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.

The 4th Bitfilm Festival for digital film and new media shows films that use digital technology in a creative and innovative way. There are five categories:

Digital Features
Films of min. 90 minutes which use 3D animation and digital effects as an artistic means.

Bit Shorts
Short films, music videos and ads which use 3D animation and digital effects as an artistic means.

Flash
Linear films and interactive works made with Macromedia Flash.

Machinima
Films that are animated in real time using game environments.

Micromovies
Films of max. 60 seconds that are custom-made for mobile devices like cell phones, PDAs etc.

There will be a total of 45,000 Euros in prize money awarded. Entry deadline: July 1, 2003. There is no entry fee.

More information and submissions under http://www.bitfilm-festival.org/index_e.html

Design Festa is a biannual international art event, started in 1994. It is open to all artists from all over the world to exhibit their creative talent freely. 7,000 artists working in a variety of mediums will be present, turning the two day event into artistic chaos. There will be booth areas(2,600 booths), an outdoor live-show stage, an indoor stage, a mini-theater space and a restaurant and cafe/bar area, all for your enjoyment during these two days filled with art, energy, excitement and discovery.

Asia

ANIMA

The Bitfilm Festival presents films that have been realized using digital technologies in a creative and innovative way. The global Internet audience will vote for the best films in the following categories, winners will be awarded with the Bitfilm trophy and price money: - 3D Space - Fx-Mix - Flash - Machinima - Micromovies (movies for small screens) - Grand Prix The Bitfilm Festival is now open to submissions, please submit your films online at www.bitfilm.com/festival You can also submit papers and mobile content concepts/projects for the mobile multimedia forum (www.bitfilm.com/m3) and Cinema++-forum (www.bitfilm.com/c++), Also check out the Bitfilm Club www.bitfilm.com/club and find contacts, jobs and connect within the digital film community.

The American International Toy Fair is the largest toy trade show in the Western Hemisphere. More than 1,500 manufacturers, distributors, importers and sales agents from 30 countries showcase their toy and entertainment products. From classic toys to interactive entertainment and everything in between, it has it all. Products include action figures and dolls, games and puzzles, bicycles, tricycles and ride-ons, radio-controlled vehicles, infant and preschool toys, cars, trucks and trains, puppets and plush, computer software and videogames, playground and sporting equipment, Halloween and Christmas items, books, stationery, party supplies, and much more. More information can be found at www.toyassociation.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Toy_Fair.

The Bitfilm Festival for digital film and new media shows films that use digital technology in a creative and innovative way. There are six categories: * 3D Space: Computer generated 3D animations. * FX Mix: Digitally composed hybrids, mixing live-action, effects and animation. * 64K Demos: Audiovisual programs that work with a PC's processor and videocard. * Flash: Linear films and interactive works made with Macromedia Flash. * Machinima: Films that are animated in realtime using game environments. * Micromovies: Films of max. three minutes that are custom-made for mobile devices like cell phones, PDAs, etc. There will be a total of 45,000 Euros in prize money awarded. There is no entry fee. More information and submissions can be found at www.bitfilm-festival.org.

SIGGRAPH Asia 2008, the first non-North American venue for a SIGGRAPH conference, to take place Dec. 10-13 at Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Center, Singapore, is anticipating 6,000 participants and some 80 exhibiting companies and country pavilions. SIGGRAPH Asia committee overview: * Conference Advisory Group Chair - Alyn Rockwood, VP of ACM SIGGRAPH (US) * Conference Chair - Lee Yong Tsui, associate professor at the Nanyang Technological University's School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (Singapore) * Associate Chair - John C. Finnegan (US) * Technical Papers - Kurt Akeley (US) * Sketches & Posters - Diego Gutierrez (Spain) * Courses - Matt Adcock (Australia) * Art Gallery & Emerging Technologies - Tomoe Moriyama (Japan) * Computer Animation Festival - Jinny Choo (Korea) * Educators program - Mark Chavez (Singapore) * Exhibition - Caleb Cheong (Singapore) Program highlights: * Technical Papers The SIGGRAPH Asia 2008 Technical Papers Programme will continue the tradition of excellence in computer graphics and interactive techniques that SIGGRAPH is known for and extend this world-class experience to Asia. We invite submissions of high-quality papers that will set the standard in the field and stimulate future trends. Accepted papers will be presented at SIGGRAPH Asia 2008 and published as a special issue of ACM Transactions on Graphics. The deadline for submission to the SIGGRAPH Asia 2008 Technical Papers Programme is May 28, 2008. * Sketches and Posters Take part in a dynamic forum as authors sketch out and discuss their works with a passionate audience. Check out the posters depicting graphical summaries of new ideas that come with a scheduled discussion session. * Courses International experts will be presenting instructional sessions on the latest and best practices in computer graphics and interactive techniques. * Art Gallery This is a showcase for innovative works, including hybrid formats such as text-literature collaboration and zero gravity space art, all of which will serve to provoke and challenge the audience's intellect. * Computer Animation Festival This is a celebration of the best in world-class digital animation. With submitted works from around the world, in genres that extends to machinima, gaming and scientific visualization, it's a feast for both the eye and the mind. * Educators program To equip educators with the tools to guide the next generation of computer graphics professionals, this program will present innovative approaches to creative instruction in a series of panels, demos and informal discussions. * Emerging Technologies Demos and installations of new computer graphics and interactive technologies such as haptic interfaces and robotics will be on display. * Exhibition Be the first to see and evaluate next generation CG & interactive technologies. Immerse yourself in an environment of new ideas, trends & concepts. * Exhibitor Tech Talk Gain insights before deciding on which new technology to align with an existing business. * Job Fair This is where the biggest and the brightest flock together and a chance meeting may lead to a dream career. For more information about SIGGRAPH Asia, visit www.siggraph.org/asia2008.

