Bardel Brings Silverwing To The Big Screen
Bardel Animation Limited has secured the rights to bring the young adult adventure SILVERWING to the big screen. SILVERWING, a novel by Ken Oppel, follows the coming-of-age tale of Shade, who is in search for his father. The book has sold more than 250,000 copies internationally and still remains on the bestsellers' list two years after its initial publication. Ken Oppel will help develop the story with Bardel Animation.
Ottawa 2000 Presents Selection and Jury Members
The Ottawa 2000 Independent Film Competition will be selected by
festival organizers. The Commissioned Films Competition will be
selected by Curtis Crawford (Canada), Chris Landreth (US), Pjotr
Sapegin (Russia) and Andrei Svislotski (Russia). The Ottawa 00
International Jury will be comprised of Suzanne Gervais (Canada),
Wendy Jackson Hall (US), John Hays (US), Priit Parn (Estonia) and Jin
Guo Ping (China). Jury member bios are now available on the festival
FPS Celebrates British Columbia Animation
has posted another article in its new Festival Review
section. In "The Celebration of BC Animation," Leslie Bishko reviews
the event which presented an impressive 25-year retrospective of
independent animation in Vancouver last October.
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New at Visual Magic Magazine
Check out the latest "behind the scenes" features and tutorials from
Visual Magic Magazine...
Plympton's Comic of the Week
Plympton's new series of comics extracted from the comic book,
"Sleazy Cartoons of Bill Plympton," is for ADULTS ONLY...
This Week's Animation Trivia Quiz
Test your skills and challenge your brain with AWN's Animation Trivia
Quiz...
A Closer Look: Are Schools Selling Out?
Two weeks ago, AtomFilms announced that it has locked the first-ever,
exclusive, on-line distribution deal with the University of Southern
California (USC) School of Cinema-Television to broadcast student
films from the illustrious film school's catalog, giving USC students
a worldwide public venue for showcasing their work. As part of the
deal, for the next 18 months, USC will provide AtomFilms with
exclusive on-line distribution rights to 100 student titles which
New Jobs: Animators, Digital Artists and Tech Support/Producion Management
Dream Theater is seeking an ART DIRECTOR to work on the creation of
concepts, presentation materials and the refinement of design
directions in production. . . Hammerhead Productions is looking for
SENIOR ANIMATORS 2D/3D/TD for feature film visual effects. . . San
Francisco, California-based Attik is looking for a SENIOR ANIMATOR. .
. Monterrey, N.L. Mexico post-production house PubliK is looking for
a creative 3D SGI ANIMATOR. . . The Chimney Pot (Sweden) is seeking a
California Sun Festival Last Call for Entries
The deadline to register your film for competition at the 3rd
California Sun (CSun) festival is Friday, March 10, 2000...
The 4th Cartoons On The Bay Festival
* Friday, April 14 - Tuesday, April 18, 2000. Positano (Amalfi Coast), Italy.
2nd Annual Buenos Aires International Independent Film Festival
* Thursday, April 6 - Sunday, April 16, 2000. Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Taos Talking Picture Festival
* Thursday, April 13 - Sunday, April 16, 2000. Taos, New Mexico, U.S.A.
Richard Williams' Animation Masterclass
* Friday, April 14 - Sunday, April 16 and Friday, April 28 - Sunday, April 30, 2000. Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
SOFTIMAGE Ships SOFTIMAGE|3D 3.9
SOFTIMAGE has announced that the latest upgrade to their flagship SOFTIMAGE|3D animation system was available for download from their Web site. This upgrade represents a milestone for SOFTIMAGE, as it is the first upgrade the company has chosen to distribute on-line (rather than wait 6-8 weeks for reproduction, duplication and distribution).
Alias|Wavefront Releases Maya Real Time SDK
Alias|Wavefront released Maya Real Time SDK (Software Developers Kit) at the Game Developers Conference in San Jose. The new release demonstrates the first comprehensive "Art to Engine" solution for creating interactive content on next-generation games platforms. The Maya Real Time SDK is designed to allow games developers to deliver film quality characters and graphics in their titles for new games platforms such as PlayStation 2.
