Some of the world’s best CG-animated achievements will be celebrated on December 6 at the prestigious SIGGRAPH Asia Computer Animation Festival (CAF), where four filmmakers and teams will be honored for their exemplary work. CAF takes place as part of the SIGGRAPH Asia conference and exhibition, running Dec. 6-9 at EXCO in Daegu, South Korea.
The Festival will showcase a collection of standout 2022 works from around the globe. From short films to scientific visualizations and AI-enhanced deep-fakes, SIGGRAPH Asia 2022 CAF boasts the most expansive and compelling program ever, organizers say, selected from 405 submissions from 19 countries. Of these, 33 films, including four highlighted films from Korea, will be screened at SIGGRAPH Asia 2022’s Electronic and Animation Theaters.
“Seismic technological innovation in animation is moving our industry to greater heights. We saw the extraordinary rise of virtual creative collaboration during the pandemic, and how artists, technologists, and researchers were able to build sophisticated, cloud-based production pipelines, working with colleagues from around the world, exemplified by the impressive selection of animation in this year’s festival,” says Dan Sarto, Computer Animation Festival Chair (founder, AWN).
“SIGGRAPH Asia provides a great opportunity to see the year’s most exceptional work, and also a chance to bring together some of the most creative minds from the world’s leading animation houses. The global animation market is worth almost US$400 billion, and it’s still growing. There’s never been a more exciting moment to be in this business, collaborate and push boundaries with cutting-edge animation. SIGGRAPH Asia 2022 is a unique chance to be at the center of it all.”
This year’s four CAF winners across the three categories announced are:
BEST IN SHOW
Garrano (Portugal, Lithuania)
Directed by David Doutel & Vasco Sá, BAP Animation Studio, produced by Doutel
A Garrano horse is forced to pull a heavy load under a blazing sun, while a young boy, Joel discovers a man who is about to set a forest on fire. This powerful tale was recently awarded the Grand Prix at the Festival Internacional de Animación Ajayu in Peru, where the jury commended “its extraordinary conceptual art, its refined technique, with great animation and staging” and praised the film “for its intense narrative that takes us to its inexorable end.”
JURY’S SPECIAL AWARD
Cat and Moth (Canada, United Kingdom)
Directed by India Barnardo, BRON Studios, co-produced by Sarah Dacey and Emily Shinyi Hsu
Ditto, a fluffy plump white cat, finally completes her frustrating quest for the most comfortable spot to sleep. But she has competition for the warm yellow cushion in the form of Monty, a fuzzy winged intruder. Monty is not shy in disturbing Ditto’s slumber, and will go to any lengths to knock her off — but at what cost? Created with a team of over 90 animators and designers from around the world, India’s directorial debut has already won her international accolades including Best Animation Award at Vancouver Short Film Festival 2022.
BEST STUDENT PROJECT
Period Drama (United States)
Directed by Anushka Nair & Lauryn Anthony, Ringling College of Art & Design
Partly based on personal experience, Period Drama is a Victorian-era tale about 11-year- old Georgiana Crimsworth, who gets her first period “before ever having gotten the talk.” Addresses the implicit taboo surrounding periods, and by extension women’s health as a whole, the film was awarded Best Animated Short in Cannes and screened at the renowned Newport Beach Film Festival.
An Honorable Mention went to directors Matthew Luhn and Hjalti Hjalmarssonj for Sprite Fight (Blender Studio Netherlands). Luhn, a Pixar story artist veteran, collaborated with a team of over 20 artists and developers on Blender Studio’s most ambitious production to date. The studio’s 13th “Open Movie” project is an ’80s-inspired horror-comedy set in Britain. When a group of rowdy teenagers trek into an isolated forest, they discover peaceful mushroom creatures that turn out to be an unexpected force of nature. The technology, the assets, as well as the whole creative process that led to the creation of Sprite Fight have been documented and openly shared with the global CG community.
In addition to the awards ceremony, the Computer Animation Festival will feature a series of panels and production sessions. Highlights include the following Featured Sessions:
Oni: Thunder God’s Tale
Wednesday, December 7 | 2-3 p.m. | 5F, Auditorium
Speakers: Christophe Rodo and Jeffrey Dillinger
Megalis VFX Co-Founders Christophe and Jeffrey, responsible for all aspects of their global studio technology, will reveal techniques and art of collaboration that created the contemporary Japanese folklore story and exclusive concept art for the Netflix series.
Bringing Yumi’s Cells to Life
Wednesday, December 7 | 4-5 p.m. | 5F, Auditorium
Speakers: Producer Gahyun Cha, director Dahee Kim, CG supervisor Kiyoung Eom and concept artist Yeonok Baek
The hit webtoon Yumi’s Cells is Korea’s first live-action/3D hybrid series, where the animated world of the ‘cells’ blends with performances of actors. Locus Animation will share the artistic and technical challenges behind the meticulously plotted out characters and world of Yumi’s Cells cutting-edge animation.
Making of Brahmāstra: Part One Shiva
Thursday, December 8 | 9-10 a.m. | 5F, Auditorium
Speakers: VFX supervisor (DNEG) Jaykar Arudra and creative head / VFX supervisor (ReDefine) Viral Thakkar
Get an insight into the production process of this Bollywood cosmic space-inspired VFX fantasy adventure Brahmāstra feature film with over 3,000 VFX shots.
Entergalactic with DNEG Animation
Thursday, December 8 | 3-4 p.m. | 3F, Room 306
Speaker: Kapil Sharma
Led by DNEG Animation’s VFX supervisor Archie Donato and animation director Kapil Sharma, the team was tasked with creating a world that felt like a concept painting sprung to life. To meet the filmmakers’ brief, the team ensured that every stage of the pipeline — from shader development to animation performance to compositing — was deconstructed and reimagined to support the heightened visual style.
Electronic Theater Highlights include:
The House of Loss
Tues. 6-8 p.m., Weds. 5-7 p.m., Thurs. 1-3 p.m. | 5F, Auditorium
Director: Jinkyu Jeon (South Korea)
Producer: Koji Yamamura (Tokyo University of the Arts)
The elderlies at the nursing home have their heads shaved. The protagonist who works there sees them but can’t read their expressions. However, from one instance, he finds himself looking closely at their faces.
Going Well..
Tues. 6-8 p.m., Weds. 5-7 p.m., Thurs. 1-3 p.m. | 5F, Auditorium
Director: Hye-jeong Lee (South Korea)
Producer: Jinkyu Jeon (South Korea)
The deadline is approaching. Producer Park, who is in charge of closing, comes to the writer. The writer escapes to delusions and goes crazy due to the PD’s pressure and stress of the deadline.
For more information about SIGGRAPH Asia 2022, visit sa2022.siggraph.org.
