AWN Headline News

Future Filmmakers Festival 2006Chicago, Illinois, USAJune 16-18, 2006Deadline: February 28, 2006

The Future Filmmakers Festival has the goal of allowing industry professionals and fellow peers to identify the best, brightest and innovative in youth filmmaking.

The Philippines-based Technical Education Development and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is set to implement its first software development and animation training curricula at two new IT training centers this month, reports INQ7.net.

Co-developed by TESDA with the Philippine Software Industry Association (PSIA) and the Animation Council of the Philippines Inc. (ACPI), the curricula will focus on basic to intermediate learners as part of TESDAs human resource capacity building for the growing Philippine software development and animation industries.

The Walt Disney Co. announced its award-winning musical THE LION KING will open at Shanghais Grand Theatre on July 18, 2006, and play for 100 performances.

The engagement will be presented by The Shanghai Grand Theatre in association with The Walt Disney Co., who is the title sponsors of the production. Special support has also been provided from the China Culture Development Fund, with media support from Wenhui-Xinmin United Press Group.

Continuing our special event specific Flash Newsletters, we will be publishing special editions for GDC & MIP-TV. The markets are fast approaching and our editorial and advertising staffs are gearing up for the GDC & MIP-TV-specific Flash Newsletter series. Here are the dates for the publications. Please send your news two weeks prior to the publication date.

Games Developers Conference 2005 Animation Flash NewsletterMarch 7

MIP-TV Flash NewslettersMarch 14March 21March 28

This week in AWN's Forums, a junior member has questions about combining 2D and 3D. Another member has a question about buying a good sound card. Theres a thread on the NEW YORK POST article that claims former Disney head Michael Eisner trying everything to stop Disneys acquisition of Pixar. Theres a junior member who is bored and needs some good suggestions on animation to check out. A member wants to know what the going rate is for concept artists. Theres a thread on VFX in Asia.

Hello Kitty, the feline icon of cuteness, and her friends will star in a TV series to be aired in more than 15 countries, it was revealed by the Sanrio company and reported by the AFP (AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE) news service.

HELLO KITTY, STAMP VILLAGE, a 26-part series done in clay animation featuring the adventures of the mouthless cat and her companions in a forest, will be completed this month and will air in Asia, Europe and North America.

New Zealand's Prime Minister Helen Clark an avowed agnostic said she found the depiction of a statue of a menstruating Virgin Mary on upcoming episode of SOUTH PARK offensive, reports the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. Despite protests and a call for a boycott from Roman Catholic bishops, Channel 4 plans to still air the controversial episode in May.