Anima Mundi 2012: Call for Entries

Anima Mundi 2012

20th International Animation Festival of Brazil

Rio de Janeiro - July 13th to 22nd

São Paulo - July 25th to 29th

RULES

Submissions: from January 16h to March 22nd, 2012

1. DEADLINES

• March 22nd – Entry forms, preview DVDs, photos, promotional material and dialogue list.  Films received after this date cannot be accepted for selection and only copies in perfect screening condition will be accepted.

• May 16th - Notification of selected works on the festival website: http://www.animamundi.com.br/

• June 13th - Arrival of final formats.

· July 13th to 29th – Festival period in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.
• August 6th – Beginning of final formats return.
• November 30th - Deadline for the payment of all cash prizes.

2. CATEGORIES IN COMPETITION
· Short Film - shorts intended for the general public.
· Short for Children - shorts intended for children.
· Brazilian Short Film - shorts by Brazilian authors, exhibited in the Short Film and Short for Children screenings.
· Student Film - graduation shorts produced in animation courses or workshops, exhibited in the Short Film and Short for Children screenings.
· Feature Film - films with length over 60 minutes.
· Feature for Children - films with length over 60 minutes intended for children.
· Commissioned Film - commissioned works for advertising, institutional campaigns, music videos or special effects sequences for live-action feature films, exhibited in the Portfolio screenings.

3. NON-COMPETITIVE SCREENINGS
· Animation, of Course! – a selection of films produced by students in schools, workshops and universities.
· Future Animator – animation shorts produced by children and teenagers.
· Gallery - unconventional or experimental animation works exhibited in a specific space.
· Panorama – films that reflect the tendencies of the recent international animation production.
· Special Screenings and Retrospectives

4. AWARDS

AUDIENCE AWARDS - The audience vote separately for the favorite films and videos. The votes will be immediately counted at the end of each screening and kept under total security and secrecy until the awards announcement.

Short Film - R$ 10.000,00

Short for Children - R$ 5.000,00

Brazilian Short Film - R$ 8.000,00

Student Film - R$ 4.000,00
Feature Film - R$ 5.000,00
Feature for Children - R$ 5.000,00

PROFESSIONAL JURY AWARDS - A collegiate of animators, filmmakers, journalists, fine artists, musicians and other specialists related to the art of animation vote and award the professional prizes among the films of the short film categories in competition:

Among ‘Short Film’ Programs
Best Animation - R$ 4.000,00
Best Script - R$ 4.000,00
Best Soundtrack - R$ 4.000,00
Best Art Direction - R$ 4.000,00

Among ‘Portfolio’ Programs
Best Commissioned Film - R$ 3.000,00

ANIMA MUNDI ON THE ROAD AWARD - Films and videos selected and invited to participate in ANIMA MUNDI ON THE ROAD, a special program that will tour on other Brazilian cities during 11 months after the festival, will receive a R$ 700,00 award.

BEST FILM AWARD - R$ 10.000,00 and the ANIMA MUNDI trophy to be awarded to the work which stands out as a special achievement to the animation language by the professional jury.  Anima Mundi is now a qualifying festival by the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences.  The recipient of the "Best Film Award" in the short films category may be eligible to enter the Animated Short Film competition for the concurrent Oscar® season, provided that the films meets all the requirements set forth by the Academy’s official rules for that season.  For more information, please see www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/rules

5. REMARKS:
- Only the winners of the 1st place in each category will receive the ANIMA MUNDI trophy and the cash prize.
- The awards may not be assigned in case there are less than 3 contestants in each category.
- The amounts mentioned above refer to the gross value of the prizes. The net value to be paid will be subject to the discount of income tax imposed by Brazilian laws and wire transfer expenses.
- Just for the Feature for Children category: In case there are less than 3 selected films in the Feature for Children category, those will automatically compete for the Best Feature Film award.  If there are 3 or more selected films in the Feature for Children category, separate awards will be assigned for the Best Feature Film and the Best Feature for Children.

