SIGGRAPH Asia names Honorees of the 2016 Computer Animation Festival Awards

Schirkoa (India), BreakingPoint (Germany) and Accidents, Blunders and Calamities (New Zealand) awarded top honors

• Two new segments at the festival program include panels by Pixar Animation Studios and a Japan Media Arts Festival showcase

MACAO – Rising talent in animation from India, Germany and New Zealand will received honors at SIGGRAPH Asia’s Computer Animation Festival Awards on 6 December 2016. The Festival celebrates the world’s most innovative and accomplished digital film and video creators. It is also a showcase of the world’s best works in 2016. An overwhelming 433 submissions from 34 countries were received; and from these, 63 films will be screened at the Electronic Theater and Animation Theater at SIGGRAPH Asia.

Mr Victor Wong Wang Tat, who chairs the awards, remarked that, “The Computer Animation Festival is one of the greatest highlights of SIGGRAPH Asia. In the past, when the tools for creating computer animation were being developed and refined, the entries that we’ve received were mainly technical. However, over the past decade, those tools have advanced to a much higher level, enabling artists bring their imagination to life more intuitively. This year, we had over 433 entries, which included both visually stunning and technically intense pieces. There were over 10 entries where all of the members of the jury agreed that they might win and surprisingly, half of these entries were created by students!”

All the submissions were evaluated by an jury of professionals expert who span the visual effects, animation, research and development, games, advertising, and education industries. Since 1999, the Computer Animation Festival has been recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as a qualifying festival. One of the festival’s winners, Schirkoa (India) is a contender for the nominees of the Academy Award’s Best Animated Short next year.

SIGGRAPH Asia will host two additional speaker panels at the Festival this year in collaboration with Pixar Animation Studios. The panels are Re-shade This!: Production Focus on Changes to Character Shading Pipeline in Pixar’s ‘Finding Dory’ with Christophe Hery and Masha Ellsworth; and Creating Cute Characters in "Finding Dory": Baby Dory and Destiny, with Nancy Tsang and Maria Lee. The latter panelwill delve into the process of animation architecture and character creation in one of the most watched animation films this year.

The 2016 The Computer Animation Festival award categories and winners are:

BEST OF SHOW

Schirkoa (India)
Directed by Ishan Shukla, produced by Sharad Varma
In the dystopian city of Schirkoa, a high­ profile senate member, 197(A), faces a tough choice between his political career and love for a mysterious woman. This is a choice that will transform their lives and the city in unimaginable ways. The film is metaphorical reaction to the world we live in; a mental dystopia with a misinterpreted idea of a “perfect life”.

JURY’S CHOICE
Accidents, Blunders and Calamities (New Zealand)
Directed by James Cunningham, produced by James Cunningham and Oliver Hilbert
Inspired by the Edward Gorey classic, this black comedy for kids and parents alike is a hilarious and brutal alphabet of death and mayhem exacted upon animals by ignorant humans. 30 CGI animals were meticulously crafted and killed by a team of 44 students at Media Design School.

BEST STUDENT PROJECT
BreakingPoint (Germany)
Directed by Martin Lapp, produced by Anica Maruhn, Tobias Gerginov and Francesco Faranna
The phenomenon “hysterical strength” is a display of extreme strength by humans, beyond what is believed to be normal, usually occurring when people are in life and death situations. We witness a mother giving birth to her child and follow her journey on a more metaphorical level.

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Notes to editors:

• Download the link to the Computer Animation Festival trailer here
• Annex A: Winners’ biographies and supporting quotes (attached below)
• The Computer Animation Festival Awards Ceremony will be held at 11am on 6 December 2016, at the The Venetian Macao Ballroom H, Level 3
• Computer Animation Festival will host the Production Session: Meet the Artists at 3.30pm on 6 December 2016 at the The Venetian Macao Ballroom H, Level 3
• For media accreditation to SIGGRAPH Asia 2016, please register at: http://bit.ly/2edom5L

About SIGGRAPH Asia 2016

The 9th ACM SIGGRAPH Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques in Asia will take place in Macao, China at the The Venetian Macao from 5 - 8 December 2016. The annual event held in Asia attracts the most respected technical and creative people from all over the world who are excited by research, science, art, animation, gaming, interactivity, education and emerging technologies. The 4-day SIGGRAPH Asia 2016 conference will include a diverse range of juried programs this year, including an Art Gallery, Computer Animation Festival, Courses, Emerging Technologies, Posters, Technical Briefs, Technical Papers, Symposium on Mobile

Graphics and Interactive Applications, Workshops, and two returning Symposiums – Symposium on Education and Symposium on Visualization. This year’s conference, themed “Key to the Future”, features a new VR Showcase, allowing attendees to delve deep into digital worlds and experience state-of-the-art technologies. A 3-day exhibition held from 6 -8 December 2016 will offer a business platform for industry players to market their innovative products and services to the computer graphics and interactive techniques professionals and enthusiasts from Asia and beyond.

About ACM SIGGRAPH

The Association of Computing Machinery’s Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques (ACM SIGGRAPH) sponsors SIGGRAPH Asia 2016. Founded in 1947, ACM is an educational and scientific society uniting the world’s computing educators, researchers, and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources, and address the field’s challenges. ACM strengthens the profession’s collective voice through strong leadership, promotion of the highest standards, and recognition of technical excellence. The ACM SIGGRAPH deals with all aspects of graphical user/computer communication and manipulation: hardware, languages, data structure, methodology, and applications

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