More Stations Ax God The Devil & Bob
The new NBC animated sitcom, GOD THE DEVIL AND BOB, has been given the ax by five more stations across the U.S. NBC affiliates in Shreveport, Louisiana, Tupelo, Mississippi and Boise and Twin Falls, Idaho have moved the show to a late night time slot, while Pocatello, Idaho has completely pulled the show from its line up. Joining Salt Lake City which last week pulled the show from its schedule, the additional stations are in strict contrast to NBC's grand premiere of the series on Thursday, March 9, 2000. Currently, the show is positioned between the network's top shows FRIENDS and FRASIER.
CINAR's Stock Stops Trading
In the midst of an on-going legal scandal and the departure of its head execs, CINAR Corp.'s stock plummeted CA$18.65 (US$12.86) to CA$8.35 on the Toronto Stock Exchange Tuesday, March 7, 2000. In addition, the stock fell 12-5/8 to a new 12-month low of 5-3/4 on the Nasdaq. Volume was more than 18 million shares on the Nasdaq, far more than usual for the often thinly traded stock. The stock continued to crumble on Wednesday, March 8, 2000 falling nearly 75% off its initial worth at the beginning of the trading week. In turn, the stock was not traded at all on Thursday, March 9, 2000.
William's Wish Wellingtons Works Its Way To Your Tellie
BBC video brings to homes 13 tales from the TV series WILLIAM'S WISH
WELLINGTONS. The 5 minute stories feature a small boy and his pair of magic
boots. The show airs weekly on Cartoon Network and TVO. The tape will be
distributed in the U.S. and Canada by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
Volume 1 will be available on March 7, 2000 and be priced at US$14.95.
UNICEF's Cartoons For Children's Rights
UNICEF, the United Nations International Children's Education Fund, is
looking for additional animation partners to participate in their "Cartoons
for Children's Rights" initiative. The partnership currently includes over
70 animation companies, as well as independent animators from 32 countries.
Each participant produces and donates at least one 30-second non-verbal
public service announcement dealing with a single right, such as a child's
ADV Adds Right Stuf To Its Library
Animation film company ADV Films has inked a distribution deal for the
entire catalog of films from The Right Stuf International, Inc. ADV's
library includes BKN cartoon MONSTER RANCHERS. "Because we have anime
standards such as NEON GENESIS EVANGELION and new classics like BUBBLEGUM
CRISIS: TOKYO 2040, forming an alliance with The Right Stuf is a dream come
true for us," states ADV Films President John Ledford. "The Right Stuf has
two of the true milestones of anime in their enormous catalog; KIMBA, THE
ASIFA Italia Re-opens
Want to know about events in Italy? Then visit ASIFA Italia's re-designed
Website at www.asifaitalia.org. The Italian-languaged site is a growing
destination for animation in Italy. The site features ASIFA events and
other information regarding the Italian animation organization.
CGI Degree At The Art Institute Of LA
The Art Institute of Los Angeles has received approval from the Accrediting
Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT) to offer
Bachelor of Science degrees in computer animation, graphic design and
on-line media and marketing. Established in 1997 as a branch of The Art
Institute of Pittsburgh, the Los Angeles arm received state approval to
offer baccalaureate-level programs in September, 1999. With more than 850
students enrolled, The Art Institute of Los Angeles also offers Associate
The 2nd Annual New York Lower East Side Film Festival
* Wednesday, April 19 - Sunday, April 23, 2000. New York, New York, U.S.A.
Cartoon Net Lands Looney Toons Plus 4 New Shows
In a meeting with key advertisers, Cartoon Network executives unveiled their business plan for the 2000-2001 television season, including upcoming original series, program acquisitions, which includes the exclusive Looney Toons rights, and comprehensive on-line initiatives. Cartoon Network will produce four original half-hour animated series through 2001, including SHEEP IN THE BIG CITY. This, their ninth original show, will premiere with 13 half-hour episodes in fall 2000.
CINAR Co-Founders Exit With $122M Missing
In the continuing crisis at CINAR Corp., husband and wife co-founders, Micheline Charest and Ronald Weinberg, have stepped down after senior VP and CFO Hasanain Panju was fired when US$122 million was found to have disappeared into investments without board approval. With tax fraud allegations floating in the skies, Charest will leave her chairman and co-CEO seat, while Weinberg will give up his president and co-CEO position. The couple will remain as leaders and directors of the company.