6. SUBMISSIONS AND ELIGIBILITY

• No entry fee is required.
• There is no restriction regarding themes or genres.
• There is no limit in the number of works submitted per entrant. However, a separate entry form is required for each work.
• Only animated productions on film or video that have not been selected or exhibited at previous ANIMA MUNDI editions may be entered.
• The entry form must be completely filled and sent through a valid e-mail address recognized by the festival system by the on-line version available exclusively at the website http://www.animamundi.com.br/
• The person who fills the entry form will be considered fully responsible for the submission of the work and will remain as the contact for every correspondence with the festival regarding the entry.
• There is no minimum age to submit a film but awarded participants under 18 years old must indicate an adult as responsible for receiving the cash award on his/her behalf.
• The festival is entitled to give preference to works that have not yet been on general release or exhibited in other festivals in Brazil.
• On no account will the festival pay exhibition fees for any selected or invited film.

7. PRE-SELECTION PROCESS

· For the selection process, a preview copy of the submitted work must be a final edited version EXCLUSIVELY DVD preferably free region (0 or ALL) and NTSC system, recorded on DVD video, 4x3 or 16x9 anamorphic format, WITHOUT INTERACTIVE MENU.

· The DVD must run in standard DVD players. DVDs that only run in computers (DATA DVDs) will be automatically disqualified for the selection process.

· Works that are unfinished or in progress will not be considered for selection.

· It is obligatory to send one work per DVD.

· The EXTERNAL DVD envelope must be identified with the title of the work, name of the director, running time, color and format (PAL/NTSC). STICKY LABELS MUST NOT BE FIXED ON THE MEDIA.

· Only for the pre-selection process, the preview DVDs of films in other languages must contain an option for subtitles in English, Spanish or Portuguese.

· Beside the subtitles, a text file (in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format) with the full dialogue list, narration or written cards containing the time code must be provided during the on-line entry process. Languages accepted are English, French, Spanish or Portuguese (more information in the entry form).

· It is obligatory to send, through upload during the on-line submission process, at least one still photograph of the work in jpeg format (.jpeg), with minimum resolution of 300 dpi, approximate size dimensions of 15x10 cm (6x4 inches), RGB, for the catalogue and for promotional purposes of the festival.

· All materials requested for pre-selection must be sent prepaid and will not be returned.  They will be placed in the festival’s archives.

8. SENDING COPIES OF SELECTED WORKS
Accepted screening formats are Film (35mm), DVD, Blu-Ray or Digital files.
• Entrants that have more than one work selected for the festival must send separately one work per media.
• All boxes must be labeled with the title of the work, running time, system and region, entrant's name and address.
• The compatible formats and instructions for sending the digital files will be individually informed by the festival production team after the selection process (after May, 16th).

IMPORTANT: GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR SENDING WORKS AND

PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL - pre selection process and selected works
· Transport costs charges of medias, as well as any other related charges – notably customs forwarding agents’ fees for import and export – must be fully paid both ways by producers, directors or authorised organisations. Promotional material, videos and DVDs (pre-selection or final format) must be preferably sent by regular mail service.
· The use of courier or express services is not acceptable. In case it is absolutely necessary, it is mandatory to explicit declare in the commercial invoice and AWB that duties and taxes will be paid in the origin (prepaid modality). Collect and airfreight shipments will not be accepted.
· Should a customs declaration be requested, "no commercial value" or a value under US$ 5.00 must be declared. Expenses incurred by the non-observance of this instruction WILL NOT BE PAID BY THE FESTIVAL. Transportation service bills will be charged to the shipper, otherwise the delivery will not be accepted.
· Shipments by regular airmail must be done the earliest possible.
· All material sent from abroad should be properly packed and labeled as "NO COMMERCIAL VALUE - FOR CULTURAL PURPOSES ONLY". The special mailing label available at the website www.animamundi.com.br must be preferably used.
· THE LABEL MUST BE FIXED OUTSIDE THE ENVELOPE IN A VISIBLE PLACE.
· Works will be neither collected nor returned to P.O. Box addresses.

• The festival will be responsible for the safety of all films and videos from the time of delivery until they are shipped in return. In case of loss or damage of a copy during the event, the obligation of the festival will be limited to compensating the entrant only for the cost of making a new copy, according to a professional lab invoice.

Film
• 35mm format with optical soundtrack only.
• Each print must be on a separate standard reel, heads out and with the title of the work clearly printed on the leader.
• Each print must be in an adequate film container, labeled with the title of the work, running time, aspect ratio, entrant's name and address.
• The festival will arrange the transportation of 35mm film prints through the support of diplomatic institutions or shipping agencies. Specific and detailed shipping instructions will be sent via email after the selection process (May 16th).
• All film prints will be checked for damages before and after the festival screenings by specialized professionals. A copy of the report will be sent along with the film after the festival. 

Vídeo – DVD and Blu-Ray
· DVD and Blu-Ray copies can be from any region (preferably NTSC system) and contain a final authored version approved by the entrant, WITHOUT WATERMARKS.
· STICKY LABELS MUST NOT BE FIXED ON THE MEDIAS.
• For the festival video screenings, the selected works may be copied in their entirety in Blu-Ray or DVD that will contain the works in the screening order as defined by the festival curators. The festival will be fully responsible for the quality and insurance of this material, hereby guaranteeing that it will not be used for any other means, unless a previous written authorization is given by the entrant.
• The medias must be sent by entrants at their own expenses and won’t be returned.

9. SUBTITLING AND DUBBING

• The festival’s official language is the Brazilian Portuguese. The festival will take care of the electronic subtitling of ALL foreign films and videos. In order to do so, a text file with time-code information should be uploaded during the entry process. Languages accepted are English, French, Spanish or Portuguese.

• Films with fixed subtitles will not be accepted for screening. All final format versions of the works must contain the film WITHOUT SUBTITLES.

• The festival will produce a Portuguese dubbed version of the works to be exhibited in the Shorts for Children screenings. In this case, for foreign films selected for this category the final format will be required with M&E (music and sound effects) separated from dialogues and narration (channels 1 and 2 only). In case the media cannot be sent, a digital M&E file with timecode must be provided instead.

10. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Every selected work will receive a Certificate of Participation.

• No material sent to the festival will be returned to the entrant or loaned to third parties before the conclusion of the festival activities.

• Should the work be returned to an address other than the one indicated in the entry form (i.e.: other animation festival), the entrant must provide a written and signed request along with new shipping instructions prior to seven days before the festival's closing date. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT US:

- For questions and general information please check our “FAQ” in our website or write to: producao@animamundi.com.br

- Films and videos shipping issues: transport@animamundi.com.br

- Entry form and rules: entry@animamundi.com.br

When writing, please include the original title and entry ID number in the “subject” header of the message.

ANIMA MULTI

The Multiplatform International Animation Contest will take place on-line simultaneously to the festival, replacing the traditional ANIMA MUNDI WEB & CELL contest. The specific rules and entry form for ANIMA MULTI CONTEST will be available by April 2012 in the website http://www.animamundi.com.br/

Important: The same work can be entered for ANIMA MUNDI FESTIVAL and for the ANIMA

MULTI CONTEST. If selected, it will participate only in one or the other, exclusively at the discretion of the festival directors.

Call for Submissions to Toronto Animation Arts Festival International

From TAAFI press release:

Toronto – The Toronto Animation Arts Festival International (TAAFI) has opened up its submission process for animated films for their inaugural event to take place June 22 – 24th, 2012.

TAAFI is excited to receive submissions to the festival and there are several categories that you can enter. Submission is FREE before February 29th 2012 and submissions close April 15th 2012. Chosen by a committee of experts, selected films will be eligible for: Audience Choice Grand Prix and Best of Fest Grand Prix. Besides films, Animated Commercials, Game Cinematics, and Motion Graphics are all welcome and encouraged.

TAAFI is accepting both International and local Shorts (22 minutes or less) and Features (60 Minutes or Longer) of all genres and techniques! If it is animated we would like to see it!

"We're excited to finally bring a world-class animation festival to Toronto!” says Barney Wornoff, TAAFI Chair and Founding Member. “People are really going to go nuts for the great animation we'll be showing from around the world and from their very own backyard. It's about time Toronto had a festival of this caliber, celebrating our exciting animation industry, artists and everything that is animated!"

