AWN Headline News

The Electronic Schoolhouse is a new program at SIGGRAPH providing educators and students with an environment in which they can explore and learn the many ways in which computer graphics are taught and used in the classroom. This program will launch at the 26th International Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques, scheduled to take place in Los Angeles, August 8-13, 1999.

The September edition of HOLLYWOOD SHORTS, a monthly short film series, will select ten animated shorts that will be screened at THE GIG on September 12, 1999 in Los Angeles, California. Shorts must be no longer than 30 minutes. A special edition of HOLLYWOOD SHORTS will be broadcast via the internet covering the Los Angeles fest. The deadline is July 31, 1999.

Disney's TARZAN finished second in the US weekend boxoffice race, grossingan estimated $23.5 million for a total of $77.02 million; Lucasfilm'sdigital effects-driven STAR WARS I: THE PHANTOM MENACE finished fifth andgrossed $14.6 million for a total of $352.16 million, becoming only thethird film to top $350 million in its initial domestic release and passingthis milestone in forty days, eighteen days faster than previous record holder TITANIC; Universal'sTHE MUMMY, with digital effects by ILM, finished seventh and grossed $2.1

The 26th annual ASIFA-Hollywood Annie Awards ceremony, which honors thebest in animation, and took place on November 13, 1998, will be broadcaston TV for the first time ever on KCAL TV 9 in Los Angeles, California onJune 26, 1999 at 9 pm. The awards ceremony, which was hosted by comedianJay Thomas, was originally announced to be televised on the Fox FamilyChannel sometime last December. For more information visitwww.asifa-hollywood.org.

As of July 1, 1999 Graham Ralph is relinquishing his stake in London-based Hibbert Ralph Animation, which will then be known officially as HRA. This will enable Ralph to invest actively in future films and TV series' through a new company, Silver Fox Films. He will also be acquiring the rights to Hibbert Ralph Entertainment's library.

Alias|Wavefront, an SGI company, is shipping Maya 2 for Microsoft Windows NT and Silicon Graphics IRIX workstations. Maya 2 includes a number of feature enhancements, timesaving workflow improvements, and across-the-board performance optimizations for 3D animation and visual effects. New features include Wavefront IPR (Interactive Photorealistic Renderer), a rendering technology that allows users to edit lights, shaders, textures and visual effects in a final rendered image.

Macromedia Inc. has announcedthe worldwide availability of Flash 4. Flash 4 includes support for high-fidelity MP3 streaming audio and commands for creating interactive sites. In addition, Flash 4 streamlines the development process with a revamped authoring environment optimized to help developers create bandwidth-efficient Web sites. MP3 streaming audio support in Flash 4 allows designers to create new Web audio applications, such as long-form animations with voiceovers and background music, while keeping files small enough for low-bandwidth delivery.

The Moondance International Film Festival will be held in Park City, Utah, during the Sundance Film Festival in January 2000, and is open to all women screenwriters and film-makers from any country. All finalists and semi-finalists will have their work read in a public staged reading or viewed at The Moondance International Film Festival. Awards will be given for best original screenplay, best independent feature film, and best documentary, animation or short film. The entry deadline has been extended to September 1, 1999.

Work from the films of British animator Mark Baker will be on display as part of London, England's Museum of the Moving Image's animation exhibit from Tuesday, June 1 - Tuesday, August 31. For more information call 0171 401 2636.

AWN's 1999 Oscar showcase features "Jolly Roger," an Astley Baker production directed by Mark Baker at www.awn.com/oscars.For more information about MOMI, visit the