* Monday, March 15 - Friday, March 19. San Jose, California, USA.

* Wednesday, March 10 - Sunday, March 14. Tampere, Finland.


The 29th Tampere International Short Film Festival features competitive screenings of over 80 short films from around the world. The special screenings include retrospectives of Frédéric Back and Pat O'Neill, a look at Russian animation in the '90s and screenings of five children's films such as Lotte Reiniger's 1926 film Adventures of Prince Achmed and the Iranian puppet animation film, Basaaritarinoita. For ticket information direct your browser to http://www.tampere.fi/festival/film/index2.htm.

Career Boot Camp, presented by the L.A. Chapter's of SIGGRAPH and Women in Animation, is a one-day intensive computer animation-geared event taking place Sunday, March 7 from 9-5 p.m. at the Universal Hilton in Universal City, California. The program is designed to inform people interested in breaking into the computer animation and visual effects industries. Attendees will hear from industry professionals from such companies as Industrial Light & Magic, the Walt Disney Company, Pacific Data Images (PDI), Tippett Studios, Area 51 and numerous others.

The 7th annual ASIFA Central Midwest Animator's Conference & Retreat takes place from April 30 through May 2 in the heart of Starved Rock State Park (Utica, Illinois). The event brings together an informal group of attendees to hear featured speakers, view animation and discuss various aspects of the animation business. Also included on the agenda is a Bar-B-Que, nature hikes and a chance to swim in an indoor pool or relax in a hot tub. The Retreat also features "The Helen Victoria Haynes World Peace Storyboard & Animation Scholarship Competition" designed to encourage student animators.

* Friday, March 5 - Saturday, March 6. Glendale, California, USA.

The Visual Effects Society (VES) is presenting the first "VES '99: A Festival of Visual Effects" which will take place June 4-6 at the Leonard Goldenson Theater of the Television Academy. The event is designed to provide an annual platform for sharing creativity and common interests in the production of visual effects for the entertainment industry. The three-day program includes a series of seminars presented by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Jim Henson's Creature Workshop and Sony Pictures Imageworks among others.

* Sunday, March 7. Universal City, California, USA.

* Wednesday, March 10. San Jose, California USA.


"Filmmakers and Animators Evening at the Tech," a Bay Area industry
gathering designed to help local members of the large format film industry
and animation community, takes place at The Tech Museum of Innovation
starting at 7:00 p.m. The evening includes a reception and a screening of
large format animated shorts including Mark Osborne's MORE, Jules Engel's
AVIARY, Don MacBain's FIRE and Barbel Neubauer's SKY; followed by a

* Monday, March 8. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.


The Association of Northern Animators (ANA) will host a celebration of
women's animation on March 8 (International Women's Day) at the Telegraph
Hotel. The evening will include screenings and discussion of women's films
produced in the region. Female animators from the Northeast UK region
include Candy Guard (POND LIFE) and Sarah Kennedy (CRAPSTON VILLAS). For
further details, e-mail alys.hawkins@unn.ac.uk or contact Yvonne Scott at
(0191) 265 4932.

* Thursday, February 25 - Wednesday, March 3. San Jose, California, USA.


The week-long Cinequest San Jose Film Festival IX takes place with numerous screenings and special events. Among the events are “PDI Presents: The Making of Antz” and a screening dedicated to recent animated shorts. For additional information visit www.cinequest.org or call (408) 295-3378 for tickets.