‘CAT and MOTH’ garners the Special Jury Award, with ‘Period Drama’ named Best Student Project; winning films will highlight this year’s Electronic Theater screenings at the conference, running next week in Daegu, South Korea.
The SIGGRAPH Asia 2022 Computer Animation Festival (CAF), part of Asia's premier computer-generated animation and visual effects event, has announced this year’s three award-winning films, plus an honorable mention, selected by judges from a total of 405 animated works from 19 countries. From short films to scientific visualizations and AI-enhanced deep-fakes, the celebration of 2022’s best works from around the world comes to SIGGRAPH Asia 2022’s Electronic and Animation Theaters running December 6-9 at EXCO in Daegu, South Korea.
“Seismic technological innovation in animation is moving our industry to greater heights,” commented Dan Sarto, Computer Animation Festival Chair and Co-Founder of Animation World Network. “We saw the extraordinary rise of virtual creative collaboration during the pandemic, and how artists, technologists, and researchers were able to build sophisticated, cloud-based production pipelines, working with colleagues from around the world, exemplified by the impressive selection of animation in this year’s festival.”
“SIGGRAPH Asia provides a great opportunity to see the year’s most exceptional work, and also a chance to bring together some of the most creative minds from the world’s leading animation houses,” he added. “The global animation market is worth almost US$400 billion, and it’s still growing. There’s never been a more exciting moment to be in this business, collaborate and push boundaries with cutting-edge animation. SIGGRAPH Asia 2022 is a unique chance to be at the center of it all.”
Take two minutes to enjoy this year’s Computer Animation Festival trailer:
The SIGGRAPH Asia 2022 Computer Animation Festival Award-Winning Projects:
BEST IN SHOW
GARRANO (Portugal, Lithuania), directed by David Doutel & Vasco Sá, BAP Animation Studio, produced by David Doutel.
A Garrano horse is forced to pull a heavy load under a blazing sun, while a young boy, Joel, discovers a man who is about to set a forest on fire.
JURY’S SPECIAL AWARD
CAT and MOTH (Canada, United Kingdom), directed by India Barnardo, Stupid Horse Productions, co-produced by Sarah Dacey and Emily Shinyi Hsu.
Meet Ditto, a fluffy plump white cat that, unlike most other cats, is very particular about where she sleeps. The universe seems to conspire against her until she happens upon the most comfortable spot she’s ever seen, a wonderful warm yellow cushion. But a fuzzy winged intruder, Monty, has eyes on the comfy cushion and isn’t shy about disturbing the kitty’s slumber – going to great lengths to make it his own.
BEST STUDENT PROJECT
Period Drama (United States) directed by Anushka Nair & Lauryn Anthony, Ringling College of Art & Design.
Partly based on personal experience, Period Drama is a Victorian-era tale about 11-year-old Georgiana Crimsworth, who gets her first period “before ever having gotten the talk.” It addresses the implicit taboo surrounding periods and women’s health.
HONORABLE MENTION
Sprite Fight (Netherlands), directed by Matthew Luhn and Hjalti Hjalmarssonj, Blender Studio.
The studio’s 13th open movie is an 80s-inspired horror comedy set in Britain. When a group of rowdy teenagers wanders into an isolated forest, they discover peaceful mushroom creatures that turn out to be an unexpected force of nature.
Watch the behind-the-scenes look at the film - the technology, the assets, and the creative process that led to the creation of Sprite Fight:
In addition to the awards ceremony and special screenings, the Computer Animation Festival will feature a series of panels and production sessions. Highlights include the following:
December 7, 2022 – 2-3 PM (Venue: 5F, Auditorium):
Oni: Thunder God’s Tale - Megalis VFX Co-Founders Christophe Rodo and Jeffrey Dillinger discuss the techniques and collaboration used to create the contemporary Japanese folklore story. In addition, they will share exclusive concept art for the Netflix series.
December 7, 2022 – 4-5 PM (Venue: 5F, Auditorium):
Bringing Yumi's Cells to Life - Producer Gahyun Cha, Director Dahee Kim, CG supervisor Kiyoung Eom, and Concept Artist Yeonok Baek discuss the popular webtoon - Korea’s first live-action/3D hybrid series where the animated world of the ‘cells’ blends with the performances of actors. In addition, Locus Animation will share the artistic and technical challenges behind the meticulously plotted out characters and the cutting-edge animation.
December 8, 2022 – 9-10 AM (Venue: 5F, Auditorium):
Making of: Brahmāstra: Part One Shiva – DNEG VFX supervisor Jaykar Arudra and ReDefine Creative Head/VFX supervisor Viral Thakkar share insights into the production process of the Bollywood cosmic space-inspired VFX fantasy adventure Brahmāstra feature film, along with over 3,000+ VFX shots.
December 8, 2022 – 3-4 PM (Venue: 3F, Room 306):
Entergalactic with DNEG Animation – Speaker: Kapil Sharma
Led by DNEG Animation’s VFX Supervisor Archie Donato and Animation Director Kapil Sharma, the team was tasked with creating a world that felt like a concept painting sprung to life. To meet the filmmakers’ brief, the team ensured that every stage of the pipeline – from shader development to animation performance to compositing – was deconstructed and re-imagined, supporting the heightened visual style.
Electronic Theater Highlights include:
December 8, 2022 (Venue: 5F, Auditorium) - Tuesday 6-8 PM, Wednesday 5–7 PM, Thursday 1-3 PM:
The House of Loss - Directed by Jinkyu Jeon (South Korea) and produced by Koji Yamamura - Tokyo University of the Arts.
The elderlies at the nursing home have their heads shaved. The protagonist who works there sees them but can't read their expressions. However, in one instance, he looks closely at their faces.
December 8, 2022 (Venue: 5F, Auditorium) - Tuesday 6-8 PM, Wednesday 5-7 PM, Thursday 1-3 PM:
Going Well... – Directed by Hye-Jeong Lee (South Korea) and produced by Jinkyu Jeon (South Korea)
The deadline is approaching. Producer Park, who is in charge of closing, comes to the writer. The writer escapes to delusions and goes crazy due to the PD's pressure and the stress of the deadline.
More information about SIGGRAPH Asia is available here.
Source: SIGGRAPH Asia
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
