* Saturday, December 16 - Sunday, December 24, 2000. Puchon, South Korea.





The 2nd PISAF festival includes an Animation Film Competition, as well as exhibitions, special events and workshops (Digital Animation, Clay Animation, PinScreen Animation). For more information contact PISAF 2000 at: 2Fl. Boksago Cultural Center, 394-2 Sand 1 dong, Wonmi-gu, Puchon, Kyonggi-do 420-031, Korea; Tel.: ++ 8 32 320-3105; or Fax: ++ 82 32 325-2072.

The 2000 Awards Ceremony and Closing Night Party of the 17th Annual Chicago International Children's Film Festival was held Sunday, October 22, 2000 at the Museum of Contemporary Art Mayer Education Center. The event was hosted by director/actor Harold Ramis (BEDAZZLED, GROUNDHOG DAY, GHOSTBUSTERS). The Chicago International Children's Film Festival is the largest competitive festival of films for children in North America. This year's Festival screened 210 films from over 40 countries, including 36 world premieres. Below is a list of the animation winners.

This month we are talking about everyone's pal - television. We are featuring a profile of veteran animation director and producer Eric Radomski. We are also taking a long hard look at primetime animation and trying to figure out what went wrong this year. In addition, we will showcase five shows that are extra special for many reasons. They include France's "Belphégor," Oxygen's "X-Chromosome," the U.K.'s "Butt-Ugly Martians," Tom Snyder Productions and Disney's "Teacher's Pet."

Earlier this week, Film Roman, Inc. and Chennai, India-based Pentamedia Graphics, Ltd., formerly known as Pentafour Software and Exports, Ltd., have announced a letter of intent pursuant to which Pentamedia will purchase a 51% stake in Film Roman. The deal was a US$15 million cash deal, which is aimed to close by January after regulatory and board approvals. The deal was concluded by Film Roman's president and CEO John Hyde, who joined the company in December 1999, after a tumultuous three year period. Since the company went public in 1996, Film Roman has teetered in the red.

* Monday, November 6 – Saturday, December 9, 2000. New York, New York, U.S.A.

Chennai, India-based Pentamedia Graphics, Ltd., formerly known as Pentafour Software and Exports, Ltd., and Film Roman, Inc. have announced a letter of intent pursuant to which Pentamedia will purchase a 51% stake in Film Roman. The deal was a US$15 million cash deal, which is aimed to close by January after regulatory and board approvals. In regards to the deal, Film Roman CEO and president John Hyde told AWN, "I think it allows us to execute our very specific five-year plan.

Portland, Maine's Sputnik Animation, a small studio developing animated content for broadcast and the Web, is looking for 2D CHARACTER ANIMATORS. Computer experience a plus. . . Greensburg, Pennsylvania's DreamForge Entertainment Inc., an established computer game development studio, is looking for 3D LEVEL MODELERS for an original action/adventure game being developed as a first next generation Xbox title and a prominent PC license for one of the biggest game publishers in the U.S. . .

As part of DIC Entertainment's plan to restructure is international arm, the company has appointed Patricia Ryan as executive vice president of international sales and Dan White as vice president of international sales. Ryan will handle Western Europe and Canadian broadcast and video sales, head up property acquisitions and help oversee international co-productions. Waite will handle sales for Latin America, Asia and Eastern Europe. Previously, Ryan headed DIC's international sales as vice president before the 1996 acquisition by Disney.

Italian animation studio Mondo TV released second-quarter revenue reports, which were up 250% to 6.7 billion lire (US$2.94 million). This report is the first since going public on the Milan stock exchange in June. In the quarter, Mondo TV's gross operating margin inflated 484% to 5.3 billion lire ($2.32 million). The big gains are attributed to the firm's increasing presence in Asia and its new co-production deal with Seoul-based Hahn Shin Corporation. Mondo TV is the owner of Italy's largest library of domestic and imported television cartoons.

ASIFA, the only internationally sanctioned organization for animation, will open a chapter in India. This new chapter will be located in the city of Trivandrum within the Indian state of Kerala, home of Toonz Animation India. The first meeting of ASIFA India will occur during The 2nd Annual Week With The Masters Animation Celebration, from October 30 - November 3, 2000. Bill Dennis, president and CEO of Toonz Animation India, will head the new chapter. Dennis has worked on animated classics such as THE LION KING, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, ALADDIN and THE LITTLE MERMAID.

