The next meeting of the Los Angeles XSI user group will take place at Gnomon School of Visual Effects in Hollywood. Blur Studio will show their short film GENTELMEN'S DUEL. In addition, Andrew Jones from Pixel Liberation Front will discuss linear lighting. Technology and production issues will also be tackled. Beer, drinks and pizza will be served and door prizes will be given away. Gnomon School of Visual Effects is located at 1015 North Cahuenga, Hollywood, California 90038. Door open at 7:00 pm with the presentations beginning at 7:30 pm. For additional information, visit www.xsila.com/.

The Xth Edition of the Image Workshop "Zero on Behavior",Coordinated by the CGAI and the Master in Digital Creation and Communication, feature this year an amazing program of recognized international lecturers, an overview of the state of the art in 3D computer graphics and its role in media:


-Gabriel White (Digital Artist 3D.MillFilm, UK)


-Mike Milne (Director of Computer Animation.
Framestore CFC, UK)


-Juan Buhler (Lead Effects Animator. PDI/Dreamworks, San Francisco,USA)


-Juan Tomicic (Daiquiri/Spainbox, Spain)


-Juan Nouche, Alberto Taracido, Javier Reigada y David Caeiro (Dygra Films, Spain)


-Isaac Kerlow (Director Digital Production and Talent, Technology and New Media. Walt Disney Company, Los Angeles, USA)



The aids to the digital creation in Europe, Spain and Galicia will be discussed with :


-Ignacio Otero, Director of the Audiovisual Production and Social Communication, Xunta de Galicia.Spain.


-Jesus Hernadez, Mediadesk Spain.



There will be screenings every day affter the conferences:

Shrek,
Episode II: Attack of the Clones,
The Living Forest,
Walking with Beasts and
Black Hawk Down, among others.

http://mccd.udc.es/mundosdigitales or

http://www.cgai.org

X|Media|Lab is a one day international conference on creativity, business, and technology of new media content (general admission); followed by the 2-day X|Media|Lab, an elite hands-on workshop for comanpanies and project teams working on their own project ideas (selected projects only).

X|Media|Lab (and the Pro Day Conference) will take place June 15-17th at the Singapore Exhibition Centre alongside the huge Broadcast Asia trade show which also includes summits on Digital Broadcasting, Digital Cinema, Interactive Television, Mobile Content, Animation, Computer Graphics, and Games.

The theme for the first X|Media|Lab in Singapore is primarily for companies and project teams developing animation, graphics, and games projects. Eight projects will be selected to participate in the Lab.

X|Media|Lab focuses exclusively on helping create successful commercial media projects by working on the creative, technology, and business propositions and increasing the chance of the projects getting commercial funding, and succeeding in the marketplace.
Nominate your project team now for inclusion in the Lab and become part of an elite network of new media superstars.

Yaoi-Con is the only Western fan convention dedicated solely to the yaoi genre of Japanese anime and manga. The event will take place at the Marriott San Mateo-San Francisco Airport hotel in the South San Francisco Bay area. Created primarily by women for a largely female audience, yaoi is unique in its exploration of deep platonic bonds and romantic relationships between male characters. The intense and highly idealized examples of love and romance commonly found in yaoi works are a major factor in the genre's soaring popularity outside Japan, including the U.S. In its country of origin, many popular mainstream mangaka or manga artists had their start in the genre. Since its inception, Yaoi-Con has been committed to the promotion and celebration of this unique genre, inviting guests who represent the broad spectrum of art and stories available. This year, the convention welcomes veteran illustrator Mamiya Oki and novelist Tsubasa Kawahara as our guests of honor. These two have collaborated on the PLATONIC DANCE and JADOU novel series (the latter of which has also appeared in manga format). Oki is a celebrated illustrator whose work can also be seen in the LOCUS OF BLUE and RECORD OF THE DELFINIAN WAR novels. These two will be attending focus panels and autograph sessions during the convention. Yaoi-Con would also like to welcome several guests who will be appearing at the convention courtesy of their publishers. Digital Manga Press has invited manga artist Hinako Takanaga, author of the popular title LITTLE BUTTERFLIES, while Yaoi Press will be bringing the Italian duo Dany & Dany (Daniela Serri and Daniela Orr

York Independent Film Festival, now in its third year, is due to take place in March at the luxury city centre City Screen cinema in York, England. The festival is competetive and has awards in the following categories:
Best Feature
Best Short
Best Documentary
Best Animation
Best Short-Short
Best In Festival.
Honourable mentions may also be given out should the judges feel that films merit them. VHS tapes are required for selection purposes, with an entry deadline of December 2nd. Films can be shown in 35mm, BetaSP (PAL only) or digiBeta. Entry fees are based upon film length, please see our application form for details (www.yorkfilmfestival.org). For reference, a short film under 60 minutes in length costs no more than 10 pounds sterling to submit. Films selected will receive assistance with shipping costs.

