Richard hasn't just graced countless Hollywood productions with quality effects, he also developed and manufactured the Pignose (a portable-style guitar amplifier), was governor of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) and chairman of both their Visual Effects Branch and Scientific and Technical Awards Committee. Richard currently sits in the board of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) which last year presented him with the President's Award in recognition of his contributions to the art and craft of film-making. The line-up continues with Jeff Okun, VFX Supervisor on films such as the recently released THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL and older films ranging back to THE LAST STARFIGHTER (1984). Pixar's WALL-E raised the bar in virtual cinematography and achieving the nuances of the sci-fi genre with flare distortions, lense artifacts and camera emulation. Danielle Feinberg, the film's director of photography for lighting, discusses the nitty gritty of lighting WALL-E and Eve Michal Faust will talk about his work on the Oscar-nominated WALTZ WITH BASHIR. Christophe Hery, (Lead Research & Development Engineer, Industrial Light & Magic) returns to curate the fourth annual Virtual Humans Forum, bringing the projects that are pushing the envelope on realistic digital performances to front stage. Digital Domain will send Steve Preeg und Jonathan Litt to illuminate newly employed techniques in THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON. The Forum is hosted by Peter Plantec and Christophe Hery. Kevin Geiger hosts Focus on China, illuminating current trends and coming landmark projects from the most populous country in the world. Wen Feng and Prof. Lijung Sun from the Bejing Film Academy present their project ROAD TO HOME, Lifeng Wang, founder and president of Xing Xing Digital Corp, discusses their animation, VFX and games work, while Vance Yang and Stella Huang, co-founders of SOFA Studio in neighboring Taiwan examine strategies for content development for Asian markets. These Oscar-nominated films are part of the fmx/09 program: -- BOLT (Animated Feature Film) -- THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON (Art Direction, Cinematography, Directing, Film Editing, Best Picture, Visual Effects et al.) -- OKTAPODI (Short Film, Animated) -- WALL-E (Animated Feature Film) -- WALTZ WITH BASHIR (Foreign Language Film) The third annual edition of the Animation Production (APD) day will take place from May 05-07, 2009 with an expanded program. It is organized by fmx/09 and the Festival of Animated Film (ITFS), in cooperation with Michael Schmetz Mediaconsult. Be sure not to miss the business meeting for the digital community where producers, distributors and investors network! This year, in addition to feature films, APD will also open its platform for existing or upcoming brands in formats for TV, games and mobile. More information at www.animationproductionday.de. The Festival of Animated Film takes place May 05-10, the perfect opportunity to watch animated films from all over the world in the unique atmosphere of Stuttgart's historical city center. And the city has more to stimulate your senses; explore the Stuttgart Pop Open, May 5-9, where the music industry networks and live music kicks off the nights. fmx/09 is an event by Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg in cooperation with VES Visual Effects Society, AIAS Academy of Interactive Art and Sciences, ACM Siggraph and 5D Conference. It is funded by the Ministry of State Baden-Wuerttemberg, the Ministry of Economic Affairs Baden-Wuerttemberg, MFG Baden-Wuerttemberg Public Film Fund & Public Innovation Agency for Information Technology and Media, and the FFA German Federal Film Board. It is organized by the Institute of Animation, Visual Effects and Digital Postproduction at Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg, and NX Publishing.