As a featured component of Los Angeles' International AFI Film Festival, AFI DigiFest is presenting two interactive media showcases highlighting the latest innovations in digital media and their real-world applications. Presented at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' beautiful Linwood-Dunn Theater, the two days of presentations and seminars will be filled with some pretty dazzling stuff. Here's the program: Day One (November 8): AFI hosts a series of curated presentations that highlight noteworthy digital productions from around the world. Among the presentations, Marshall Herskovitz, creator of THIRTY SOMETHING, MY SO-CALLED LIFE and BLOOD DIAMOND, will preview QUARTERLIFE, a new dramatic broadband series that premieres on MySpace on Nov. 11. Presentations rounding out the day feature the best in new digital thinking from the worlds of film, television, games and mobile. Bobby Beck, CEO/President, Animation Mentor, will be part of a panel titled "The Reinvention of Storytelling through Interactive Media." Day Two (November 9): AFI presents five new prototypes incubated in the AFI Digital Content Lab: an online video platform and citizen journalist toolkit for NOW, PBS' weekly investigative news program; a strategy for retaining viewer interest during ads in a DVR environment for Bravo; a social network tailored for players, a documentary about videogame fans being produced by MTV, EA, and Mekanism; a pilot for an original dramatic machinima series created within a 3D game engine; and, finally, a unique user-generated film contest, Filmocracy, for ITVS. For more information, visit www.afi.com/onscreen/AFIFEST/2007/.

The Academy of Machinima Arts & Sciences (AMAS), an organization that provides advocacy, education and community building awareness for the entertainment medium known as Machinima: the art or technique of filmmaking using real-time 3D virtual environments, has teamed up with NVIDIA

The Academy of Machinima Arts and Sciences will present the 2005 Machinima Film Festival, a full-day of Machinima (animated filmmaking using 3D videogame technologies), taking place at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens. The one-day event will include screenings of Machinima films, special presentations, talks with award-winning independent filmmakers and seminars about Machinima production techniques. For more information, visit festival.machinima.org.

The American Animation Institute's summer semester will run from June 2 to August 30. Registration for Animation Guild members begins May 8; registration for non-members begins May 12. The American Animation Institute was founded in 1980 by the Animation Guild and Affiliated Optical Electronic and Graphic Arts, Local 839 IATSE, to further the art of the animated cartoon in the United States through educational and other activities. Classes are held at the Animation Guild in North Hollywood, CA on weekdays and weekday evenings plus one weekend class, one session per week for twelve weeks. The full catalog is available here. Instructors for the summer semester include Steve Brown, Nicole Duet, Karl Gnass and Will Weston. Classes offered include Storyboarding, Composition for Animation and Film, Life Drawing, Advanced Life Drawing, Animal Drawing at the Los Angeles Zoo and Page Museum, Head and Figure Painting, Painting the Still Life and Figure Drawing From Top To Bottom. Contact Lyn Mantta by e-mail or at 818-766-0521 if you have any questions.

The 4th Bitfilm Festival for digital film and new media shows films that use digital technology in a creative and innovative way. There are five categories:

Digital Features
Films of min. 90 minutes which use 3D animation and digital effects as an artistic means.

Bit Shorts
Short films, music videos and ads which use 3D animation and digital effects as an artistic means.

Flash
Linear films and interactive works made with Macromedia Flash.

Machinima
Films that are animated in real time using game environments.

Micromovies
Films of max. 60 seconds that are custom-made for mobile devices like cell phones, PDAs etc.

There will be a total of 45,000 Euros in prize money awarded. Entry deadline: July 1, 2003. There is no entry fee.

More information and submissions under http://www.bitfilm-festival.org/index_e.html

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. * Machinima: Films that are animated in realtime using game environments. * Micromovies: Films of max. three minutes that are custom-made for mobile devices like cell phones, PDAs, etc. There will be a total of 45,000 Euros in prize money awarded. There is no entry fee. More information and submissions can be found at www.bitfilm-festival.org.

Now in its third year, the Mexico International Film Festival is committed to bringing the best independent cinema from around the world to Mexico in an effort to maintain and enrich the country’s film culture. The festival is held in the serene and beautiful town of Rosarito, situated on the Baja coast, where the sun shines all year with cooling sea breezes, glorious clear skies, and the crystal azure Pacific as a backdrop.

