Charles Sturt University is proud to announce the Australian International Animation Festival 2006, the largest non-metropolitan screening of animation in Australia. The festival features unprecedented opportunity to view the very best of worldwide animation selected from a record-breaking 1,500 entries, and boasts special programs like Comic Art Meets Animation, Korean Panorama and the Aeon Flux Collection exclusive programmed by creator Peter Chung. Add to that free lectures on 3D and stop-motion animation, invitation for local animators to screen, an exciting network of animation aficionados and a few big surprises and you have a fantastic festival that is truly internationally acclaimed!

Event: Australian International Animation Festival 2006
Dates: Friday 11

The BBFF 2007 festival will run Feb. 9-17, 2007. The theme for BBFF 2007 is "looking to the future" and the festival aims to explore the possibilities of filmmaking and related technology. In tune with the theme, BBFF is particularly looking for entries from films full of animation or visual effects or which are high definition.

Films of all lengths and genres which were completed after Jan. 1, 2005, are welcome to enter with awards available in the categories of Best Film, Young Filmmaker (under 25), Animation, Experimental, Surfing, Drama, Documentary, Marine, Comedy and Cinematography.

Famous for its laidback lifestyle, festivals and creative community, as with BBFF 2006, the films screened will reflect the local Byron Bay community by maintaining a strong emphasis on social and environmental issues, diversity, spirit, colourful characters, humor and, of course, being Byron Bay,

AFTRS is staging preliminary pitching workshops across Australia. From those selected at these workshops finalist will be chosen to pitch at the featured SPAA Pitching Competition at the annual SPAA Conference (Nov. 14-17, 2006). Participation in these workshops is the only path to this opportunity. The Competition provides an opportunity for a feature film or television program "idea" to be pitched to a captive audience of the industry's top film, television and new media executives. In addition, Getty Images will this year join long time sponsor Holding Redlich by offering images and footage from their library for use in the finalist's reel. The winner of the Competition receives a trip to the Cannes Film Festival or a major television market in the UK or US, $1,000 cash, free registration to next year's SPAA Conference and a write up in ENCORE MAGAZINE. For more information, visit www.aftrs.edu.au.

Animation and Interactive Media graduate screening 2006 The graduate students of RMIT's AIM course present a night of animated short films, games and interactive spaces produced as major projects for the Grad Dip program. Animation and Interactive Media graduate screening 2006 5th December 2006 Starts at 7pm Storey Hall, RMIT University Swanston St, Melbourne, Australia.

The Melbourne International Animation Festival is an annual event that screens over 300 films in competitive, non competitive, student and specially curated programs from all over the world. MIAF has become an event of international scale and reputation and is the only comprehensive animation collection of this size and quality that Australian audiences will have an opportunity to see. There is no entry fee to submit films, so please check out MIAF's website to obtain the entry form and the all important festival guidelines.

On the cultural "fringe" of the Castlemaine State Festival in Victoria, Australia you'll find the "Digital Chaos Gallery" featuring selected works from the binary realm, with a focus on 'local people'. We are seeking 2-D, 3-D and multi-dimensional art - especially work that expands the definition of "digital art". No submission fee. Deadline March 21st. See link below for entry form: http://www.castlemainefringe.com/digital/index.php Venue: The Criterion Hotel, Castlemaine,Victoria Opens Saturday April 1

GRAPHITE 2007
1-4 December 2007
Perth, Western Australia
http://www.anzgraph.org/graphite2007

Sponsored by ACM SIGGRAPH, GRAPHITE 2007 is the 5th International Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques in Australasia and Southeast Asia, an annual event conducted in the Australasia-South East Asia region.

GRAPHITE 2007 will provide a unique atmosphere for researchers, technologists, artists, industry professionals, educators and students to mingle while taking in the latest technical and artistic accomplishments from around the globe.

Subscribe to the mailing list to stay up to date with GRAPHITE 2007. http://lists.siggraph.org/mailman/listinfo/graphite2007

Ed Hooks will be hosting his famed acting training masterclasses at Griffith Film School, Queensland College of Art (Sept. 15-16, 2007) and Victorian College of the Arts, Film and Television (Sept. 22-23, 2007). His books, ACTING FOR ANIMATION and ACTING IN ANIMATION: A LOOK AT 12 FILMS are standard texts at animation schools all over the globe. He has taught at Disney Feature Animation, DreamWorks/PDI and Blue Sky. For more information, visit www.bluedahliafilms.com.

Byte Me! is a Digital Content Festival, featuring a program of screenings, Show 'n Tells by international Industry speakers, live audiovisual performances and innovative cross-media events. See http://ByteMe.net.au There will be free interactive community activities, as well as a intensive program of low-cost events such as screenings and guest speakers including Robin Hunicke, lead developer of MySims for wii from EA Games; Paul Van Ommen, head of the Miniatures Unit on King Kong from Weta Workshop; and the Australian Premiere screening of Figwit (Frodo is Great, Who is That?) documentary and Q+A with NZ Film-maker Stan Alley. There is NO Registration fee, and the events will all be reasonably priced. The Festival is unrelated to, but runs concurrently with GRAPHITE 2007 http://www.graphite.siggraph.org/ to make the long trip to Perth doubly worthwhile.

CSU Animation and Visual Effects present the fifth Australian International Animation Festival 2008. This year they have secured amazing exclusives from more than 2,200 submissions from 30 countries.

The international programs will give audiences a complete, up-to-date snapshot of the international creative animation scene. In addition are programs that focus on digital animating, puppet films and Australian-made films. There will be kids, high school aged-programs, and even a "Late Night Bizarre: program for those whose tastes are on the extreme. There will also be a series of free talks and workshops given by filmmakers from all over Australia to provide a chance to learn more about how and why these films get made. Door-prizes include Adobe, Autodesk, Wacom and HP products.

Venue: Forum 6 Cinema
Cost: $10 Single Session or $30 Full Festival Pass

Friday May 16 schedule: High School/Teen Program, International Program #1, International Puppet Animation Panorama, Launch Party

Saturday May 17 schedule: Kids Program, Seminar: Animation Now! International Animation Overview, Seminar: The State Of Australian Animation, Australian Panorama, International Program #2, Late Night Bizarre

Sunday May 18 schedule: Seminar: "Voice Wrangling," Seminar: D.I.Y. Art + D.I.Y. Funding 2.0, International Program #3, Digital Panorama, After Party.