First annual Zoomgo Film Fest 2000 is celebrating creativity, talent and achievement through the use of streaming media and the Internet. The festival will showcase works from around the world ranging from animations to shorts. There will be 100 films/animations selected and posted on the festival site where a panel of professionals from the Independent Film/Animation Industry will judge the top 10 voted films. There will be three overall cash awards: 1st place - US$5,000, 2nd place - $1,000 and 3rd place - $500. Voting will start on June 1, 2000 at zoomgo.com.

IPTV World Forum Eastern Europe 2007 will consider the current Pay TV markets in the region and the strategies of major players in terms of digital migration, the introduction of two-way interactive services and triple-play or quad-play offers. It will investigate the benchmark services required for IPTV market entry including broadcast TV, VOD and PVR functionality. Key business and marketing issues will also be addressed, like how much on-demand content is enough, whether service providers need a 'long-tail', how on-demand should be packaged and monetised, and what role on-demand and interactive advertising can play? IPTV World Forum Eastern Europe will address the fundamental access issues for xDSL and FTTx based services and consider the role of digital terrestrial television (DTT) in delivering live broadcast television, where this is possible. What effect will the emergence of DTT in the region and, eventually, digital switch-off, have on the market? Are major telcos looking to become television providers on all platforms - following the vision of KPN in the Netherlands (DTT, IPTV and eventually mobile) and Bell Canada (satellite, fibre-to-the-home and now DSL trials)?

In early January 2007, Paul Dutton, our Assistant Director, will conduct a whirlwind recruitment tour of Amsterdam, Cologne, Berlin, Copenhagen, the Animation Workshop in Viborg (Denmark), Stockholm and Oslo. Paul will be looking for animators to work on The Illusionist, a 2D animated feature adapted by Sylvain Chomet from an original script by French comic genius, Jacques Tati. If you would like more details and to arrange an appointment to show Paul your portfolio in one of these cities, please consult the Django Films website at www.djangofilms.co.uk for more information.

IBE 2007 is a new ground-breaking partnership event in Mumbai. It's India's first broadcast technology convention that tackles convergence issues head-on IBE 2007 is an International Convention created and supported by IABM, representing broadcast and media technology suppliers worldwide; IMG, the Indian Media Group, representing broadcasters and media business; and Studio Systems, the leading national broadcast journal. In 2007 IBE in India will achieve its goal by providing a complete broadcast expo. It will feature leading national and international speakers, live transmissions, exhibits and OB facilities and will feature the latest technologies and techniques. please contact Tripti Kedia at exhibit@ibeexpo.in Tel: +91-22-2660 9146, 2660 3413. Mobile: +91 9870441041. For conference details contact Manoj Madhavan at conference@ibeexpo.in Tel: +91-22-2660 9147, Mobile: +91 98704 58058.

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) is seeking proposals for technical papers and tutorials for presentation during the 2008 SMPTE Technical Conference and Exhibition. Proposed papers are to be informational in nature and must address technical theory, application or practice associated with technologies relevant to the Motion Imaging Industry. Technical paper proposals must be submitted to SMPTE no later than June 6. Abstracts must be one page (no more than 300 words) and include topic heading, paper title, delivery method, a brief description of the proposed paper's content, name of author/presenter, company, mailing address, telephone/fax numbers and e-mail address(es). Previously published, product-specific or promotional papers will not be accepted. Technical topics include: Digital Intermediates: process, advancements and case studies Stereoscopic 3D Imaging, processing, distribution and display. Digital Cinema Exhibition: servers, content storage, networks and scheduling. Image Acquisition for filmmaking, broadcast news, studio production and sports. Wide bandwidth infrastructure: 1080p60, 4K and beyond. Animation: new techniques and process. Advancements in film technologies: film stocks, restoration techniques. Electronic Display technologies: Plasma, LCD, LCoS, OLED's, laser. Color management, interchange, correction techniques. Metadata and file management. IP Content networks, transport, architectures, standards and applications. Content security, rights management, watermarking. Digital audio for cinema, broadcast and gaming. Consumer technologies: HD deployment, transmission, home networking. Historical topics on early filmmaking, animation and television technologies. Authors will be notified no later than July 11, 2008. Go to www.edas.info for more information. Questions can be addressed to Joel Welch, Director of Professional Development at jwelch@smpte.org.

