Last Month In Animation
* Tuesday, October 19, 1999 - Sunday, January
30, 2000. Boca Raton, Florida, U.S.A.
The International Museum of Comic Art presented The Art of Charles
M. Schulz, creator of the comic strip, Peanuts. The exhibit
displayed artifacts, photos, magazine covers, Broadway and movie
posters, toys, dolls, blow-ups of historic strips and more tracing
the decade-by-decade evolution of Schulz' creation in the context
of American history. IMCA is located at 201 Plaza Real in Boca Raton's
Mizner Park, just one block north of Palmetto Park Road on Federal
Highway. For more information Tel. (561) 391-2200, or visit www.cartoon.org.
The February 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine features
Steve Charla's profile of the Museum.
* Monday, January 10, 2000 - Saturday, Janurday 29, 2000. New York,
New York, U.S.A.
Once the crimson dust cleared from the apocolyptic Armageddon of
Y2K, visiters enjoyed some animation at the School of Visual Arts'
"Animation Dreams: Millennium Nightmares" exhibit. Films
presented at the screening centered around the theme of the students'
most horrific nightmares. The exhibition also featured 3D character
models, storyboards, animation cels, background drawings, murals,
video tests of films and a reel of award-winning films from past
animation graduates. The event took place at the SVA Gallery on
209 East 23rd St. For more information contact the SVA Office of
Communication at (212) 592-2010; or E-mail to proffice@adm.schoolofvisualarts.edu.
* Tuesday, January 25, 2000. Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.
Canadian Drawn, a screening of animation from the National Film
Board of Canada, was presented at 7:30 pm. The event highlighting
the amazing work of the Film Board was held at Macquariam, 1800
Peachtree St. NW. This screening was sponsored by ASIFA-Atlanta,
a social organization for people interested and professionally involved
in animation. For information contact Joni Strandquest at (770)
457-3455.
* Wednesday, January 26, 2000. Toronto, Canada.
TAIS, the Toronto Animated Image Society, presented "Creating
Appealing Cartoon Characters" with Peter Emslie. In the evening's
presentation, the long-time Disney animator explained his personal
theory on what makes for good cartoon character design, by referring
to videotape and sketching on the spot to illustrate various points.
Since 1979, Emslie has spent much of his time drawing for the Walt
Disney Company. On staff for 10 years and now as a regular freelancer,
Emslie continues to illustrate for various Disney character products.
His clients include Disney Publishing and The Disney Stores. Emslie
has also taught Character Design at Sheridan College and continues
to teach occasionally at Studio M. The event took place at 8 pm
at City Hall, 100 Queen St. West, Committee Room #4. Admission was
free for TAIS members, everyone else $4. Memberships were available
at the door. For more information contact Patrick Jenkins at E-mail:
pjenkins@interlog.com.
* Wednesday, January 26 - Sunday, February 6, 2000. Rotterdam, The
Netherlands.
The Rotterdam International Film Festival included a short film
section with categories in animation that include Fiction, Documentary,
and Experimental. To highlight the fest's Japanese program, an exhibition
entitled "Manga Manga!" showcased selections from manga
productions from 1945 to the present. The festival also presented
its "Exploding Cinema" program which featured a multimedia
live performance that brought together filmmakers, animators and
musicians. Other sections highlighted Japanese pop-culture, video
games and anime. For more information contact: P.O. Box 21696, 3001
AR Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Tel.: ++ 31 10-8909090; Fax: ++ 31
10-8909091; E-mail: tiger@iffrotterdam.nl; or Web: http://www.iffrotterdam.nl.
Read Iain Harvey's review of this year's Rotterdam
International Film Festival in this issue.
* Friday, January 28, 2000. Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
Art In Motion focused on innovative content and diversity. The criteria
for entry was time rather than medium based, and therefore video,
film and digital projects, animations, Websites, CD-Roms etc. were
all eligible. Hybrids were particularly welcome. There was a $1000
"Best of Show" award and "first place" allocations
in each exhibition category. For more information contact Jim Keller
or Janet Owen, festival organizers at: University of Southern California;
Tel.: (213) 740-2787; Fax: (213) 740-8938; E-mail: aim@usc.edu;
or Web: http://www.usc.edu/go/aim/.
* Saturday, January 29 - Sunday, January 30, 2000. Ontario, Canada.
