The Animation Writers Caucus of the WGA is hosting renowned animator Tom Sito for its September Schmooze. Tom Sito is a 25-year veteran of animation production. His credits include the Disney classics THE LITTLE MERMAID, THE LION KING, BEAUTY & THE BEAST and ALADDIN. Currently, he is co-directing OSMOSIS JONES for Warner Bros. Sito also is president of the Screen Cartoonists Union Local 839, where he is an outspoken champion for the rights of animation writers and artists. The event starts at 7 pm. Come early to get good seats.

The National Film Board of Canada is holding an open house of their new facilities. The event gives the public a chance to meet the filmmakers and staff. The NFB will feature screenings, studio tours and receptions on Monday from 2-6 pm and on Tuesday from 10 am - 5 pm. Screening facilities will be available for visitors to screen their own work as well.

Bill Plympton's newest film "Mutant Aliens" will be screened as part of the Ottawa International Animation Festival. The event will take place at 1 pm at the National Arts Centre. The film version being screened is a work-in-progress.
Learn more about the irreverent animator's work and get a hold of the MUTANT ALIENS storyboard in the AWN "Plyptoons" section at http://www.awn.com/plympton

TOKYOPOP.com has extended their first AnimeOnline Festival until September. Animation artists working in the anime style are invited to submit their original anime Internet works in Flash, Shockwave or Quicktime formats. There are five categories in which participants may enter: Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Fighting (Battle), Love/Comedy, Shoujo (Girl's Anime) and Asia Pop Focus (Open Category). Participants may enter into more than one category and may even have more than one submission within a category. Cash prizes will be awarded including a US$10,000 grand prize for best overall work. Submissions will be judged by a panel of experts from the fields of entertainment, the Internet, technology and culture, as well as by an audience vote. From September 1-15, 2000, Finalist entries will be posted on TOKYOPOP.com for viewing, voting and judging. All entrants will receive free membership to TOKYOPOP.com. Through AnimeOnline Festival 2000, TOKYOPOP.com wants to showcase the Asian pop culture phenomenon by combining the finest in traditional anime style with the latest tools for entertainment delivery on the Internet.

Women in Animation presents an animation writing seminar featuring Christy Marx, writer on such series as SPIDER-MAN, G.I. JOE and TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, as keynoter. In a morning panel on the writing process, Marx; Hilary Bader, Jeffrey Scott, Brooks Wachtel, and the team of Bobbi and David Weiss will discuss the writing process. An afternoon workshop will present WIA voice-over actors reading winning material from a script competition operated in conjunction with the seminar, and panelists Jack Enyart, Shari Goodhartz, Martha Moran and Marlowe Weisman will furnish feedback. The final seminar, moderated by Sarah Baisley, editor in chief of Animation Magazine, will be composed of creative directors, story editors and agents who will explore the ways animation writers can cope with today's turbulent marketplace. Admission prices are US$40 general, $20 WIA members, $15 nonmember students and $10 member students. Registration will begin at 9 am. To RSVP, call the WIA hotline: (310) 535-3838.

The 5th International Festival of New Film celebrates new, creative, innovative, personal, radical, subversive work in film, video and new media. All works must have been completed after January 1, 1999. Entries must be sent on VHS tape or CD-Rom. An Art Film Market will take place during the Festival, concentrating on the growing South European Market area.

Northern Westchester Center for the Arts presents an exhibit of animator Jack Zander and his children's artwork, entitled "Three Zanders: Jack Zander and His Artistic Legacy." Zander's career as an animator spans six decades and won him worldwide acclaim. Jack has animated, produced and directed such classics as TOM AND JERRY. His daughter Maggie is an award-winning fine artist and illustrator. His son Peter is an internationally known advertising photographer. The exhibit includes films, stills, drawings and cels. A food and wine reception is being held on Saturday, September 23 at 6 pm to give the public an opportunity to meet the artists.

In conjunction with the Ottawa International Animation Festival, ASIFA will hold its general assembly and election of its new executive board. For the first time the event will be held in North America. Members are asked to attend the assembly and vote for the board after hearing each of the 21 candidates' speeches. Votes may be cast for 8-12 of the candidates to make up the new board. A picnic will directly follow the meeting. ASIFA members not attending the festival can vote via a mail-in ballot.

VFX 2000 will highlight the growing industry of visual effects. The conference is a biennial event sponsored by BKSTS (Moving Image Society) and the Visual Effects Society. This year's event will showcase developments in the areas of digital cinema and large format films. Filmmaker seminars will include Aardman Animations' Dave Sproxton and Tom Barnes on CHICKEN RUN; The Mill's John Nelson on GLADITOR; and The Secret Labs' Neil Krepela, Neil Eskuri and Mike Belzer on DINOSAUR. Other seminars will deal with topics such as the history of matte painting, digital intermediate systems, puppeteers in the 21st century, desktop visual effects, models vs. 3D and much more.

Cartoon Forum is the annual European animation co-financing event, organized by Cartoon, the European animation union. The organizers have chosen 79 projects eligible for funding consideration. The selected entries can be viewed at Cartoon's Web site www.cartoon-media.be. The annual Cartoon d'Or prize will be given during the closing session. The five candidates are: BZZ by Benoit Feroumont, Belgium; PONPON by Fabien Drouet, France; PASSPORT by Siri Melchior, U.K.; THE SUSPECT by Jose Miguel Ribeiro, Portugal; and THE MAN WITH THE BEAUTIFUL EYES by Jonathan Hodgson, U.K. These European films were chosen as candidates based on their award-winning performances at selected European animation festivals. The money given is to finance a new film, suitable for television.

Animation World Magazine's article "Europe Strikes Back" by Heikki Jokinen answers all of our questions about the European Union's MEDIA program, CARTOON, the European Association of Animated Film.