ASIFA San Francisco will be hosting a night of new animation and special effects. ILM's Victoria Livingston will show a company reel of features and commercials, plus her own personal film. PDI will present a reel of commercial work and personal projects by staff members. DotComix will show several of their Web shows and a short on how they do performance animation. Wild Brain will screen about 30 minutes of new material including pilots, Webisodes, TV commercials and more. The event is a free screening at the Exploratorium and the general public is invited.

ASIFA-Hollywood, the Los Angeles area-based branch of the International Animated Film Society, honors the best in film, television and Internet animation with their Annie awards. This year, voice actors Rob Paulsen and Maurice LaMarche will be reprising their roles as hosts of the ceremony. The event takes place at the famed Alex Theater.

The Chicago International Children's Films Festival (CICFF) is the largest competitive festival for children's films and videos in North America. The festival programs over 200 live-action and animated features and shorts made for children 3-13 years old. The objective is to recognize high artistic achievement in the area of children's entertainment. CICFF's goal is to nurture a positive image of children. The event is sponsored by Facets Multi-Media Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to programming and distributing international film, video and theatre. For more information contact CICFF at:

Jeffrey Scott will be guest speaker at the Women In Animation Writers' Group Seminar Series at Saban Entertainment, 10960 Wilshire Blvd., at 7:30 pm. Jeffrey has written over 500 animation scripts, including the recent PBS DRAGON TALES.

The Montreal International Festival of New Cinema & New Media (FCMM) will screen 72 features, 93 shorts and 50 new media presentations in a celebration of cutting edge filmmaking. Besides the screenings the event will hold tributes and seminars including a salute to animators Mich

The Nan Desu Kan Japanese Animation Convention celebrates the art of anime. The festival's guest will be Hiroki Hayashi, animation director at AIC in Japan and creator of the series TENCHI MUYO! Nan Desu Kan will also feature Japanese and American voice-over artists, three 24-hour video rooms, video gaming rooms, an art and model show, an art seminar, guest panels and cultural seminars on Japanese language, music, culture and clothing. The event is expecting approximately 1,500 people this year.

911 Media Arts presents an Animation Sensation Weekend to celebrate the opening of its new Hands-On Animation Lab (HAL). On Friday at 8 pm, the Animators' Social will screen "Animated Worlds," a collection of world class animation curated by the Northwest Film Center in Portland. The audience is invited to bring animated works on VHS for an open screening after the main program. On Saturday from 2 - 6 pm, Russian master animator Yuri Norstein will screen his acclaimed cut-out animated films, including TALE OF TALES and HEDGEHOG IN THE FOG, as well as scenes from THE OVERCOAT, the incredible animated film that he has been working on for over 20 years. After the screening, Norstein will present an intensive workshop to demonstrate his specialized technique of multi-plane, cut-out animation using the delicate paper puppets from his films. Seating is extremely limited for both events. Finally on Sunday at 6 pm, the official ribbon cutting and open house of the new Hands-On Animation Lab (HAL) will commence. Examples of animated works created by children and teens in 911 workshops will be showcased, and demonstrations of animation equipment will be given. Pulitzer Prize winning political cartoonist, David Horsey will also share his thoughts about the role of animation in the newspaper industry.

Teen Comic Age 2000 is a festival highlighting teen comic and animation artists. Presented by the Los Angeles Public Library, the event will feature portfolio reviews, comic and animation workshops, panel discussions, celebrity signings and student, computer and anime animation screenings. The festival takes place from 10 am - 5:30 pm and admission is free.

The Independent Film Project/Midwest is holding their ninth annual conference to highlight independent filmmaking in the Midwest region of the United States. On Saturday, the conference will hold E-Cinema Expo, which will be devoted to DV, HD and Internet-based filmmaking. On Saturday evening, The Flyover Zone Film Festival will showcase short subjects created by IFP/Midwest members or in the "Flyover Zone" (i.e. the Midwest). During the festival, the IFP/Midwest will announce the recipient of this year's Independent Production Fund grant. Annually, IFP/Midwest takes submissions for a new film project from members and the winner receives US$40,000 to help in the production of the short film. The conference will feature independent feature premieres and various panel discussions.

This year, Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival will be featuring its 13th international competition and 23rd French competition. Filmmakers and buyers can also take advantage of the short film market, which attracts more than 50 TV channels, 50 distributors and 60 international festival organizers. Last year's competition saw films from 44 countries. The 2001 addition will feature programs on South Korea, S & M and Fetish Films, Hitchcock, Spain, African Perspectives and a Children's Programme.