Cinematheque Ontario presented a series of screening of animator/filmmaker
Stan Brakhage's work. Since 1952, Brakhage has experimented with
manipulating celluloid by directly scratching, hand-painting, etching
and collage on its surface. What makes these works so exquisite
is the precision with which they are made. Brakhage's abstract films
are rewarding viewing for anyone interested in cameraless filmmaking
and experimental animation. On Saturday at 1 pm, Cinemathque showed
Brakhage's Dog Star Man: Part IV, Eye Myth, Loud Visual Noises
and Coupling. On Saturday at 3:30 pm, the museum presented
Arabic 9, The Egyptian Series, Babylon Series and Reel
5. Starting off Sunday's showing at 1 pm was Christ Mass
Sex Dance, followed by Chartres Series, Black Ice, Fireloop
and Cricket Requiem. The series closed on Sunday at 3:30
pm with the presentation of Last Hymn To The Night - Novalis,
Polite Madness and Blue Value. All screenings were held
in the Art Gallery of Ontario's Jackman Hall. For more information,
consult Cinematheque Ontario's Winter 2000 Programme Guide at (416)
968-FILM, or see the official website at www.bell.ca/filmfest.
* Monday, January 31 - Saturday, February 5, 2000. San Roque,
Cadiz, Spain.
22nd International Short Film Festival of San Roque was open to
all films under 30 minutes made after January 1, 1997. Categories
included fiction, animation and documentary. Cash prizes ranged
from Euros 3,000 to 900. For more information contact Ilusre Ayuntamiento
de San Roque, Semana Internacional del Cortometraje, Cine-Teatro
Alameda Alameda de Alfonso, 11360 San Roque (Cadiz) Espana; Tel.:
++ 34 (9)56-781074; Fax: ++ 34 (9)56-781568/782456; or Email: amdel@ctv.es.
* Friday, February 4 - Saturday, February 12, 2000. Clermont-Ferrand,
France.
This year, Clermont-Ferrand Short Films Festival featured its 12th
international competition and 22nd French competition. The festival
highlighted animated films based off of comic strips. Filmmakers
and buyers took advantage of the short film market, which attracted
more than 50 TV channels, 50 distributors, and 60 international
festival organizers last year. German filmmaker Jochen Kuhn of the
Stuttgart Film School presented a program of his animated work along
with films created by his students. Other programs showcased SODEC
(Societe de Developpement des Entreprises Culturelles di Quebec),
education films, and children's animation. For more information
contact Festival du Court Métrage at: 26, rue des Jacobins,
63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France; Tel.: ++ 33 473 91 65 73; Fax: ++
33 473 92 11 93; E-mail: festival@gdebussac.fr; or Web: http://shortfilm.gdebussac.fr
* Saturday, February 5, 2000. Ontario, Canada.
Cinematheque Ontario presented a screening of Canadian animator
Norman McLaren's work. McLaren was one of the most prolific and
inventive figures in abstract cinema and experimental animation.
McLaren's greatest abstract films from five decades of work were
shown like: Begone Dull Care, Spheres, Blinkity Blank and
Synchromy. The event was held in the Art Gallery of Ontario's
Jackman Hall at 2 pm. For more information, consult Cinematheque
Ontario's Winter 2000 Programme Guide at (416) 968-FILM, or see
the official website at www.bell.ca/filmfest.
* Sunday, February 6, 2000. Ontario, Canada.
Cinematheque Ontario also presented "Round-Up: Recent International
Gems" featuring animation and experimental films. The screening
included British Columbia-based animator Richard Reeves' Linear
Dreams. Other works on the programme explored different areas
of abstraction outside the realm of animation. For more information,
consult Cinematheque Ontario's Winter 2000 Programme Guide at (416)
968-FILM, or see the official website at www.bell.ca/filmfest.
Read Animation World Magazine's "The
Film Strip Tells All" where William Moritz puts in perspective
Richard Reeves' Linear Dreams and Bärbel Neubauer's
Moonlight.
* Tuesday, February 8, 2000. Glendale, CA, U.S.A.
Women in Animation and Glendale Community College proudly presented
the Fourth Annual Lecture Series "Careers in Animation."