On February 11, 2009 at 7 p.m., the Kinetic Cinema screening at Chez Bushwick will feature a wide-variety of dance and movement animation videos. Curated by Doug Fox, blogger and founder of Great Dance, the program will show how directors, artists, choreographers and dancers have used different animation styles and techniques to capture, illustrate and transform human movement. The program will feature 15 clips from video and film animations, theatrical movie releases, TV commercials, music videos, performances and installations, and student projects. Among the highlighted animation techniques will include hand-drawn 2D animation, 3D animation, live-action and computer graphics, stop-motion, rotoscoping, motion graphics, real-time performance animation, machinima and other animation styles. This program builds on Fox's online guide to "50 Dance and Movement Animations," which he published in January 2009 on GreatDance.com. He has interviewed many of the artists, animators, directors, choreographers and dancers who participated in the production of the videos which will be screened and he will share insights from these conversations during the Q&A section of the program. Date/Time: February 11, 2009 7-9 p.m. Tickets: $10 at the door, no reservations. Location: Chez Bushwick, 304 Boerum St., Buzzer #11, Brooklyn, NY 11206. Phone: 718.418.4405 Web: www.chezbushwick.net Trains: L to Morgan Street Directions: Exit back of the train. Turn LEFT outside the station. Turn LEFT onto Boerum Street. The screening portion of the program will be just over an hour and discussion will follow. The following dance animation videos will be screened: BALLET DANCER WARM-UPS (2007) -- 1:13 minutes 2D animator Susan Chien, for a life-drawing class at Massachusetts College of Art and Design, created a hand-drawn animation with a stop-motion feel that captures the movements of a human model. BODY NAVIGATION (2008) -- 8:08 minutes Recoil Performance Group's dance installation with real-time, interactive graphics, premiered in Copenhagen as part of Danish Dance Theatre's LABYRINTH. Choreography by Tina Tarpgaard, and visual and interaction design by Ole Kristensen and Jonas Jongejan. Chandon -- AFTER PARTY (2007) -- 34 seconds A combination of live action and computer graphics were used in this TV commercial featuring a Tango-dancing wireframe couple constructed from a champagne bottle cap. Produced by advertising agency Dentsu America. CSI: NY -- "SECOND LIFE Virtual Experience" (2007) -- 1:47 minutes Nightclub dancing scene from CSI: NY. Machinima pioneers ILL Clan produced the in-world animations for CBS where a killer is tracked in the SECOND LIFE virtual world. EN TUS BRAZOS (2006) -- 5:20 minutes A 3D narrative-based animation about a tragic accident that befalls a great Tango dancer of the 1920s. Direction and animation: François-Xavier Goby, Matthieu Landour and Edouard Jouret. FEET OF SONG (1988) -- 5:27 minutes Inspired by African music and art, U.K.-based 2D animator and dancer Erica Russell, who grew-up in South Africa, explores rhythms, colors and moving forms. GHOSTCATCHING (1999) -- 7:10 minutes Digital artists Paul Kaiser and Shelley Eshkar composed this 3D animation based on the captured movement and sound phrases of choreographer Bill T. Jones. This art installation premiered at The Cooper Union School of Art. HUMAN SKATEBOARD (2007) -- 32 seconds A stop-motion TV commercial created for Sneaux Shoes by animation and video production company PES. Sneaux fans are encouraged to create and share their own stop-motion skateboarding adventures. ILLUMINATED (2007) -- 4:13 minutes Animator Kevin Abbott modeled a 3D metallic character that moves to the motion-captured sequence of dancer David Curwen. Created and performed at Western Michigan University. "Joinville Dance Festival Promotion" (2008) -- 30 seconds 3D animated video promotion for dance festival in Brazil. Design and characters inspired by illustrations of dance steps in teaching magazines. Direction: Frederico Freire, animation: Magno Borgo. KINETICS (2008) -- 2:53 minutes Chicago-based visual designer Nicholas Schrunk produced this video that features the interplay of motion graphics and the break dancing of Damion "Daylight" Day, recorded with a high-speed video camera. MR.