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AWN Headline News

Headline News

Worldfest Winners

By Rick DeMott | Thursday, December 16, 1999 at 12:00am

The 2nd Annual Worldfest-Flagstaff International Film Festival announcedtheir 1999 winners on Sunday, November 14. The festival's focus is onindependent works that have not yet been picked up for distribution. Theanimation winners were MUSIC FOR AN OWL directed by Hans Van Westerlaak atCinema Avant, BILLY'S BALLOON directed by Don Hertzfeldt for Bitter Films,THE MONKEYMAN RULES directed by James Dean Conklin for Greenhead Media, andTHE INDESCRIBABLE NTH by Oscar Moore at Character Builders.

Television Headline News

Monte-Carlo Names Jury

By Rick DeMott | Thursday, December 16, 1999 at 12:00am

The Monte-Carlo Television Festival has announced the members of theirinternational jury for the 2nd European Television Producer Award. GuyFournier, the Canadian writer/producer, will preside over the seven memberjury. Guy Fournier has written some 2000 hours of television drama forFrench and Canadian productions, over 150 hours of films and series fortelevision, plays for the theater, feature length films (FANTASTICA, UNEAMIE D'ENFANCE) and has also published a number of books. Other jury

Film Headline News

Store Specials: Best of Zagreb Film

For the first time on video!! The best of Zagreb Film, plus RembrandtFilms' greatest hits, the Best of Bulgaria, and a second volume of TrnkaShorts.

THE BEST OF ZAGREB FILM IN FIVE ONE-HOUR VOLUMES: In four decades ZagrebFilm produced 600 animated films that won more than 400 internationalawards. The studio quickly became famous for a unique animation style thatbecame known as the Zagreb school. One of the studio's pioneeringdistinctions was that its filmmakers wrote, designed, and directed their

Animation Headline News

The December Issue of Animation World Magazine is now on-line!

This month Animation World Magazine is taking a special focus on AsianAnimation, especially Japan. Kosei Ono profiles Japanese artist, TadahitoMochinaga, and Gigi Hu introduces us to two of Japan's leading independentfilmmakers. A group of key creative talent from Blue Sky Studios recentlytoured Japan and have provided us with a scrapbook of photos and stories.Andrew Osmond takes an indepth look at the impact Japanese animation ishaving on animation made outside of Japan and we begin the first in a

Million Headline News

Web Disney Dumps $1 Billion

Disney's Internet arm Go.com has announced a loss of $1.06 billion infiscal 1999. Disney's Web division was formed three months ago to combineits Internet search engine Go.com, a co-venture with Infoseek, withDisney's other online assets, which includes ESPN.com, Disney.com andABCNews.com. The loss, which includes $956 million in depreciation andamortization expenses, widened from a loss of $991 million a year earlierand includes all of Go.com's new-media properties. Much of the negative

Film Headline News

Hyde To Helm Film Roman

Film Roman's Board of Directors has finished their search for a new CEO andpresident with the naming of veteran industry exec John Hyde to theposition. Hyde's expertise ranges from work in television, film, music andnew media. By replacing former CEO/pres. David Pritchard, Hyde steps into aposition with promise and heightened pressure. Besides producing THESIMPSONS and KING OF THE HILL, over seeing various live-action filmproductions, and coddling their infant on-line channel Level13.com, Hyde

Production Headline News

Olive Jar Opens In LA

Boston-based Olive Jar Studios, Inc., an animation, special effects andtheme park attraction production house, has opened a branch in Los Angeles,California, U.S.A. The new west coast facility will house both stage andproduction space. Olive Jar specializes in film techniques that includemixed-media, stop-motion, CGI, cel, drawn, and live-action/special effects.Executive producer Matthew Charde said, "Our presence in Los Angeles willbe a tremendous asset to the business since we will be more fully able to

Million Headline News

Toy 2 Walks Over The Green Mile

The horse race to the box office checkered flag came down to a photo finishbetween TOY STORY 2 and THE GREEN MILE this past weekend. When the dustcleared, the toon titans of TOY STORY 2 finished #1 at the U.S. box office.The film grossed US$18.25 million in this its third week in release,bringing its cume to $140.4 million. In its opening weekend, THE GREENMILE, with primary visual effects by ILM and additional animation by Rhythm& Hues, POP and Matte World Digital, had to settle for second with a gross

