LOS ANGELES — SIGGRAPH 2019 announced the award winners and lineup of 24 short films, breakdowns, scientific visualizations, advertisements, and more, that are appearing in the Computer Animation Festival Electronic Theater. Showcasing the latest in computer graphics, the one-night-only Electronic Theater event premiered on Monday, July 29th at Microsoft Theater, located in LA Live.
“The Computer Animation Festival celebrates the power of telling stories, whether emotional or educational, through computer graphics,” says SIGGRAPH 2019 Computer Animation Festival director, Emily Hsu. “As a qualifying festival for the Academy Awards, I am thrilled to present the lineup that our jury has selected in a venue as spectacular as Microsoft Theater. The range of work being displayed is truly unique, but also reflects themes that are universal: How do we define ourselves in the world? How does the world define us? How can we overcome daily struggles and experiences that often unite or divide us? What does it mean to be human, even if portrayed through non-human characters? I am as excited about the thought-provoking conversations that will follow the screening as I am about the show itself.”
Each year, the SIGGRAPH Computer Animation Festival exhibits how industries are pushing the boundaries of computer-generated storytelling for film, games, advertising, visual effects, and science. The 2019 slate is no exception. This summer’s show presents a vision for the limitless possibilities of storytelling, with 24 works — selected by an expert jury from nearly 400 submissions — that honor diverse narratives, celebrate the human condition, and cater to this year’s conference theme: Thrive. An international show, featured works hail from Serbia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Germany, Denmark, Canada, Singapore, the United Kingdom, France, and the United States.
Ten of the selections represent student work, while 14 come from professional studio productions, including work from Sony Pictures Imageworks, NASA, Ringling College of Art and Design, Industrial Light & Magic, Weta Digital and DreamWorks Animation.
The winner are:
Best in Show
“Purl”
Kristen Lester
Pixar Animation Studios
(United States)
Jury's Choice
“The Stained Club”
Mélanie Lopez
Supinfocom Rubika
(France)
Best Student Project
“Stuffed”
Élise Simoulin
Supinfocom Rubika
(France)
Pros can catch a sneak preview of the Computer Animation Festival Electronic Theater on YouTube (https://youtu.be/UoosuGaBsbs). Tickets to the Computer Animation Festival Electronic Theater are included for conference participants with Full Conference Platinum or Full Conference registration, or can be purchased as an addition with all other badge levels (s2019.SIGGRAPH.org/register).