With WHAT LIES BENEATH slowly sinking, THE X-MEN have claimed debut victories around the globe. In Spain, the mighty mutants premiered in first with a gross of US$2.02 million. In its second week in Spain, THE CELL fell to third, grossing $997,797 thus elevating its cume to $2.02 million. Dropping 46%, HOLLOW MAN placed sixth with a gross of $381,275, lifting its Spanish cume to $8.86 million. In eighth, NUTTY PROFESSOR II: THE KLUMPS fell a humongous 52%, grossing $315,201 and raising its Spanish cume to $1.65 million.

The 5th edition of Castelli Animati took place in Genzano Di Roma, Italy, October 4-8, 2000. An international jury comprised of Massimo Bucchi (Italy), Paul Driessen (Netherlands), Julian Nott (UK), Furio Scarpelli (Italy) and Wendy Tilby (Canada) chose the winners. The Grand Prize (ex-aequo) went to "Flying Nansen" by Igor Kovalyov, USA, and "Village Of Idiots" by Eugene Fedorenko & Rose Newlove, Canada.

This week's update to the Calendar of Events includes a wide range of international events such as the Animation Sensation Weekend in Seattle, USA; the Melbourne International Student Animation Festival, Australia; Anime A-Go-Go in Los Angeles, USA; the AnimExplosion Festival in Mandaluyong City, Philippines; a Virtual Reality Conference in London, UK; and many more!

Blur Studio recently provided motion graphics design and production services for a new 60-second spot for the U.S. Army Reserve. The spot entitled "Dot You" promotes opportunities in the Army Reserve and highlights the service's Website, goarmyreserve.com. Typography animates over the live-action, echoing values such as "leadership," "dedication" and "adventure." The spot culminates with a series of hero shots over which appears the Army Reserve's Website address.

* Friday, November 3 – Sunday, November 5, 2000. Mandaluyong City, Philippines.

We have a correction to an article published October 6, 2000 regarding Sunwoo Entertainment’s hiring of Regis Brown as vice president of international television & video. Korea’s Sunwoo Entertainment was listed as being purchased by Germany’s TV Loonland, however it was actually New York-based Sunbow Entertainment that was acquired by TV Loonland in their recent deal with Sony Wonder.

* Thursday, October 12 – Sunday, October 15, 2000. Montreal, Canada. Wednesday, October 18 – Saturday, October 21, 2000. New York, New York, U.S.A. Wednesday, November 1 – Saturday, November 5, 2000. Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. Thursday, November 16 – Sunday, November 19, 2000. Seoul, South Korea. Friday, November 24 – Sunday, November 26, 2000. Tokyo, Japan. Saturday, December 2 – Sunday, December 3, 2000. Osaka, Japan.

The 2000 edition of the Ottawa International Animation Festival took place last week with a record attendance to the action-packed week of screenings, exhibitions, workshops and, of course, parties! Many of the festival workshops centered on the topic of distribution. "Distribution And Exhibition," moderated by AWN's Dan Sarto, covered how independent animators could use the Internet to get their work purchased and promoted, and questioned whether there was a market for Web animation which doesn't necessary appeal to 16-year-old boys.

HOLLOW MAN holds on as WHAT LIES BENEATH makes top notched debuts in France and Brazil. The Harrison Ford starrer scared up US$3.26 million in its French premiere. SPACE COWBOYS fell to second with a gross of $1.51 million, escalating its French cume to $3.56 million. Falling from second to finish in fourth, GONE IN 60 SECONDS raced in with $1.28 million, advancing its French cume to $13.31 million. Slipping one to sixth, U-571 surfaced another $706,419, lifting its French cume to $1.83 million.

In conjunction with the Ottawa International Animation Festival, ASIFA held its general assembly and the election of its new executive board. Abi Feijo of Portugal was voted president and said that ASIFA is at a turning point where he hopes to redefine ASIFA`s goals and priorities. Marco de Blois (Canada), Sayoko Kinoshita (Japan), Andy Wyatt (United Kingdom) and Antran Manoogian (USA) were voted in as vice presidents. Vesna Dovnikovic of Croatia will serve as secretary general and Pierre Azuelos of France as treasurer.