EAM Plus is a four-month advanced animation-training program. The initiative is aimed at interested people, who already have experience in animation. It is looking for young talents strongly motivated to build up an international team and be involved in 2D and 3D animated short film production and get trained in working together. Applicants should be a member of the European community. This training program is free. For any further details, visit www.halle-academy.de.

Cascade ACM SIGGRAPH, Oregon and Southwest Washington's local SIGGRAPH chapter, today announced that celebrated professor of anatomy and locomotion, Dr. Stuart Sumida will lecture on the utilization of animal and human biology within digital effects processes. Dr. Sumida's lecture, entitled, "From Stones and Bones to Balloons and Toons, Articulating the Anatomical Sciences with Animation and Digital Effects," will include examples from his past film projects to highlight the use of various artist tools, and show the importance of biological process and sizing details in digital effects creation.The event will take place at the Portland Community College (PCC), Cascade Campus on Tuesday, March 25 at 6 p.m. A biology professor at California State University San Bernardino, Dr. Sumida has been an anatomical consultant on more than 30 feature films for companies such as Walt Disney Feature Animation, DreamWorks, Warner Brothers, Rhythm & Hues, SONY Pictures Imageworks and Pixar. He began his career working on BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and THE LION KING, and continued with MULAN, the live action versions of 101 and 102 DALMATIANS, TARZAN, HARRY POTTER, LILO AND STITCH, SHREK II, MADAGASCAR, CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, SURF'S UP, and RATATOUILLE, among others. Currently, Dr. Sumida is acting as the anatomical consultant on KUNG FU PANDA (DreamWorks) and BOLT (Walt Disney Feature Animation). Dr. Sumida received his Ph.D. from UCLA in 1987, having previously taught in the Department of Anatomy and the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago. He is a comparative anatomist and paleontologist who specializes in the biomechanics and evolution of locomotion. He is the author of three books and numerous scientific papers, and his paleontological research has taken him throughout North America and Europe with the support of many museums, the National Geographic Society and NATO. The evening will begin with a networking and social hour beginning at 6 p.m. in the lobby of the PCC Cascade Moriarty Arts Building (www.pcc.edu/pcc/dmal/cascademap.htm).Light refreshments will be served. Dr. Sumida's lecture will begin promptly at 6:30 p.m. Attendees are asked to RSVP to cascadesiggraph@gmail.com for planning purposes. The PCC Cascade campus is close to downtown Portland, and parking is available across the street in the PCC parking lot for a small fee. Free parking passes will be available only to respondents who RSVP and request a parking pass by noon, March 24. A map and directions to the PCC Cascade Campus is available at: http://www.pcc.edu/pcc/dma/cascademap.htm. This and other Cascade ACM SIGGRAPH meetings are free to Cascade Chapter members, with a $5 fee at the door for non-members. Annual local chapter membership may be purchased at the door for $25 ($18 for students). For more information on Cascade ACM SIGGRAPH and membership registration, please visit the Cascade ACM SIGGRAPH website at www.cascade.siggraph.org/.

The Cries for Peace competition invites you to enter your pictures or short film for the chance of winning an Award and recognition for your work. The competition aims to collect positive expressions of peace. Selected images collected will be showcased as part of the London Week of Peace 2008 and the winner will be chosen by a public vote August 15-September 9, 2008. The competition aims to be a positive response to the far too many unfortunate stories in the media about young people and crime, particularly violent crime leading to fatalities.

Entry is free. Films should be no longer than 90 seconds. Films shot on cell phones and digital cameras are welcome. The winner will be revealed at the Peace Awards Dinner on September 18.

In conjunction with William Kentridge, the University of California Humanities Research Institute and the LACMA Education Department will host a panel discussion addressing Kentridge

Bigfish FEST is looking for 60 seconds or less short Flash animations that are either unique, different, humorous, disturbed or all of the above. Finalists will be posted on the website for our database to vote on. The winner will receive US$1,000. Go to bigfish.tv/fest to view the type of work we like and to get the competition details. This is a competition for those who wish festivals had a "f&*%$-ing weird" category.