The 6th Annual Toronto Online Film Festival shall showcase the most exciting cutting-edge movies and music created by independent artists from around the world. In addition, the event shall offer budding production teams, seasoned veterans and individual content creators an ideal point in time to participate in expert seminar panels, innovative technology exhibitions and nightly parties.

Reboot Communications is hosting the first Vancouver International Game Summit. The two-day conference will bring together the innovators responsible for the explosive growth of the West Coast gaming industry, providing them with a platform to share knowledge and develop industry partnerships.

Tapping into the fast growing pool of game creators residing on the West Coast of Canada and the U.S. the first Vancouver International Game Summit will provide a forum for developers and producers of console and PC games, mobile games, online games and more. The event will not only be a learning and networking opportunity for the gaming community, but will focus on providing information and insight with the goal of industry growth in the coming years. It is expected to attract more than 750 attendees, representing gaming companies and trade associations from around the world.

The conference is also currently accepting presentation proposals. The call for papers is open until August 31, 2006. For more information on submissions and the event, visit www.rebootconference.com/games2006.

Advanced Digital Art Production Techniques (ADAPT) is launching the first edition of a new conference aimed to bring world leading international & local digital art masters under one roof in Montreal. Presented by Digital 04 studios, the ADAPT 2006 Conference will take place Sept. 23-24 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. The ADAPT 2006 Conference will allow concept artists, modelers, riggers, animators and the like an opportunity to expand their capabilities and stimulate innovation by exposing them to the latest and most advanced digital art techniques used by the most acclaimed artists from Montreal to Hollywood and around the world. In addition to the conferences, participants will have the opportunity to meet with artists, attend an autograph signing session & network at the official ADAPT 2006 Conference cocktail mixer on the Hyatt Regency Hotel roof top terrace overlooking Montreal's skyline. Participants will also have the opportunity to showcase their portfolio and obtain a review by renowned artists. Finally, recruiters from leading companies in the industry will be conducting interviews. The artist line-up includes: * Syd Mead (BLADE RUNNER, TRON, ALIENS) * Jason Spencer-Galsworthy (CHICKEN RUN, WALLACE & GROMMIT, FLUSHED AWAY) * James Clyne (BATTLE ANGEL, X-MEN: THE LAST STAND, CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, WAR OF THE WORLDS, MINORITY REPORT, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: AI) * Christian Lorenz Scheurer (THE MATRIX, WHAT DREAMS MAY COME, TITANIC, DARK CITY, EA

Ai-Kon is Manitoba's largest anime convention. An all-ages event, the goal of Ai-Kon is the promotion of Japanese/Asian animation and culture to the public. Started by the University of Manitoba Japanese Animation Club (UMAnime) in 2001, Ai-Kon took a re-organizational hiatus in 2002, returning in 2003. Ai-Kon has since become an autonomous event, run by an independent volunteer board. "Ai" means "love" in Japanese, hence Ai-Kon's slogan "For the Love of Anime." For more details, visit www.ai-kon.org/.

Henry LaBounta Chief Visual Officer, Electronic Arts Canada Eric Armstrong Senior Animation Director, Electronic Arts Canada Date, Time, Location Tuesday, February 27, 2007 7:30pm Vancouver International Film Centre 1181 Seymour St. @ Davie Tickets $5.00 Vancouver ACM SIGGRAPH members $10.00 non-members Purchase tickets online at www.siggraph.ca Believable character motion is a very challenging and complex problem to solve in any medium. Achieving it interactively not only engages the player emotionally by maintaining suspension of disbelief but can also change the nature of gameplay. The solution starts with better understanding the problem through critical analysis and breakdowns. Current-gen techniques such as motion capture cycle blending only go so far. AI, human biomechanics, inverse kinematics, procedural awareness and other related aspects of the solution will be discussed and demonstrated with live proprietary software. Benefits are more than just visual, the impact to game play through responsiveness and communicating intent with body language will also be discussed. Speaker Bios Henry LaBounta Chief Visual Officer, Electronic Arts Canada As Chief Visual Officer for EA SPORTS, Academy Award nominee Henry LaBounta uses his 20+ years in computer animation and applies them in overseeing the visuals of EA's next-generation SPORTS titles. LaBounta came to EA via PDI/DreamWorks where he supervised visual effects for the Steven Spielberg

