the series in Canada, the U.S., Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Animakids will handle the rights in France and Merchandising Munchen in Germany.

If you live in Los Angeles, don't miss this final opportunity to check out two amazing animation exhibits: "Oscars In Animation" at the Academy and "William Kentridge" at LACMA. The "Oscars in Animation" exhibition, currently on display at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, showcases animated films that have been nominated for or have won an Academy Award. "Oscars in Animation" features rare and original animation art spanning seven decades -- from 1932, when the Academy awarded the first Oscar for animation, to the present day.

On Sunday, October 6, 2002 MIPCOM Junior's "Talking With…" sessions will host Gary E. Knell, president and CEO of Sesame Workshop. He will be interviewed by George Winslow, director of special projects, Reed Television Group. "Talking With…" is an informal interview session that offers market participants an opportunity to interact with major players in the TV industry. Knell will unveil the story of the organization that revolutionized television with the legendary SESAME STREET and tell how its mission to create educational and challenging content for children is carried out.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is the sole West Coast and final U.S. venue of South African artist William Kentridge’s haunting drawings and animated films. The exhibition remains on view through October 6, 2002. This is the first American retrospective of Kentridge's work and includes eleven animated films, more than 60 drawings, two sculptural installations and video presentations of theater and opera productions designed and scripted by Kentridge.

Germany's EM.TV found success with its first installment of the whimsical series FAIRY TALE POLICE DEPARTMENT (FTPD), which has sold to broadcasters in France, Italy, Spain, Latin America, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Africa and the Ukraine. Therefore, EM.TV will be bringing another round of FTPD to this year's show. The second series of FTPD (13 x 24-minutes) follows a special unit of the secret service that fights crime in the fairy tale world. FTPD agents Johnny Legend and his partner Chris Anderson ensure that all fairy tale favorites really do live happily ever after.