Linda Simensky, Cartoon Network's VP of original animation, received one of
Girls Inc.'s four 1999 honors. With over 50 years of service, Girls Inc.
has been dedicated to helping American girls become strong, smart and bold
through educational programs. Each year the organization honors industry
execs who have helped challenge and inspire young girls across America.
Along with CBS pres. Nancy Tellem, Lifetime VP Kelly Goode Abugov, and
Entertainment VP at WB Jordan Levin, Simensky was recognized for her work

The 2nd Annual Worldfest-Flagstaff International Film Festival announced
their 1999 winners on Sunday, November 14. The festival's focus is on
independent works that have not yet been picked up for distribution. The
animation winners were MUSIC FOR AN OWL directed by Hans Van Westerlaak at
Cinema Avant, BILLY'S BALLOON directed by Don Hertzfeldt for Bitter Films,
THE MONKEYMAN RULES directed by James Dean Conklin for Greenhead Media, and
THE INDESCRIBABLE NTH by Oscar Moore at Character Builders.

EuropaCinema & TV, held in Viareggio, Italy, announced their two animation
short winners. FOREVER AND EVER, by Michaela Pavlatova and Pavel Koutecky
(Czech Republic) and SUBURBANITES by Stefan Vermeulen (Belgium) took home
the prize. The international jury of Enzo D'Alo, Georges Wolinski, Marjut
Rimminen, Rastko Ciric and Sergio Staino said FOREVER AND EVER is "a film
that gives us an unconventional interpretation of love, dramatic and at the
same time ironically surrealistic. A film that also reveals a remarkable

The Moondance International Film Festival has selected, the
traditionally-animated BEELINES, by Rachel Bevan Baker, from Edinburgh,
Scotland, as this year's winner in the animation division. Moondance 2000
takes place in Boulder, Colorado, January 14-16, 2000. Entries from female
screenwriters and filmmakers from any country were welcomed to the competition.
For more information e-mail: mermaid7cs@aol.com; or write: Moondance
International Film Festival, 970 Ninth Street, Boulder, CO 80302, USA.

The International Cartoons &
Animation Center's SALAM AND THE GOLDEN QUEEN has won the Hollywood Film
Advisory Board's "Award of Excellence" and the Dove Foundation's "Dove Seal
of Approval." In the film, Salam and the Knights of Virtue are shrunk to
the size of bees. Through their adventures in a beehive, they must learn
the value of cooperation and communication in order to return to the human
world. The film is produced in six languages including English, French,
Arabic, Turkish, Malay, and Urdu. Directed by Ammed Jamal Abdelhafiz, the

The Moondance International Film Festival has announced the finalists for its first competition, Moondance
2000. The festival takes place in Boulder, Colorado, January 14-16, 2000 as
part of the Sundance Film Festival. Entries from female screenwriters and
film-makers from any country were welcomed to the competition. For more
information e-mail: mermaid7cs@aol.com; or write: Moondance International
Film Festival, 970 Ninth Street, Boulder, CO 80302, USA.


The following films are finalists in the animation film category:

The 42nd International Leipzig
Festival for Documentary & Animated Films took place in Leipzig, Germany
from October 26 - October 31, 1999. 49 films from 13 counties were shown in
competition this year. The jury was comprised of Jayne Pilling (Great
Britain), Silke Parzich (Germany), and Andrei Zolotouchin (Russia). The
following awards were presented:


Goldene Taube, WHEN THE DAYS BREAKS by Wendy Tilby and Amanda Frobis,
Canada, 1999.


Silberne Taube, PINOCCHIO by Gianluci Toccafondo, Italy, 1999 and NIGHT OF

Nearly 900 members of the animation industry and the general public
attended the 27th Annual Annie Awards, Saturday, November 6 at the Alex
Theatre in Glendale, California, USA. The awards ceremony, presented by
ASIFA-Hollywood, The International Animated Film Society, honors animation
achievement within film, television, commercials, home videos and
interactive productions. Rob Paulsen and Maurice LaMarche, the voices of
Pinky and the Brain from the Warner Bros. hit show, were co-hosts of a

Four hundred guests crowded the second floor theatre at the Chicago
Cultural Center, Sunday, October 24, for the 1999 Gala Awards Ceremony and
Closing Night Party of the 16th annual Chicago International Children's
Film Festival. The following awards for animated films were given out:


Children's Jury Prizes - Feature Films and Videos - Animation


1st Prize, KIRIKOU AND THE SORCERESS by Michel Ocelot (France)


2nd Prize, ANNE FRANK'S DIARY by Julian Wolff (France, Ireland, UK,
Netherlands)

The Moondance International Film Festival has announced the selection of
the quarter-finalists for its first competition, Moondance 2000. The
festival takes place in Boulder, Colorado, January 14-16, 2000 as part of
the Sundance Film Festival. Entries were welcome from women screenwriters
and film-makers from any country. For more information e-mail:
mermaid7cs@aol.com; or write: Moondance International Film Festival, 970
Ninth Street, Boulder, CO 80302, USA. The following films are
quarter-finalists in the animation film category: