European Directors Win Majority of SIGGRAPH 2013 Computer Animation Festival Honors

SIGGRAPH 2013, 21-25 July at the Anaheim Convention Center in California, announces the Computer Animation Festival's Best in Show, Jury Award, Best Student Project, and Best Student Project Runners-Up recipients.  A total of 104 pieces will be shown during the Computer Animation Festival. Nominees were chosen by an expert panel of jury members from more than 500 submissions. The fact that a majority of the winners were from outside the United States is just another indication of how much it has evolved into an international event.

Jason R.M. Smith

“Every piece in the festival has something that made it stand out from the 40 hours of content submitted for this year’s show,” says Jason RM Smith, SIGGRAPH 2013 Computer Animation Festival Chair. “There's no other venue in the world comparable to the Computer Animation Festival; each year we're honored by the amazing number of high-quality entries and every year the show grows. This year we're screening 10% more content; as the quality continues to improve it becomes increasingly difficult to select the best of the best."

The Computer Animation Festival, celebrating its 40th year, is recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as a qualifying festival. Since 1999, several works originally presented in the Computer Animation Festival have been nominated for or have received a "Best Animated Short" Academy Award. This year’s selections will be featured during the Computer Animation Festival through a series of daily Festival Screenings and the iconic Electronic Theater, allowing attendees to get a glimpse behind the making of computer-generated effects, visualizations, and animations.

BEST IN SHOW AWARD
À la Française
Directed by Morrigane Boyer, Julien Hazebroucq, Ren Hsien Hsu, Emmanuelle Leleu, and William Lorton, France

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 It's an afternoon in Versailles, during the reign of Louis XIV.

JURY AWARD
Lost Senses
Directed by Marcin Wasilewski, Poland

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A short story about an encounter in an abstract world, stylized as the paintings of Giorgio De Chrico. A Man is going to meet A Woman in abstract flying city. He is climbing up on the buildings like a parkour practitioner. One unguarded moment is enough to make him lose his senses. And his chance.

BEST STUDENT PROJECT
Rollin' Safari
Directed by Kyra Buschor, Anna Habermehl, and Constantin Paeplow, Germany

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The balloon animals of the Serengeti are struggling to follow their daily routine.

BEST STUDENT PROJECT RUNNERS-UP
Sleddin'
Directed by John Pettingill, Texas A&M University, United States of America

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This metaphor for experiences that are larger than life explores the phenomenal childhood moments that are ultimately dependent on one's own perspective.

Harald
Directed by Moritz Schneider, Germany
                                       

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Harald is a wrestler. Driven by his ambitious mother, he wins a vast number of challenge cups. But his true love is flowers. When his mother takes away his favorite flower, he has to fight for it.

Editor's note: SIGGRAPH 2013 images are available to authorized news media representatives. To request access, please contact the SIGGRAPH 2013 Media Office via e-mail at media@siggraph.org