The Vancouver Film School (VFS) is holding a three hour presentation that includes detailed descriptions of their classical, 3D and Maya programs. Student works will be shown and portfolios will be reviewed. The presentation will be held at the Sheraton Pasadena Hotel, 303 East Cordova Street, Pasadena, on Saturday, August 11 from 2-4pm. The event will include refreshments and prizes. RSVP to rebecca@vfs.com or call 1-800-661-4101

Side Effects Software will host a free seminar at SIGGRAPH 2001 to address increasing worldwide demand for Houdini skills and Certified Houdini Trainers. The event will appeal to school staff with plans to expand their 3D animation offerings and trainers interested in augmenting their existing skill set to take advantage of employment opportunities. Ray Corbett, Training Supervisor at Digital Domain, will share his experience providing Houdini training at one of the world's leading effects companies and review job opportunities for Houdini users and trainers. Randy McCrimmon, Associate Director, 3D Animation, from the Academy of Art College, San Francisco, will discuss their successful Houdini program, and Richard Kidd, Certified Houdini Trainer, will speak about industry opportunities available as a freelance Houdini Trainer. This event provides a great opportunity to learn about Side Effects Software's support of educational institutions and trainers and to get details about the Houdini Trainer Certification Program, including requirements and how to apply. All seminar attendees will be eligible for a 50% discount on the introductory certification application fee should they choose to enroll. The event will take place on Sunday, August 12, 2001, noon to 12:45 pm at the Westin-Bonaventure Hotel (Downtown LA), San Jose Room. Reservations required.

Shorts in this all-animation program for grown-ups range from director Kathy Smith's "Indefinable Moods," an exploration of symbols and landscapes in nature that link to psychological hopes, fears and desires that exist in every culture to Hilary Wilder's stop-motion Rudolf the-red-nosed-reindeer redux "Everybody's Got Problems." This wildly inventive animated video re-edits the familiar characters from the 1964 special "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" with overlayed audio from the Billy Wilder/Ray Milland classic "The Lost Weekend," resulting in an unlikely narrative in which the reindeer and elves at the North Pole grapple with the specter of alcoholism. The Saturday Morning Cartoons program screens one time only on Saturday, September 22 at 11AM at the Los Feliz Cinema.

Founded in 1995, the Fantastik Film Festival (FFF) is an international film festival promoting films about imagination, films that are stretching the limits between dream and reality. Genres are: science fiction, fantasy & horror, and animation. Since 1998, FFF has been a member of the European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation, whose goal is to promote fantasy films in Europe. Competitions are held for both feature films and short films. Last year's winner in the feature film category was: "Tuvalu," by Veit Helmer, Germany. The films shown during the festival are divided into several series, the major one being the Premiere Series, featuring films that have not yet premiered in Sweden. The festival has expanded to include special screenings, seminars and exhibitions.

The six-day conference will debut the results of the GSTA recently released Economic Impact Study, a comprehensive examination of the quantitative and qualitative factors that affect how large format films are produced, distributed and exhibited. The conference will also feature up to 12 new giant screen films and 4 short films and will introduce a nightly "wrap party" for attendees to network and expound on the events of the day. Other conference favorites will include Films-In-Development and Films-In-Progress, Technical Sessions, Roundtables, Developing Members Workshop, and the GSTA Achievement Awards.
The Giant Screen Theater Association is a nonprofit association dedicated to the worldwide growth of the large format film industry by supporting the developers and presenters of giant screen film experiences. Its goal is to be the global forum for producers, operators and suppliers of the large format film industry and to foster its growth and development in both the educational and commercial sectors.

The 2nd Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) highlights films from Canada and around the globe. The festival will hand out such awards as audience favorite; best jury picked short; best jury picked feature; and best jury picked documentary. There are no entry fees or handling fees for this year's festival.

DVContest is a contest on the Internet for digital films and animations. Winners in each of the three sections (Independent, Amateur and Animation) will win $5,000 each, while other cash awards will be given for entrants in the following categories: Drama,
Comedy,
Children,
Action/Adventure,
Horror/Science Fiction,
Adult,
and Documentary.

There is no entry fee. All entries must be in digital format.
Finalists will be announced on September 15, 2001.

For its 15th edition, this international short film festival is moving from Saint G

The Hope and Dreams Film Festival is seeking features, shorts, documentaries, animation and screenplays for its fourth annual competitive film festival. All types of animation accepted. The Hope and Dreams Film Festival is a program of Hope and Dreams Art Center, Inc., a non-profit corporation created to stimulate, advance and harmonize the arts with the natural environment. Their mission is to educate the community through a combination of filmmaking, traditional fine arts and cultural activities.

The 44th International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film helps shed light on two overlooked areas of film production -- animation and documentaries. The festival has become known for featuring many hybrid films called "animadocs." Besides the competition, the event holds special programs and retrospectives. Gold and Silver Dove prizes, with cash awards, will be handed out.