SIGGRAPH 2018 Computer Animation Festival to Present 'Next Generation' of Storytelling

Electronic Theater Announces Lineup of 25 Short Films and Presentations, Award Winners; VR Theater to Present 14 Projects, Including First Student Work

CHICAGO—SIGGRAPH 2018, the world’s leading annual interdisciplinary educational event showcasing the latest in computer graphics and interactive techniques, announces the full lineup for its Computer Animation Festival Electronic and VR Theaters. The 45th SIGGRAPH conference will take place 12–16 August at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

The SIGGRAPH Computer Animation Festival is known for continuously pushing the boundaries of computer-generated storytelling in film, games, visual effects, and more. In-line with the 2018 conference theme of “Generations,” this year’s Electronic Theater lineup is poised to epitomize a next-generation showcase of 25 short films and presentations, culled from over 400 submissions. Truly an international show, the Electronic Theater will feature works from Ecuador, Spain, France, Canada, the United Kingdom, Poland, New Zealand, Sweden, and the United States; five student projects; and, two major studio shorts — Pixar Animation Studios’ “Bao,” written and directed by the studio’s first-ever female director of a short film, Chinese-Canadian-American artist Domee Shi, and DreamWorks Animation’s “Bilby.” The Electronic Theater is a ticketed event that will be presented three evenings in a row, 13-15 August.

“We will be presenting a high caliber of work this year from a very competitive, international field of submissions. Our jury commented several times that there were tough decisions to be made over pieces that might have been a ‘slam dunk’ in previous years,” said SIGGRAPH 2018 Computer Animation Festival Director Larry Bafia. “Each year, the Computer Animation Festival provides a spectrum of computer graphics that is unique from any other festival. The work shown ranges from hyper-real to stylized, from student grad projects to small studio work, from large studio shorts to visual effects house showcases. Our 2018 festival will, once again, present a great variety of styles of visual storytelling — sure to make for an entertaining and compelling show.”

The jury-selected SIGGRAPH 2018 Computer Animation Festival Electronic Theater award winners are:

Still from “Hybrids”
© 2018 MoPA

BEST IN SHOW

Hybrids
Florian Brauch, Kim Tailhades, Matthieu Pujol, Yohan Thireau, Romain Thirion
MoPA
(France)

Still from “Overrun”
© 2018 Supinfocom Rubika

BEST STUDENT PROJECT

Overrun
Pierre Ropars, Antonin Derory, Diane Thirault, Jérémie Cottard, Matthieu Druaud, Adrien Zumbihl
Supinfocom Rubika
(France)

JURY’S CHOICE

Bilby
Liron Topaz, Pierre Perifel, JP Sans
DreamWorks Animation
(United States)

“The experience of watching this year’s submissions with such a diverse group of cross-industry professionals was an absolute pleasure; and quite a learning experience for this old, stop-frame luddite. Of particular interest was the amazing depth and quality of work we saw from educational institutions across the globe. The technical challenges, as well as the provocative themes, that this year’s crop of students confronted inspires a renewed enthusiasm for the future of the animation medium,” notes Paul Harrod, SIGGRAPH 2018 COMPUTER ANIMATION FESTIVAL JUROR and production designer whose recent credits include the Wes Anderson animated film “Isle of Dogs,” of the work.

The Electronic Theater began as an annual showcase of advances in computer graphics and has since has come to celebrate the rise of computer graphics as a medium for storytelling, not just in animation, but also in visual effects for film and games. The festival, since 1999, is recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as a qualifying festival and several works originally presented at the SIGGRAPH conference have been nominated for, or have received, a “Best Animated Short” Academy Award. VIEW THE FULL LINEUP OF 2018 SELECTIONS.

Though newer than the Electronic Theater, the 2018 Computer Animation Festival VR Theater promises to pack just as much punch. In its second year, the VR Theater will present daily ticketed screenings — expanded from 25 to 32 seats each — along with individual kiosk programming, culled from more than 30 global submissions. The 14 total selections hail from 12 countries and include two, longer format VR stories: “Space Explorers” from Felix & Paul Studios and “Arden’s Wake: Expanded” from Penrose Studios. Also featured within the VR Theater will be the live-action, science-fiction project “Trinity” from UNLTD-INC and the student-produced “Blue Bird” from Savannah College of Art and Design. The VR Theater kiosks, will be located throughout the conference’s Immersive Pavilion, and will showcase content with a runtime of five minutes or less, including Facebook’s “Beyond the Fence” and Google Spotlight Stories’ “Back to the Moon.” VIEW THE FULL LINEUP OF 2018 SELECTIONS.

To register for the conference, visit S2018.SIGGRAPH.ORG. The Electronic Theater is included at the Business Symposium, Full Conference Platinum, and Full Conference registration levels, or tickets can be purchased separately. VR Theater screenings are open to Full Conference Platinum and Full Conference registration levels only, and kiosks are accessible with Exhibits Plus registration or above.