Adult Swim and ROBOT CHICKEN creators and executive producers Seth Green and Matt Senreich are celebrating the release of the ROBOT CHICKEN: STAR WARS EPISODE II DVD this summer by strapping on a pair of roller skates and living on a tour bus for two weeks just to bring ROBOT CHICKEN-style fun to the masses. Green and Senreich host the celebration throughout the nine-city roller rink tour across America, featuring performances by one of the hottest bands today, Decaydance/Fueled By Ramen recording group Gym Class Heroes, in addition to special ROBOT CHICKEN guests including the show's writers and producers, celebrity guest stars, ROBOT CHICKEN-themed activities and games and exclusive Adult Swim merchandise. Adult Swim's ROBOT CHICKEN: STAR WARS EPISODE II Roller Skating Tour kicks off in Los Angeles August 1. A preview party, which is also open to the public, will take place on July 25 in San Diego with a guest DJ. "Our show is so much fun, we want to invite everyone to have fun with us," says Seth Green. "Grab your friends, your couple's skate partner and some kneepads. We're coming to your town! Or at least to a major market somewhat close to your town." "When Seth first pitched the idea of throwing roller skating parties around the country, I rolled my eyes and laughed at him," says Matthew Senreich. "I said, 'That's crazy talk.' Now that we're actually going to do it, I'm in awe of its absurdity and can't wait to attend. It fits with the randomness of our ROBOT CHICKEN show. Why not throw roller skating parties across the U.S.?" Adult Swim's ROBOT CHICKEN: STAR WARS EPISODE II Roller Skating Tour schedule: * July 25, San Diego, Calif.: Skate San Diego-Preview party minus the band but with a guest DJ and extra Comic-Con awesomeness * August 1, Los Angeles, Calif.: Venue TBA * August 2, Las Vegas, Nev.: Rancho Crystal Palace Skating Center * August 4, Denver, Colo.: Skate City Westminster * August 6, Kansas City, Mo.: River Roll Skate Center * August 8, Indianapolis, Ind.: Skateland * August 10, Richmond, Va.: Roller Dome Skating * August 12, Philadelphia, Pa.: Jamz Roller Skating Center * August 14, New York: Venue TBA *Dates and times are subject to change. At each event, all ages are welcome, admission is free and doors open at 8 p.m. Patrons with an early entry-voucher will be admitted one hour earlier. Early-entry vouchers can be found in the new ROBOT CHICKEN: STAR WARS EPISODE II DVD, which will arrive at retail on July 21. More information about the tour can be found at AdultSwimPresents.com. Building on its tremendous broadcast success, the highly anticipated DVD release of ROBOT CHICKEN: STAR WARS EPISODE II features 15 minutes of never-before-seen footage. The sequel once again combines the satirical sensibilities of Seth Green and Matthew Senreich's Stoopid Monkey Productions Emmy Award-winning ROBOT CHICKEN with the unforgettable moments and favorite characters of the STAR WARS universe. Winner of three Annie Awards, including Best Animated Television Production, the ROBOT CHICKEN: STAR WARS EPISODE II DVD includes both the original broadcast version and extended version of the special, along with more than 90 minutes of bonus features. In addition to the roller rink tour and new DVD, the final nine brand-new episodes of ROBOT CHICKEN's fourth season will premiere on Adult Swim beginning July 26 at 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). Created by actor/producer Seth Green and Matthew Senreich, ROBOT CHICKEN uses stop-motion animation to bring pop-culture parodies to life in a modern take on the variety/sketch show format. The series is created in conjunction with ShadowMachine Films' Alex Bulkley and Corey Campodonico.

Digital Days is an interactive High Definition Digital showcase and forum featuring screenings, presentations and seminars. The audience onsite and connected virtually to our Quicktime Live Webcast and Video Chats, provides an interactive dialogue between filmmakers, industry professionals, students and the public. Presentations of theatrical features, HD natural history films and cutting-edge rock music videos provide a stimulating full-sensory experience. Explore from outer space to inner space from Antarctica to the oceans

The Sex in Video Games Conference: Exploring the Business of Digital Erotic Entertainment will be held at the Lodge at Union Square, Kensington Park Hotel in San Francisco, California. The conference is the first of its type and will be an annual event. This unique conference will focus on the design, development, and technology of sex in video games from a national as well as international perspective. In addition, this conference will also have a strong focus on business matchmaking and networking. During the conference's two-day run, it will feature numerous lectures and keynotes, a machinima art show (erotic art and movies derived from video games) as well as panel discussions with leaders in video game and adult video game development. Sheri Graner Ray will give the keynote. Graner Ray is an accomplished game designer with 16 years experience in the videogame industry and is the author of GENDER INCLUSIVE GAME DESIGN: EXPANDING THE MARKET. For more information, visit www.sexinvideogames.com.