SIGGRAPH 2016 has announced the winners — and highlights — of the 43rd annual Computer Animation Festival. Running with the tagline “Render the Possibilities,” SIGGRAPH will be held again this year at the Anaheim Convention Center, July 24-28. (Be sure to visit us at the Animation Magazine booth!)
This year’s Best in Show winner was Borrowed Time, a U.S. entry from directors Andrew Coats and Lou Hamou-Lhadj and producer Amanda Jones.
Synopsis: A weathered sheriff returns to the remains of an accident he has spent a lifetime trying to forget. With each step forward, the memories come flooding back. Faced with his mistake once again, he must find the strength to carry on.
The Jury’s Choice honor went to Cosmos Laundromat (Netherlands) from producer Ton Roosendaal.
Synopsis: In this short, Franck, a depressed sheep, sees only one way out of his boring life, until he meets with the quirky salesman Victor, who offers him any life he ever wanted. The piece was created as a pilot for a feature film project that, if it happens, will be the first free, open-source animated production.
And the Best Student Project this year is Crabe-Phare from France’s Rubika, directed by Gaëtan Borde, Benjamin Lebourgeois, Claire Vandermeersh, Alexandre Veaux and Mengjing Yang.
Synopsis: The Crabe-Phare is a legendary crustacean. He captures the boats of lost sailors to add them to his collection. But the crab is getting old, and it is more and more difficult for him to build his collection.
This year’s Computer Animation Festival is comprised of two programs: the Electronic Theater and Daytime Selects. The evening Electronic Theater screening contains over 20 primarily narrative-driven shorts from around the world, showcasing technical, artistic and animation excellence. In addition to the juried pieces, this year’s Theater features Disney-Pixar’s Piper and Disney’s Inner Workings.
The Daytime Selects program has been revamped for 2016, offering four sessions targeting the diverse demographics of the attendee base. “Break It Down” goes behind the scenes of stunning VFX with ILM, MPC, Framestore, Weta, Digital Domain, Pixar, Spin VFX, OLM, Mr. X and other major studios. “The Arcade” explores game creation, from concept art through cinematic and real-time animation. “Demoscene” is a representation of an international computer arts subculture specializing in self-contained programs that produce audio-visual presentations. And “Winners Circle” celebrates Computer Animation Festival winners from the past seven years, reliving Electronic Theater programs of days past.
“The festival never rests on its laurels. Since its inception, it has been a beacon, attracting the attention of the best creators in the industry from every corner of the world. The 2016 Computer Animation Festival will offer a mix of juried and curated content and it is a real honor for me to serve as this year’s Director, helping to present the ‘greatest show on earth.’ It is going to be awesome,” said SIGGRAPH 2016 Computer Animation Festival Director Roy C. Anthony.
Visit s2016.siggraph.org for more on this year’s event.
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