To access the application and find full details visit http://www.taafi.com/submit/.

About TAAFI:
In its inaugural year, TAAFI is an eye opening festival celebrating animated storytelling styles from all over the world. TAFFI 2012 will be held June 22-24 in downtown Toronto. TAAFI is comprised of six founding members, including: Barney Wornoff; Ben McEvoy; JoAnn Purcell; Rich Duhaney; Mike Weiss and Mark Jones. For more information visit http://www.taafi.com/

Grab Free Tickets to the LA Premiere of JUSTICE LEAGUE: DOOM

From Warner Home Video press release:

Warner Home Video, Los Angeles Times and The Paley Center for Media proudly present the West Coast Premiere of Justice League: Doom, the next entry in the popular, ongoing series of DC Universe Animated Original Movies, in Los Angeles on February 16, 2012. Filmmakers and members of the voice cast will attend the event for red carpet media interviews and a post-screening panel discussion hosted by The Times’ Hero Complex writer Geoff Boucher.

A limited number of free tickets are available for the general public. Fans in the Los Angeles City area wishing to receive free tickets to the LA event on Feb. 16 must RSVP via email to JLDoomLA@yahoo.com. Email RSVPs must include the fan’s first and last name, and a valid email address.

Tickets to the event will be distributed on a “first come, first served” basis. Los Angeles Times will also be giving away special seating for the event to a number of lucky Hero Complex readers.

Justice League: Doom finds Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Cyborg and Batman on their heels when a team of super villains discover and implement the Dark Knight’s “contingency plans” for stopping any rogue Justice League member. The story is inspired by Mark Waid’s much-heralded “JLA: Tower of Babel.”

The film features the voices of Nathan Fillion (Castle) as Green Lantern, Tim Daly (Private Practice) as Superman, and a grand reunion of actors who provided the voices of the Justice League for the cartoon of the same name and its follow-up, Justice League Unlimited, including Kevin Conroy (Batman: The Animated Series) as Batman, Michael Rosenbaum (Smallville, Breaking In) as Flash, Susan Eisenberg (Superman/Batman: Apocalypse) as Wonder Woman and Carl Lumbly (Alias) as J’onn J’onzz/Martian Manhunter. Bumper Robinson (A Different World, Transformers: Animated) joins the cast as Cyborg. The cast features three villainous alumni of the Justice League animated series: Phil Morris (Smallville, Seinfeld) as Vandal Savage, Olivia d’Abo (The Wonder Years) as Star Sapphire, and Alexis Denisof (Angel) as Mirror Master. Also opposing our heroes are Carlos Alazraqui (Reno 911) as Bane, Paul Blackthorne (The Dresden Files) as Metallo, and Claudia Black (Farscape, Stargate SG-1) as Cheetah. David Kaufman (Danny Phantom) also reprises his Justice League role of Jimmy Olsen.

The filmmaking team includes executive producer by Bruce Timm, director Lauren Montgomery, producer Alan Burnett and dialogue/casting director Andrea Romano. Justice League: Doom is the final DC Universe film script from the late Dwayne McDuffie.

Voice cast members and filmmakers will be announced as confirmed for the event. The Paley Center for Media is located at 465 North Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills.

Produced by Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation, the all-new Justice League: Doom arrives February 28, 2012 from Warner Home Video as a Blu-Ray™ Combo Pack and DVD, On Demand and for Download. Both the Blu-Ray™ Combo Pack and DVD will include an UltraViiolet™ Digital Copy.

"Happy Feet Two" comes to KC in November!

SYNOPSIS:

The sequel to “Happy Feet,” the Academy Award®-winning animated smash hit, “Happy Feet Two” returns audiences to the magnificent landscape of Antarctica in superb 3D.

Mumble, The Master of Tap, has a problem because his tiny son, Erik, is choreo-phobic. Reluctant to dance, Erik runs away and encounters The Mighty Sven—a penguin who can fly! Mumble has no hope of competing with this charismatic new role model.

But things get worse when the world is shaken by powerful forces.