Studio Headline News

Liquid Light Helps Give Birth To Goliath

Liquid Light Studios of Los Angeles helped give birth to Valencia,California's theme park Six Flags Magic Mountain's new roller coaster --"The Goliath." Liquid Light created a 3D simulation of the ride, so execscould take in the thrills before tracks were even laid. Last year, theanimation studio completed a similar 3D simulation for the park's"Riddler's Revenge." Built around an "Indiana Jones," jungle theme, themain highlights of this new coaster is that it travels up to speeds of 85

Effects Headline News

After Effects Ices Real Time SDI Video

ICE, the developers of ICE Tools for After Effects and Media Cleaner, haverecently announced shipment of BlueICE SDI Video, an add-on daughter cardto ICE's BlueICE hardware for real-time, uncompressed, frame-accurate videocapture, playback and print to tape. BlueICE SDI Video allows Adobe AfterEffects users, to digitize, preview and layoff to tape in real time - allwhile remaining in the same After Effects environment in which theycomposite and create visual effects. BlueICE is available in both PAL and

Work Headline News

Tinker with Trnka on DVD

Six films from Czech puppet master, Jiri Trnka, will be available on a newcompilation DVD available February 29, 2000. Included on the release willbe the feature-length classic THE EMPEROR'S NIGHTINGALE based on the HansChristian Anderson fairy tale and narrated by legendary-Hollywood actorBoris Karloff. The five featured shorts will include Trnka's world famousTHE HAND, along with STORY OF THE BASS CELLO, A MERRY CIRCUS, A DROP TOOMUCH, and THE SONG OF THE PRAIRIE. Not to sound too much like a late-night

Film Headline News

EuropaCinema's Two Toon Winners

EuropaCinema & TV, held in Viareggio, Italy, announced their two animationshort winners. FOREVER AND EVER, by Michaela Pavlatova and Pavel Koutecky(Czech Republic) and SUBURBANITES by Stefan Vermeulen (Belgium) took homethe prize. The international jury of Enzo D'Alo, Georges Wolinski, MarjutRimminen, Rastko Ciric and Sergio Staino said FOREVER AND EVER is "a filmthat gives us an unconventional interpretation of love, dramatic and at thesame time ironically surrealistic. A film that also reveals a remarkable

Headline News

A Red Nose shines on DVD

Sony Wonder and Golden Books Family Entertainment Home Video will bring thebeloved children's holiday film, RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER, to DVD forthe first time. The adventures of the shunned reindeer will be available forUS$19.98. For the holidays, Sony Wonder will also re-release ELMO SAVESCHRISTMAS on DVD and more favorite Sesame Street titles for $19.98.

Animation Headline News

WAC Is Back

The 7th World Animation Celebration (WAC) arrives in L.A. on Tuesday, May30, 2000 - Sunday, June 4, 2000 for its festival and internationalcompetition. WAC will showcase more than 800 films, including the best inboth classic and contemporary animation. As the main attraction, WAC willpresent awards to the best new animated works from around the world. TheWorld Animation Celebration will present a trade show, an internationalbusiness conferenece, world and American film premieres, seminars,

Entertainment Headline News

AtomFilms Attracts $20 Million

Monday, December 13, 1999, AtomFilms, a leader in next-generationentertainment, announced that it has inked a deal with investors totalingUS$20 million in financing. This signing marks the end of a second round ofstrategic financing led by Chase Capital Entertainment Partners LLC andChase Capital Partners, and joined by Arts Alliance, Frank J. Biondi Jr.,general partner at WaterView Partners and former chairman and CEO ofUniversal Studios, Intel Corp., and Trans Cosmos USA Inc. "This round of

Animation Headline News

Brisbane Beckons!

