The Academy of Machinima Arts & Sciences will hold the Machinima Film Festival, which celebrates films made within a realtime virtual 3D environment (i.e. 3D game engine). The early submission deadline is August 1, 2003 and the final deadline is September 15, 2003. Last year

The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF 04) is North America's oldest and largest animation festival. The festival is broken up into four umbrella categories. The first is for animated feature films. The New Media Competition covers Animation Short Made for the Internet, Internet series, interactive animation and "Machinima," films made with video game software. Commissioned Films Competition covers educational, scientific or industrial film, advertising film, station-program identification, music video, television special, television pilot, television series for adults and television series for children. Independent Short Films Competition covers narrative short film under 35 minutes, non-narrative short film under 35 minutes, first film and films made for children. The changes for 2004 include an expanded range of new media categories -- growing from one generic to four sub-categories -- and additional TV categories. Traditionally shown out of competition as a program enhancement, the feature film category was first introduced at the last OIAF held in 2002, and is expected to draw even more entries this time around. Overall, a record 1,700 entries were received for OIAF 02, the most entries ever received by any international animation festival. Approximately 100 more films, selected from an anticipated 1,500+ entries, will be shown during the festival's showcase programs. The International Short Showcase, the International TV Showcase, the Canadian Short Showcase, the Canadian TV Showcase and the first-ever Kids Animation Showcase will comprise this out-of-competition series. Founded in 1976, and held biennially ever since, the OIAF attracts international animators, producers, broadcasters, and enthusiasts to Ottawa to view films entered in and out of competition, and attend special screenings and workshops that ponder the current state and future of animation. For more information, visit www.animationfestival.ca or www.awn.com/ottawa, e-mail info@animationfestival.ca or call (613) 232-8769.

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.

The Sex in Video Games Conference: Exploring the Business of Digital Erotic Entertainment will be held at the Lodge at Union Square, Kensington Park Hotel in San Francisco, California. The conference is the first of its type and will be an annual event. This unique conference will focus on the design, development, and technology of sex in video games from a national as well as international perspective. In addition, this conference will also have a strong focus on business matchmaking and networking. During the conference's two-day run, it will feature numerous lectures and keynotes, a machinima art show (erotic art and movies derived from video games) as well as panel discussions with leaders in video game and adult video game development. Sheri Graner Ray will give the keynote. Graner Ray is an accomplished game designer with 16 years experience in the videogame industry and is the author of GENDER INCLUSIVE GAME DESIGN: EXPANDING THE MARKET. For more information, visit www.sexinvideogames.com.

THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM animated short, a stop-motion adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's classic short story, directed by animation veteran Marc Lougee and exec produced by animation and vfx icon Ray Harryhausen, is slated to screen over the TriCity Comic Con weekend, October 11, 2008. The 3rd Annual Tri-City Independent Fan Film Festival takes place Oct. 11, 2008 in conjunction with Tri-City Comic Con (TC3). The creation of TC3 is for the promotion of art, media, literature, gaming, and imagination, especially in the Science Fiction, Fantasy and Comic genres. We support the education of the general public in these areas by hosting events, fan-run conventions, and bringing guest professionals to the community and into the local schools to educate and encourage future artists and artisans. The event includes appearances by comic book artists, media guests, exhibitor hall and dealers room, independent film festival and assorted gaming events. Event to be held at Red Lion Inn, 2525 North 20th Avenue, Pasco, Washington, 99301 Telephone: (509) 547-0701 Website: redlion.rdln.com

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.

Design Festa is an international art event open to all artists from all over the world to exhibit their creative talent. Anyone who has original work can take part and express themselves through this freestyle event. There are no restrictions. Express your ideas at Design Festa for an opportunity at experimentation and the next step in your artistic lives. About 7,000 artists attended last time with more than 55,000 visitors.

2,600 booths will be set up in the event hall. This free-style exhibition is open to all mediums for exhibition, presentation and sale. There is also a dimmed lighting area for exhibiting work requiring low lighting. This space gives you the freedom to have an unprecedented style of exhibition, with multimedia work, light orientated art, performance, installation, space design and more.

Outdoor Live-show Stage:
Twenty bands will roll out performances ranging from rock to funk and jazz more.

Indoor Stage:
Fashion shows, performance, contemporary dance and more. All genres are welcome.

Mini-Theater Space:
Multimedia work and performance in the dimmed lighting area. Spotlight your independent work.

Sponsored by GarageGames, the fourth annual Independent Games is a fun, informal and informative gathering of independent game developers featuring a keynote address, "The State of the Revolution," by Mark Frohnmayer. IGC provides connections and content for programmers, artists and indie entrepreneurs. Speakers include Melv May on 2D game design, Ill Clan on machinima, John Welsh and Dave Nixon on the casual gaming industry, Thomas Buscaglia on legal issues, Ageia on the future of game physics, Ryan Gordon on Mac OS X game development, Microsoft on Xbox development and many more industry veterans. IGC 2005 presents a great platform for the independent game development community to show off their creations, while learning about next-generation technologies and helpful topics for game developers spread out over five different breakout tracks. The breakout tracks cover topics such as animation and lighting for artists, marketing and legal issues for the business side of gaming, and development techniques from seasoned game programmers. Early registration is online and costs $195 for a three-day pass, including sessions, t-shirt, food, LAN parties and beverage of choice ("beer") for those registering before Sept. 16. Space is limited, so reservations will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. Registrations after Sept. 16 will be $250. More information is available at www.indiegamescon.com.

Asia

backup stands for films and videos reflecting, defining and readjusting the boundaries and prospects of film and its diverse segments by creatively experimenting with different ways of production and expression. That is why backup is looking for film works that refuse to be categorized by genres, topics and other traditional criteria -- experiments in the format of moving picture. A new addition to this year's 11th backup festival is a competition for international debut features. With this award and the systematic development of media partnerships backup wants to promote the potential of young filmmakers and support their talent. As in the past 10 years, backup wants to encourage a discourse about films, formats and festivals reflecting the current developments and wants to find and support artistic works and exceptional approaches to the medium film. Since its 10th anniversary in 2008 the date of the backup_festival has been changed and will now be held from May 21-24, 2009 because the early summer weather in Weimar, Germany offers the possibility of celebrating the festival as a larger and more vibrant open-air event.