This year's presenter was Frank Gladstone, head of Artistic Development
at DreamWorks SKG Animation. Gladstone has been a professional animator,
producer, director, writer and teacher for more than twenty-five
years. Between 1973 and 1989, he managed his own award-winning studio,
Persistence of Vision, Inc., and has worked in the feature animation
divisions of Disney, Warner Bros. and DreamWorks SKG Animation.
In addition to his studio credentials, Gladstone has spoken on animation
and created cinematography courses for schools and institutions
around the world and has trained literally hundreds of people who
work in the animation industry. The event was held in the Glendale
Community College Auditorium, 1500 North Verdugo Road, Glendale,
at 7 pm. For more information please call Jonnie Weaver at Glendale
Community College (818) 240-1000, ext. 5608.
* Thursday, February 10, 2000. Westwood, California, U.S.A.
The Women In Animation Writers' Group met at Saban Entertainment
at 7:30 pm. Last month's topic was the animation premise and general
animation structure. The charge for the workshop was US$5. RSVP
required. For more information please contact Jean Ann Wright at:
Tel.: (818) 360-8321 or E-mail: jjwright@gte.net.
* Thursday, February 10, 2000. Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.
The 29th Mobius Advertising Awards is a yearly event recognizing
outstanding television and radio commercials, as well as print advertising
and package designs. The competition is open to television commercials
and campaigns which have been produced, screened or aired in the
past 12 months. The animation-related categories include: Animation-Computer,
Animation-Non-Computer, and Animation-Computer & Non-Computer.
For more information contact The Mobius Advertising Awards at: 841
North Addison Avenue, Elmhurst, Illinois 60126-1291, U.S.A; Tel.:
(630) 834-7773; Fax: (630) 834-5565; or Web: www.mobiusawards.com.
* Saturday, February 12, 2000. Ontario, Canada.
Cinematheque Ontario presented Lotte Reiniger's timeless silhouette
animation, The Adventures Of Prince Achmed (Die Abenteuer
Des Prinzen Achmed). The story was adapted from the "Tales
of the Arabian Nights." The film, that took Reiniger two years
to make, captures fantasy, romance, adventure, and humor. The screening
began at 2 pm. For more information, consult Cinematheque Ontario's
Winter 2000 Programme Guide at (416) 968-FILM, or see the official
website at www.bell.ca/filmfest.
Read more about Lotte
Reiniger in William Moritz's Animation World Magazine
article.
Cartoon historian Leslie Cabarga interviews
famous animators from beyond the grave like Lotte Reiniger,
Winsor McCay, Georges Méliès, Max Fleischer, Walt
Disney, Pat Sullivan, Otto Messmer and Tex Avery.
* Sunday, February 13, 2000 - Thursday, February 17, 2000. New York,
New York, U.S.A.
The American International Toy Fair, one of the world's leading
toy trade shows, featured over 1,800 exhibitors and highlighted
the newest and most exciting toys on the market. Toy Manufacturers
of America, Inc., the industry trade association, brought the 97th
annual event to several showrooms all across the Manhattan area.
Three new showplaces joined the fair this year including: TechnoPLAY@TOYFAIR,
dedicated to entertainment and educational software, hand-held electronic
games, video games and interactive toys; Game Zone, new and classic
board games; and the Winter International Miniature Collectibles
Show. The State of the Industry news conference was held on Thursday,
February 10, 2000 and featured TMA Board Chairman Peter Eio and
TMA President David Miller. For more information contact Toy Manufacturers
of America, Inc. at: 1115 Broadway Suite 400, New York, New York,
U.S.A. 10010; Tel.: (212) 675-1141; or Web: www.toy-tma.org.
* Wednesday, February 16, 2000. Westwood, California, U.S.A.
For the tenth consecutive year Clifford Cohen's AnimAction presented
the TEAM (Tobacco Education Awareness Message) Awards. Twenty-seven
middle schools participated in AnimAction's filmmaking program this
year. Students worked together in creating animated Public Service
Announcements (PSAs). The award winning PSAs aired on network and
cable TV. Previous PSAs were distributed by UNICEF and have been
finalists in international children's and animation festivals. This
year, Rob Paulsen, the voice of Pinky on Steven Spielberg Presents
Pinky & The Brain, hosted the event. The awards ceremony,
including live entertainment and a screening of the award winners,
took place at 7 pm in Royce Hall, on the UCLA campus. The event
was by invitation only. For more information contact Francine Eisenrod
(LAUSD) at: (213) 625-6411 or Clifford Cohen (AnimAction) at: (323)
464-1181; E-mail: workshops@animaction.com; or Web: www.animaction.com.
