AWN Headline News

From September 22 to 26, the 1999 Cartoon Forum will be welcoming 620participants, among which will be Animation World Network's own RonDiamond, in Cordoba, Spain. This record attendance shows that this event,organized over the last 10 years with support from the European Union Mediaprogram, has been established as an important industry event. This yearsixty-nine projects seeking partners will be offered to potential investorsand producers. Over 150 projects initiated at the Forum in previous years

Lucas Learning Ltd. has released STAR WARS: PIT DROIDS, a STAR WARS EPISODEONE-based puzzle game. Players must direct an endless row of pit droidstoward appropriate goals, and prevent them from falling off the edge of theworld. Players can play the puzzles at random, or work from location tolocation to achieve a high score. There are eight game levels, six gameenvironments, and more than 300 puzzles. The game is compatible with bothPC and Mac, and has a retail price of US$29.99.

Seattle, Washington-based REALNETWORKS, a company specializing in Internetmedia delivery, has promoted THOMAS FRANK to chief operating officer andhired MARTIN PLAEHN as senior vice president of media systems. Frank, whojoined RealNetworks in January of this year, was previously senior vicepresident of media programming and publishing. Plaehn joins RealNetworksfrom Viewpoint Digital, Inc., a computer graphics company, where he wasPresident. . . UNIVERSAL PICTURES has promoted GREG SUCHERMAN to vice

Studio City, California-based Phil Roman Entertainment Company hasannounced that it is co-producing THE GAUDINS: A CHRISTMAS SPECIAL withBarcelona, Spain-based ABCN Concept. S.L. The 22-minute animated specialwill use designs inspired by early twentieth century Spanish architectAntonio Gaudi. According to Phil Roman, the show will create a whimsical,fantasy world for family audiences. The show will be available Christmas2000, but has yet to be picked up. As previously reported, Phil Roman

On October 29 and 30 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Wayne Gilbert, Kyle Clark,and Mike Ford, who work as animators for feature film projects atIndustrial Light + Magic, will be giving seminars on classical and computeranimation principles. The three animators have started their owncorporation, Animation Foundation and Anamie, providing consulting,training and seminars for corporate and academic clients. This event iscoordinated by The Florida Center for Electronic Communication, The Fort

Antran Manoogian, President of the International AnimatedFilm Society, ASIFA-Hollywood, has announced the nominees for the 27th Annual Annie Awards, ASIFA-Hollywoods honoring of the best in animation. THE IRON GIANT leads the list of nominees with fifteen nominations, including best feature. The final winners will be presented with their awards at the Annie Awards Ceremony to be held at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, California on Saturday, November 6, at 7 pm. For more information about the event and tickets call (818) 842-8330.

CHERYL MILLS, Deputy White House Counsel, will join OXYGEN MEDIA, Geraldine Laybourne's media company founded to provide content for women, as senior vice president of corporate policy and public programming. In her new post, Cheryl Mills will address women's access to and participation in civic, political and public policy issues that affect their lives. She will oversee Oxygen's philanthropic activities, its grass roots initiatives and will work with Sarah Bartlett, Oxygen's Editor-in-Chief, to develop its legal and political programming.