Special Event: Annecy

Thomson Course Technology and Animation World Network are proud to announce the formation of AWN Press, which will produce a series of books published by Thomson Course Technology covering major facets of the animation industry and offering a one-of-a-kind look into the careers of industry icons.

At the 2007 Annecy Animation Festival, speakers from Pixar will reveal some of the magic behind Pixar's feature films, with a focus on rendering techniques. These presentations are open to everyone. These talks are sponsored by RenderMan, Pixar's award-winning rendering software. Additionally, for those who attend these special presentations, Pixar will be giving away a collectable poster of the upcoming Disney/Pixar animated feature film, RATATOUILLE. Seating for the presentations is limited. First come, first seated. Talks are located at the Imperial Palace - 5th floor, Ravel B.

NCircle Ent. announced that it has entered into an exclusive multi-year distribution partnership with Granada Int'l, which makes NCircle the exclusive U.S. home entertainment distributor for the award-winning animated children's series POCOYO.

The Annecy International Animation Festival is nearing and Animation World Network wants to know what your doing at the premiere animation event of the year. Send us your festival and MIFA news for consideration for our special Annecy Flash newsletter and daily site coverage. It's a chance to get the word on your project out to the community before the festival begins. Please send all information and press releases to Sarah Baisley at sarah@awn.com(link sends e-mail) by May 28, 2007.

The Annecy International Animated Film Festival has announced the feature films that will screen in and out of competition at the 2007 event. The selection jury -- which included distributor Lucie Kalmar, producer Bruno Gaumetou and director Thierry Schiel -- choose a very international group of films for competition.

Granada Int'l is set to launch a raft of brand new titles at NATPE 2007, marking its return to the main floor. Granada Int'l will be located at Booth #918.

Taffy Ent. has signed a co-production deal with Korean broadcaster EBS and France 5, for its new preschool series LAMIMILA, produced by MoonScoop and Characterplan.

This 65x7 series is aimed at a preschool audience, which is set for a fall 2007 delivery.

Test your skills and challenge your brain with AWN's Animation Trivia Quiz. Check out the latest installment from quizmaster Karl Staven, an accomplished independent animator and head of the Animation Department at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Annecy International Animated Film Festival is the largest animated film festival held each year. The 2006 edition produced a new crop of winners. Are you aware of some of the strongest films out there right now (at least according to the Annecy juries)?

The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) announced the films that have been invited to compete in this years 30th anniversary event, running Sept. 20 24, 2006. From the 1,947 entries received, 106 films representing 20 countries have been chosen for Official Competitions. An additional 31 films will be shown in out-of-competition Showcase screenings.

This week in AWN's Forums, more members chime in on what an aspiring animator can expect. Another thread discusses character design copyright buyout rates. Others are discussing the animation program at Full Sail. Fans of Disney and Miyazaki square off in a battle over what animation innovator is better. A senior member is looking for other AWNers attending Annecy. In the Animators Desktop forums, members are discussing Cintiq and Tablet Based Animation.