Call for Films!
York Independent Film Festival is an annual competitive festival held in York, England.
The 2002 festival will be held at the University of York on 23rd and 24th of February, and entries are now being accepted.
Deadline for entries is January 12th 2002, and entry is FREE.
Awards are to be given in the following categories:
Best Animation,
Best Documentary,
Best Feature,
Best Short,
Best in Festival.
Entries will be shown in the following formats:- 35mm, 16mm, PAL Beta, PAL DV. Please note: VHS copies are required for selection purposes but films will NOT be screened on this format at the festival.
The festival will be a publicly advertised and attended event (not a students-only festival).
For details about how to enter, please see the festival website (www.yorkfilmfestival.org) or email the
information desk (info@yorkfilmfestival.org).

We love computer games. Hundreds of man-hours are wasted every day playing them. Our children no longer hold boring ol' storybooks in their imaginations; they dream of virtual one-on-one warfare with grumpy space aliens or demons from the Pit. The gaming industry is bigger than movies. And most of them require animation. How do we break off a piece of that pie? Join WIA on Thursday, July 17 for the next Women In Animation General Meeting: "You've Played 'Em, Now Make 'Em: Careers In Game Development." A panel of creators from large and small game developers (including Lance Powell of Electronic Arts and Tim Trzepacz of softegg.com) what it takes to develop a game from first concept to final release, and what skill sets these companies looking for. Join them at the DreamWorks campus (1000 Flower Street, Glendale, California) on Thursday, July 17, 2008. Schmoozing and networking begins at 6:30 p.m., and the meeting proper starts at 7. Finger food and soft drinks should be available. RSVP early; they are expecting a lot of interest in this event. To RSVP, call the hotline at 310-535-3838 or email LAchapterrsvps@aol.com before Tuesday, July 15. Non-members are asked for a $10 donation; members are free.

Presented by the Chicago International Children's Film Festival, the intensive two-week YCC program gives children 7-14 a forum to discuss and analyze movies. They learn how to "read" a movie's message and critique it based on writing, editing, cinematography and sound. Then, these budding Roger Eberts put their knowledge into action by conducting on-camera critics' panels with their peers and writing scripts, performing and making their own mini-movies. The camp features two separate sessions, one for kids 7-10 and one for 11-14-year-olds, both of which will be held daily at Facets Multi-Media (1517 W. Fullerton Avenue). With support from the Illinois Film Office, the Best Buy Children's Foundation and the Elizabeth Morse Genius Trust, almost 75% of the children attending the camp receive full scholarships. For more information or to arrange interviews, contact Kathleen Beckman at (773) 281-9075 or Kidsfest@facets.org.

, Illinois, USA
June 21

The Chicago International Children's Film Festival is now accepting applications for Young Chicago Critics, the premiere film criticism and production summer camp for Chicago kids 7-14. Due to overwhelming response from previous summers, it has now expanded its acclaimed program to two sessions to accommodate a full 150 children. This year's camp takes place at Facets Multi-Media (1517 W. Fullerton) June 20 - 29 and July 9 - 18. For eight production-packed days, Young Chicago Critics gives students the filmmaking experience necessary to write, produce and make their own films, offering them hours of hands-on instruction in filmmaking. Designed for kids with little or no experience in making movies, Young Chicago Critics equips students with the skills and confidence needed to produce a well-told story with moving images, as they work with fellow team members to create their own mini-movie. Young Chicago Critics closes with a graduation ceremony for friends and family. Graduating critics will receive a diploma, which qualifies them to participate in the Chicago International Children's Film Festival's Children's Jury in August. Each YCC graduate receives a copy of their finished video, which will be submitted to film festivals worldwide, as well as a complementary membership to the Facets Future Filmmakers film club that includes: free movie previews, free kids rentals at Facets, Festival discounts and access to workshops. Three lucky YCC participants ages 12-14 will also go on to attend the acclaimed Giffoni Film Festival in Italy, as members of Giffoni's Free To Fly jury. The cost of the YCC program is $325 per child and the deadline for application is April 6. Early registration is advised as registration is on a first- come, first-served basis. For more information about the Young Chicago Critics Program, contact Kathleen Beckman at (773) 281-9075, email kidsfest@facets.org or log onto www.facets.org/ycc to download an application.