April 6-9, 2000, The Brisbane International Animation Festival willrepresent Australia in the international animation festival alliance withOttawa, Holland, Fantoche and Anima Mundi animation festivals. It isAustralia's only festival dedicated exclusively to animation in all of itsforms. Playing host to national and international guests who will gather inBrisbane, Australia, to experience the best of world class animation, thefestival provides a local, national and international forum for the

Headline News

McQuilken joins Cartoon Network

KIM MCQUILKEN has been promoted to executive vice president of CARTOONNETWORK sales and marketing. Based in Atlanta, his new responsibilitieswill include sales and marketing for Cartoon Network.com. Formerly seniorvice president and general sales manager for the unit, McQuilken joinedTurner Broadcasting System, Inc., in 1992 as director of marketing forspecial projects for the 1994 Goodwill Games in St. Petersburg, Russia.After the Games, he served as vice president, sports and brand licensing

Interactive Headline News

Edwards Churcher nets Birds

London-based production company AKA PIZAZZ and Internet designers EDWARDSCHURCHER have announced the arrival of the world's first fully interactiveanimated commercial for Compaq. Following on from AKA's recent animated TVcampaign for Compaq, the interactive Web version of "Bird" was created byNeil Churcher, James Stone, and Javier Garcia Flynn of EDWARDS CHURCHER.The spot is now available on the Compaq website. The commercial features afully interactive, realtime animation in which one's cursor movements

Spot Headline News

Clouds over CGI Lugz Spot

Director/designer Jerry van de Beek and co-designer Betsy de Fries ofLITTLE FLUFFY CLOUDS, the San Francisco digital animation and designstudio, finished an all CGI commercial for Lugz athletic shoes entitled"Annakii." The 30-second spot features a video game like scenario, repletewith a hip-hop soundtrack, where the hero moves through a futuristic NewYork City.

Animation Headline News

Let your Toons make their Way to Norway

After 6 years, the organizers of the Oslo Animation Festival have movedoperations to Fredrikstad, Norway. Complete with a new name, the Nordic andBaltic Animation Festival invites both animators and spectators on May 3-5,2000 to take part in an event dedicated to promoting the screening andbetter understanding of animation. This year's festival presents: Nordicand Baltic films in competition, Nordic and Baltic Panorama, Internationalhighlights, a Focus on British animation, Animation as Music, a Celebration

Media Headline News

Imagine calls for Canadian Kids

The Center for Digital Imaging and Sound has launched Imagine 2000 -- thefirst Western Canadian high school media arts competition. The event willoffer 11th and 12th graders from BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba thechance to win CA$200,000 in media scholarships. Categories includeanimation, game development, Web site design, video and film production,sound and music composition, graphic design, and fine art. This festivalgives any creative student the rare chance to get his or her work out to

Animation Headline News

Wild Brain Child on the Net

Wild Brain, Inc., a leading U.S. animation studio, has brought to theever-expanding club its new child, wildbrain.com. The new Web channel willbroadcast animation from around the globe and will be the feature providerof animation on Yahoo! Broadcast. In the deal, Yahoo! will provide Websolutions for Wild Brain's video animation programming, which is availableon wildbrain.com as well as Yahoo! Broadcast. wildbrain.com will debut withGLUE, an Internet exclusive toon featuring the adventures of a town full of

Headline News

New Nirvana for Nelvana & RTV

Toronto-based Nelvana Limited, an integrated family entertainment company,has formed a multi-layered partnership with German-based production houseRTV Family Entertainment AG, a leader in children's programming in Germany.The agreement includes a significant distribution deal for current andlibrary programs and a 3-year deal for future productions andco-productions. Through the deal, RTV will bring Nelvana's library of showsto TV, home video, and merchandising venues across Germany, Eastern Europe,

Headline News

The Tick is Back!

Cult comic and TV franchise THE TICK is getting a new lease on life.Producers Barry Sonnenfeld and Barry Josephson (FANTASY ISLAND, MAXIMUMBOB), via their deal at Columbia TriStar Television, will bring alive-action, primetime half-hour version of the clueless hero's show to FoxBroadcasting. The series is scheduled for fall 2000.

Read more about THE TICK from creator Ben Edlund in the Animation WorldMagazine article "Tick Fever Endures" by Deborah Reber.

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