The 2nd Annual Canadian Awards for the Electronic and Animated Arts (CAEAA) along with its event partners Ernst & Young, Electronic Arts (EA), Autodesk and the British Columbia Provincial Government will be inviting videogame and animation companies as well as the students and educators from around the world to participate in this year's awards event, the 2007 Elans. While last year'sCAEAA hosted by William Shatner drew worldwide attention, only Canadian content qualified for nomination. The 2008 Elans will include International Award Categories determined by worldwide industry input. The 2008 Elans will be held in February, at The Centre in Vancouver for the Performing Arts. The state-of-the-art structure, regarded as the premiere entertainment facility in the city, will host the nearly 2,000 worldwide guests and participants of this year's Elans, tripling the attendance of its inaugural year in 2006. This year the awards will also grow into a two-day event: The day following the Elans, the CAEAA producers along with industry associations such as the International Gaming Development Association (IGDA) and Ernst & Young will be hosting a full day industry event. The CIV will offer CEOs and their staff from videogaming, animation and new media schools, both big and small, the opportunity to meet in person and "talk business." This day will provide for Canadian and international 2007 Elans attendees to interface in a casual but informative environment within luxurious surroundings. The day will end with a VIP wrap party currently planned for the Vancouver Art Gallery whereat working art from animation and videogaming projects will be displayed and auctioned for charity. Special events and rates for excursions such as Whistler getaways will be available for those not wishing to hurry home on Sunday. The CAEAA couldn't produce the 2007 Elans without its Founders; those already committed to support this coming year's awards include Foundation 9/Backbone Entertainment, Western Imperial Magnetics, David Kaye Productions, Selkirk College, The Art Institute of Vancouver, Emily Carr Institute, VFS and Dean Lauz of D'Arts. For more information, visit www.caeaa.com.

On September 14, 2007 the Toronto Online Film Festival shall present the exciting 2007 TOFF Awards.

Highlights of the gala evening include awards in such categories as Best Animation, Best Entertainment Website, Best Short Film, Best Action Trailer, Best Documentary and countless more. Directors, editors, videographers, game developers and graphic designers from around the world shall also be spotlighted on the weekly vlogcast series

Unlike traditional film and awards festivals, there is no fee to enter TOFF.ca and no fussing with packages, courier and mail. Instead, entries are painlessly submitted online ? together with the entrant?s web link highlighted to the URL or web address, where their work may be easily viewed by audiences worldwide, via the official TOFF.ca site. Thus, an unknown genius could become an instant star.

Once the entrant?s link has been tagged, labeled and posted under it?s respective subject category, online audiences from around the world can link to the respective site, view the work and vote for their favorite.
Linked videos of audience members and reviewers are tagged and posted as well.

Ultimately, audience votes are tallied, official judge?s reviews are broadcast on the daily vlogcast series being showcased online and awards are presented on September 14, 2007 in one of the most exciting cities in the world.

Running in conjunction with Banff World Television Festival 2007, nextMEDIA: The Future of Digital Content is a three-day event, featuring compelling keynotes, international panels, best practices, case studies, as well as pitching and networking events -- all focusing on the future of digital content. The two events are dedicated to the innovation and development of television content creation and will feature synergized programs and linked schedules to capitalize on the harmonies between the traditional and advanced media sectors. Opening keynote address is by Joanna Drake Earl, president, new media, Current TV. For more information, or to register, go to www.futureofdigitalcontent.com/.

The fourth Montreal International Game Summit (MIGS), taking place at the Palais des Congres de Montreal, features a world-class lineup of top industry talent. Among the speakers who will be on hand to share their expertise and know-how are: * Yoshiaki Koizumi, Nintendo, script writer of THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: LINK'S AWAKENING and assistant director of SUPER MARIO 64, as well as contributor to THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: OCARINA OF TIME and THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: MAJORA'S MASK. * Jonathan Blow, independent game designer, industry consultant, technical columnist for GAME DEVELOPER MAGAZINE, co-organizer of the Game-Tech conference and founder of the Experimental Gameplay Workshop, a group that showcases the work of groundbreaking game designers. His next game, BRAID, will be released in February 2008. * David Perry, gaming industry consultant and visionary for the past 25 years. CEO of Gameconsultants.com and the new video game investment portal Gameinvestors.com. He also writes a videogame industry column for BusinessWeek.com and is currently working on the creation of several multi-player games, as well as the first community-created MMO game, with tens of thousands of developers on his team. A complete list of speakers is available at www.sijm.ca.

The Art Institute of Vancouver is hosting ARTimation Media Arts Festival. Taking place on March 1, 2008 from 12:00 to 8:00 pm at the Rocky Mountaineer Station in Vancouver, ARTimation will feature the areas of gaming, animation, visual effects, film, and recording arts -- all of which are creative programs offered at The Art Institute's Burnaby campus. The media arts programming throughout the day will allow students to explore the possibility of an education and career in art and design. With 20,000 square feet of space and 35-foot high ceilings, the expansive venue will be turned into an innovative and interactive area where attendees can spend the day learning about media arts industries through game play, film screenings, production workshops, hands-on drawing tutorials, industry-insider information sessions, and high-profile keynote speakers. In addition, ARTimation will host three competitions, the Canadian High School Film Festival Competition 2008, Game Concept Competition, and Character Art Competition. All three competitions require that entries be submitted prior to the event, with a film entry deadline of Feb. 15 and a game and character art entry deadline of Feb. 21. Winners will be announced on event day and the first-place winners in each of the six film categories, one game concept winner, and one character art winner will receive cash awards. Tickets to ARTimation are available for $10 in advance or $15 at the door, including complimentary entry for two parents per student. Visit www.wherecreativitygoestoschool.com/vancouver and www.artinstitutes.edu/vancouver for full event details and ticket information.