eDIT 8. The Filmmaker’s Festival, which took place Oct. 9-11 in Frankfort, Germany, enjoyed an increased participation of almost 50% over the previous year, a fact that could clearly be seen in the full theaters. In addition to the 2,300 professional visitors there were 350 guests from the media industry, politics and business, along with 130 international speakers and around 120 accredited journalists.
For three days Frankfurt was abuzz with the cinema, television and advertising. From cartoons to TV design, from adverts to Hollywood productions, the continual development of digital technology is changing the production, distribution and effect of the moving image. eDIT has followed this process for eight years with presentations, workshops and panels by international professionals for filmmakers in all areas. The new subtitle, The Filmmaker’s Festival, emphasizes the development from a congress on digital postproduction and visual effects to a wide thematic spectrum of interest to everyone involved in the process of filmmaking.
“We have the impression that in its eighth year eDIT has reached its goal,” said festival director Sebastian Popp. “We had two aims: On the one hand we wanted to attract more — and above all more international — participants, and on the other to reach out to a wider target group from the entire film industry in addition to the visual effects and post-production specialists. I’m very pleased that we have succeeded in both."
Tom Atkin, co-director of the festival and founder of the Visual Effects Society (VES), added, “The response to our program this year was greater than ever before — and not only in the presentations by our guests from Hollywood, but in all areas.”
The patron of the festival, State Minister Udo Corts, was also pleased: “Hollywood in Frankfurt — this is proof of the outstanding work of the highly professional digital scene in Hesse.”
eDIT:eDucation, the popular information market for newcomers to the industry, was this year too a magnet for young people looking for a career start in the media. Around 350 visitors were able to gain information about occupations and working conditions in various areas of the industry, and a further 100 took part in the practical workshops that were integrated into the program for the first time.
eDward 2005: The Prizewinners:
Artificial Humans was the subject matter of the sixth newcomer film award eDward 2005. The worldwide competition aims to give a stage to young filmmakers and to open up career opportunities. It calls upon young creatives under 30 to enter a spot in the classical advert format of 30 seconds. This year for the first time entries came not only from Europe but from all over the world, including Poland, England, France and India.
The international jury of Bill Plympton (animator, USA), Yohei Taneda (production designer, Japan), Thorbjørn Christoffersen (animator, Denmark), Dan Sarto (publisher of ANIMATION WORLD NETWORK,
www.awn.com , and VFXWORLD,
www.vfxworld.com , USA) and its president Phil Tippett (Oscar-winner for animation: STAR WARS: THE RETURN OF THE JEDI and JURASSIC PARK) selected the winners:
1st Prize
DOMESTIC DROIDS by Horst Da Luz (Germany)
Jury’s comments:
This half-minute piece combines original humor, intelligence, irony and good technical craft. It has a simple and clear idea that is well told. The expression of the robots is lively and combines well with the live action. It is interesting to show the relationship between humans and robots on an everyday level. This work has cinema quality.
The winner receives 2500 euros, the eDward trophy and the opportunity to take part in a training program on Digital Film and Animation at the worldwide SAE institute.
2nd Prize
LIFE INC. by Michele Busiello (Germany)
Jury’s comments:
The plain and well-considered expression of this work has an astonishing depth, despite its two-dimensional figures. The story is told directly, yet is emotional and universally understandable. The director looks into the fundamental question of what makes a human being. Soundtrack and camerawork have professional quality.
The prize consists of 800 euros and the Adobe Video Collection 2.5 worth 1500 euros. The second prizewinner may also take part in an SAE training program.
3rd Prize
THE PERFECT WEAPON by Jean-Claude Rozec (France)
Jury’s comments:
This work shows the good and the evil in the human being. It is based on a rounded and well executed idea that takes up the Frankenstein theme. This spot makes us laugh, which is just as important as the right realization of the subject matter. The humor arises from the contrast between the children’s book style of the images and the brutality of the story.
The prize consists of 400 euros and the AVID XPress pro HD software worth 2000 euros.
The winning spots can be viewed at
www.ed-ward.de .
The next eDIT Filmmaker’s Festival will take place in Frankfurt from Sept. 24 -26, 2006.
eDIT Filmmaker's Festival is a project of the Hessian Ministry of Science and the Arts, the Hessian Institute of Private-Sector Broadcasting (LPR Hessen) and the city of Frankfurt am Main under the patronage of Udo Corts, the Hessian minister of science and the arts.
Founded in 1997, the Visual Effects Society (
www.visualeffectssociety.com ) is a professional, honorary society, dedicated to advancing the arts, sciences and applications of visual effects and to improving the welfare of its members by providing professional enrichment and education, fostering community and promoting industry recognition. The VES is the entertainment industry’s only organization representing the full breadth of visual effects practitioners, including artists, technologists, model makers, educators, studio leaders, supervisors, PR/marketing specialists and producers in all areas of entertainment from film, television and commercials to music videos and games. Comprised of a diverse group of about 1,250 global members, the VES strives to enrich and educate its own members and members of t
