AWN Headline News

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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