* Friday, February 18, 2000. New York, New York, U.S.A.
Cinema Village, the city's venue for alternative animation, presented
the U.S. theatrical premiere of Kirikou And The Sorceress
from French filmmaker Michel Ocelot. Based on a West African legend,
this film follows a miraculous infant who singlehandedly saves his
small village from a sultry yet evil wizard. Featuring an original
score by Senegalese music artist Youssou N'Dour, Kirikou And
The Sorceress offers a unique spin: an animated film which takes
place in Africa and features the African people. For more information
contact the Cinema Village at Tel.: (212) 924-3363.
Read Philippe Moins' Animation World Magazine review of Michel
Ocelot's Kirikou And The Sorceress. Available in both French and English.
* Sunday, February 20 - Wednesday, February 23, 2000. Monte-Carlo,
Monaco.
Created in 1979, the Monte-Carlo Television Market was established
as a companion to the world renowned Monte-Carlo International Television
Festival. Today, the Television Market ranks as one of the top program
markets in the world. In 1999, the Market had 487 registered buyers
and 1,920 participants on hand. For 2000, two new events were added
to the Market: a program format distribution seminar and the European
Producer's Award. Furthermore, many exhibitors scheduled public
screenings to highlight special programs for buyers. For more information
contact the Monte Carlo Television Market at: 4 Boulevard du Jardin
Exotique, MC 98000 Monaco; Tel.: ++ 377 93 10 40 60; or Fax: ++
377 93 50 70 14. In North America one can contact Vital Communications
New York at: Tel.: (201) 869.4022; Fax: (201) 869.4335; or E-mail:
vitcomusa@aol.com.
* Tuesday, February 22, 2000. Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
Writers and fans came hear from the team of Fox's Futurama
at the AFI's Writers' POV. In past years, AFI has featured the writing
teams from The Simpsons and King Of The Hill, who
gave a Writers POV on the making of an animated series. Continuing
this popular topic, AFI invited the Futurama team to participate
in this question & answer event. Guests included: executive
producer David X. Cohen, and writers Ken Keeler, Eric Horsted, Lewis
Morten, Patric M. Verrone, J. Steward Burns, Bill Odenkirk, Eric
Kaplan, Dan Vebber, Ron Weiner and Jeff Westbrook. The discussion
kicked off at 7 pm. The entry fee was US$20 and only $10 for ASIFA-Hollywood
Members and Local MPSC 839 members. For more information, call (323)
856.7690.
* Thursday, February 24 - Sunday, March 5, 2000. San Jose, California,
U.S.A.
Cinequest San Jose Film Festival showcased features and short films
(16mm & 35mm all genres) of artistic, social or stylistic merit.
This year, the festival celebrated Maverick Films, Filmmakers and
Technologies. For more information contact Cinequest 2000 at: P.O
Box 720040, San Jose, CA 95172-0040; Tel.: (408) 995-5033; Fax:
(408) 995-5713; E-mail: cineqst@wenet.net; or Web: http://www.cinequest.org.
* Saturday, February 26, 2000. Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
Women In Animation, Inc. held their annual meeting with guest speaker
Lynda Weinman of lynda.com. The meeting introduced members and interest
WIA guests with what has happened in the past year and what exciting
events and activities are on the way in 2000. Weinman, a pioneer
of graphic and animation on the MAC, brought to the event her knowledge
from years of work at her own Web design training facility. She
has published several top-selling Web design books and training
videos. With tours available, the event was held at Spectrum Studios
at 2 pm. For more information call (818) 759-9596.
Upcoming Major Industry Events
Visit AWN's Calendar
of Events for more information about the following events and
others spanning well into the year 2000.
* Monday, April 10 - Friday, April 14, 2000. Cannes, France.
MIP TV, International Television Program Market.
* Monday, June 5 - Saturday, June 10, 2000. Annecy, France.
Annecy International Film Festival and Market.
* Sunday, July 23 - Friday, July 28, 2000. New Orleans, Louisiana,
U.S.A.
SIGGRAPH 2000 Conference & Exhibition.
