The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF 05) is North America's oldest and largest animation festival. The festival is broken up into four umbrella categories. The first is for animated feature films. The New Media Competition covers Animation Short Made for the Internet, Internet series, interactive animation and "Machinima," films made with videogame software. Commissioned Films Competition covers educational, scientific or industrial film, advertising film, station-program identification, music video, television special, television pilot, television series for adults and television series for children. Independent Short Films Competition covers narrative short film under 35 minutes, non-narrative short film under 35 minutes, first film and films made for children. Founded in 1976, and held biennially ever since, the OIAF attracts international animators, producers, broadcasters, and enthusiasts to Ottawa to view films entered in and out of competition, and attend special screenings and workshops that ponder the current state and future of animation. For more information, visit www.animationfestival.ca or www.awn.com/ottawa, e-mail info@animationfestival.ca or call (613) 232-8769.

ION Animation, Games and Film Festival 2005
Los Angeles, California USA
December 2 – 4, 2005
Deadline: September 30, 2005

The ION International Animation, Games and Film Festival will return to Los Angeles this fall and organizers are looking for submissions of animated films, machinima, game trailers, music videos, live-action short films, short documentaries, TV spots, movie trailers and films made for mobile devices such as cell phones and PDAs.

In April, Electronic Arts and USC teamed up to hold a machinima contest, using the filmmaking feature in THE SIMS 2 and now the winners are in. The contest allowed game players and aspiring filmmakers to submit their 3-minute movie shorts. EA received more than 1,000 entries that were then judged by a panel of USC professors and film experts.

Bitfilm Festival 2005
Hamburg, Germany
November 2-6, 2005
Deadline: July 15, 2005

The Bitfilm Festival for digital film and new media shows films that use digital technology in a creative and innovative way. There are six categories:

* 3D SPACE – Computer-generated 3D animations
* FX MIX - Digitally composed hybrids, mixing for example live action and animation
* FLASH ATTACK - Films produced in Macromedia Flash
* MACHINIMA - Movies made in real time with game engines

Teenage filmmakers screen a series of animated and live-action works made in various Community Arts Partnership programs under the direction of CalArts instructors led by Nancy Buchanan, Reggie Coleman, Ruben Esqueda, Leo F. Hobaica Jr., Brooke Keesling, Cynthia Overman, Chris Peters and Trixie Sweetvittles. Funded by The JL Foundation. Coproduced by the Community Arts Partnership with Banning

In Part 3 of this series, Ellen Besen discusses the impact of new technology on performance and the future roles of technology, new and old, with former Disney animation artist Charlie Bonifacio and former Pixar animation artist Stephen Barnes.

Bitfilm Festival 2005
Hamburg, Germany
November 2-6 2005
Deadline: July 15, 2005

The Bitfilm Festival for digital film and new media shows films that use digital technology in a creative and innovative way. There are six categories:

* 3D Space: Computer generated 3D animations.
* FX Mix: Digitally composed hybrids, mixing live action, effects and animation.
* 64K Demos: Audiovisual programs that work with a PC's processor and videocard.
* Flash: Linear films and interactive works made with Macromedia Flash.

Avid Technology Inc. announced the “SOFTIMAGE|XSI Mod Tool Lock & Load” Challenge.” The challenge — sponsored in part by HP, NVIDIA and Gamedev.net — gives gamers the opportunity to win more than $25,000US in prizes for developing “mods” — modified content for popular video games — using the SOFTIMAGE|XSI Mod Tool v4.2, the freely available version of the company’s professional 3D animation software.

Broadband network Heavy.com will debut a new Machinima series, PIMP MY WEAPON, that was created in partnership with Sony as part of its pre-promotion for it's highly anticipated release of GOD OF WAR. This marks the first time that a studio-endorsed Machinima will reach a broadcast-scale audience through cable or broadband and will be shown exclusively on Heavy.com (www.heavy.com).

Ed Robertson, lead singer and guitar player for the multi-platinum rock band Barenaked Ladies, premiers in his first cameo role in this week’s special double-length 50th episode of the online Machinima series, RED VS. BLUE. Robertson plays Captain Flowers, the ill-fated leader of the Blue army.

This episode marks the third collaboration between Robertson and series creator Rooster Teeth Prods. Rooster Teeth created custom RED VS. BLUE clips that Barenaked Ladies showed on their last two concert tours of North America.