TERRES EN VUES/LAND InSIGHTS, an association created to promote native culture, is presenting the 11th Edition of the Montreal First Peoples' Festival. The event highlights films made by American natives and about native issues and topics. Selected films and videos will be in competition, unless the filmmaker wishes them to be screened only. Awards will be given on June 17, during a special event. To be eligible for competition, the work must have been produced no more than 3 years before the festival. Awards are given for the artistic quality of the works showing originality in terms of content and style, a skillful sense of film or media expression and corresponding deeply to the soul of the First Peoples.

The 2nd International Animation Festival of Tehran is a festival set up to play a small role in the exchange of cultural and technical views and ideas. Sponsored by the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults, the festival is a chance to bring international animation to Iran and to show the world the works of the host country.

The California SUN International Animation Festival contains animations ranging from student works to studio productions. The event is set up to bring attention to the world of international animation. A special private screening of the films will be held on March 23 at the Museum of Radio & Television in
Beverly Hills.

The Australian Effects & Animation Festival is dedicated to the arts and creation of visual effects and animation. Australian visual effects guru Karen Ansel will be honored during the event. She has worked on such films as NUTTY PROFESSOR II: THE KLUMPS, FLUBBER, WHAT DREAMS MAY COME and THE MASK. The annual AEAF Awards night will occur on Tuesday, February 27 where industry professionals will be awarded for excellence in their fields. For the first time ever, the AEAF 2001 Flash Animation Festival will highlight the best in animation created in Flash. Tim Alexander from Industrial Light & Magic will give a discussion on the water effects that went into THE PERFECT STORM. Ken Beilenberg, visual effects supervisor at PDI, will be discussing the company's work on their new 3D feature SHREK. From the U.K., Mark Coleran of Useful Companies at the renowned Pinewood Studios will look at the live computer graphics utilized to create Lara Croft's highly anticipated first feature film, TOMB RAIDER.

SKYY Vodka has partnered with the American Cinematheque to launch the SKYY Short Film Awards, to celebrate excellence and vision in the short film format. Short films may be entered into four categories: fiction, non-fiction, animation and a special themed category for films that contain a "cocktail moment." The competition is open to anyone 21 years and older and there is no fee to enter. The SKYY Short Film Awards Grand Prize will be $5,000 to the winner of each category. Other prizes include an all-expenses-paid trip to Hollywood for the Awards Ceremony, a full-page advertisement in DAILY VARIETY that will feature the four award-winning shorts, an airing of the winning shorts on the Sundance Channel and the chance for each filmmaker to meet with an agent or manager. The winners will be determined by a jury comprised of: Barbara Smith, executive director of the American Cinematheque; Trevor Groth, head of the Sundance Film Festival Short Film Section; Graham Fuller, film writer-at-large of INTERVIEW MAGAZINE; Anne Thompson, West Coast editor of PREMIERE MAGAZINE; Doug Liman, director (SWINGERS, GO); Luis Mandoki, director (WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN); and Maurice Kanbar, founder of SKYY Vodka.

The U.S. International Film And Video Festival is a multinational event that showcases the best in film and video from around the globe. The festival takes entries from business, television, documentary, industrial and informational productions. Over 250 industry insiders judge the entries and award first place "Gold Camera" and second place "Silver Screen" prizes.

Culture2Culture presents Tricky Women, the first animated film festival, dedicated to animation created by women. The festival will include an international competition, screenings and discussions. Animated films, animation videos, computer animations and animations for the Internet implemented by women from 1999-2000 are accepted.

TEAM X Awards highlight public service announcements on tobacco awareness created by students. The event is organized by the Los Angeles Unified School District and AnimAction, Inc. Thirty-three awards will be presented to middle school students. Sponsors include Kids WB!, Fox Kids, Cartoon Network, Disney and Toon Disney.

The Santa Clarita International Film Festival is dedicated to promoting socially responsible films and screenplays that are suitable for general audiences and express a fundamental respect for the positive values of life. The categories include animation, mixed media and student work. The individual film categories are feature film, telefilm, short feature, short telefilm or student short. The event features screenings, panel discussions and seminars.

The 14th Dallas Video Festival highlights films and videos from around the world and also brings attention to artists working in Texas. Over 250 films and videos are screened at the event to over 8,000 attendees. This year's Kovacs Award for innovation in TV will be presented to Mike Judge, the creator of KING OF THE HILL and BEAVIS & BUTT-HEAD. This year's festival will feature a showcase of innovations in computer graphics. The Video Association of Dallas is organizing the event.