ETERNAL GAZE by Sam Chen was chosen Best Animated Short by the Computer Animation Festival amongst 76 pieces selected for presentation at SIGGRAPH 2003, the 30th International Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques, being held July 27-31, 2003 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. Twenty-five of the selected entries will be shown in the Electronic Theater and 52 in the Animation Theaters. The Electronic Theater lineup includes 13 studio/production pieces, 13 non-U.S. entries and five student submissions from a total of 635 entries.
ETERNAL GAZE is a poignant story about an artist, his art and reciprocated love. Inspired by the life of one of the greatest artists of the 20th century, Alberto Giacometti, the film follows Giacometti through the last nine years of his remarkable life and journeys into the depths of his famously tortured psyche. Judges said the fact that it is entirely computer generated is quickly lost in the telling of the tale and that is what makes it brilliant.
Jury Honors were awarded to TIM TOM by Maud Bonassi, Supinfocom/One Plus One. The tale of two fantastical characters, Tim and Tom, want to meet but are hindered by their creator, a giant omnipotent hand. With nods to the past's masters and their animation techniques, TIM TOM brings life into characters whose emotions and thoughts are expressed through their notepad faces. Judges called it a beautiful piece that encompasses all that is inherent in the art of animation versus live-action. For more on the screenings and other SIGGRAPH 2003 activities, go to www.siggraph.org.
