Launched October 1, 2008, AniMazing Spotlight and its international animation review panel have been busy all year with their mission to support and promote the makers of animated short films. The AniMazing Spotlight is the culmination of this work, with 44 shorts nominated in 12 categories. The winners, to be announced on Sunday, November 8, will be included on a DVD that ASIFA International, the granddaddy of all animation societies, will distribute to all of its worldwide chapters.
The weekend will feature several engaging programs, plus a "Meet the Professionals" mixer, where young animators can meet with men and women working in the animation industry. The program luminaries include Eric Goldberg, who will present a live version of his best-selling book Crash Course on Character Animation; Bob Kurtz, dishing the inside scoop on animated commercials and movie titles; Bill Kroyer, revealing the earliest computer animation work in feature films; Jim Capobianco, stressing the importance of story in animation; Tom Sito, hitting the highlights of the history of animated shorts; Peter Sohn, demonstrating what it took to direct "Partly Cloudy," the short that accompanied Pixar’s "Up"; and Yvette Kaplan and John Andrews, waxing nostalgic over the revolution in animated shorts at MTV. All programs will be rich with film examples in this fascinating weekend for animation buffs, as well as anyone interested in the advancing techniques and creative styles that go into this mushrooming, multifaceted segment of the movie business.