Erik learns of his father’s “guts and grit” as Mumble brings together the penguin nations and all manner of fabulous creatures—from tiny Krill to giant Elephant Seals—to put things right.

“Happy Feet Two” is directed by George Miller, who won an Oscar® as the creator of the original “Happy Feet.” The film features the voices of Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Hank Azaria, Alecia Moore (P!nk), Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Sofia Vergara, Common, Hugo Weaving, Richard Carter, Magda Szubanski, Anthony LaPaglia and Benjamin “Lil P-Nut” Flores, Jr.

George Miller co-wrote the screenplay with Gary Eck, Warren Coleman and Paul Livingston. Miller is also producing the film, along with Doug Mitchell and Bill Miller. Chris deFaria, Philip Hearnshaw, Graham Burke and Bruce Berman serve as executive producers. Tap phenom Savion Glover rejoins the production to create the dances that will be performed onscreen by the penguin characters. The cinemtographer is David Peers and the animation director is Rob Coleman. The film features vocals by P!nk, with music by John Powell.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, a Kennedy Miller Mitchell production, with Dr. D. Studios, a George Miller film, “Happy Feet Two.” The film will be released in 3D and 2D in select theaters and in IMAX on November 18, 2011.

Dana Collins
Allied–THA

PipelineFX to Exhibit at SIGGRAPH 2011

Press Release from PipelineFX

LOS ANGELES, California July 6, 2011 - PipelineFX, makers of Qube! - the leading render farm management software for digital media creation, announced today their presence at Siggraph 2011 in Vancouver, BC August 9-11, 2011 in booth #962.

PipelineFX will demonstrate version 6.3 of their Qube! render farm management software which extends their current "Smart Farming" technology track. "Smart Farming" describes a system for render farm management that delivers the power of pipeline data through integrated charting and reporting, automated labor intensive render farm processes, and integration with other digital media infrastructure packages. Smart Farming has been adopted rapidly around the world and is powering many of the leading VFX, design, post production, broadcast and digital media education programs render pipelines.

Qube! 6.3 includes license usage charting, graphical dependency improvements, multi-level job priority submissions, in-application submission for C4D, dynamic allocation for Houdini, a new ARTISTVIEW GUI and enhanced integration with Shotgun Software.

"I am excited that we are exhibiting at Siggraph for our tenth consecutive year," said Richard Lewis, CEO of PipelineFX. "Vancouver has always been a major customer market for us and we look forward to re-connecting with our customers and resellers, as well as meeting new digital media professionals."

For more in formation, see the SIGGRAPH website: http://www.siggraph.org/s2011/.

About Qube! and Smart Farming:
Qube! is an intelligent, mature and highly scalable render management solution that can be quickly integrated into any production workflow, and is backed by world-class technical support. Smart Farming delivers intelligence to production pipelines by providing business-critical insight into render pipelines, maximizing investment in rendering infrastructure and automating manual processes. Qube! works out of the box with all leading content creation applications and is truly cross-platform with all software components available on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X operating systems.

About PipelineFX:
As the leading provider of intelligent render farm management solutions for digital content creation, PipelineFX provides software, support, consulting and training services worldwide. Over 500 customers across film and visual effects, post production, broadcast, design, games and education include BaseFX, BBC, Cinesite (Europe), Digital Domain, Electronic Arts, General Motors, Herman Miller, L.M.U., Laika Studios, Lockheed Martin, Method Studios, NBC, NHK, Pratt University, Procter & Gamble, Rainmaker Entertainment Inc., Reel FX, Smoke & Mirrors, South Park Studios, Arc Productions (formerly Starz Entertainment), Technicolor and Telemundo. PipelineFX is headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, and has offices in Honolulu, Portland, Austin, Las Vegas and Vancouver.

For more information, please contact Richard Lewis, CEO of PipelineFX: richard@pipelinefx.com, Ph: 808-685-7823, 1000 Bishop Street, Suite 509, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96813, USA.

International Photo Contest: Children and the 2012 Election

We are pleased to announce that Colors of Life, a non-profit, non-partisan organization, which uses the emotional power of photography to advance charitable activities, has chosen Every Child Matters to be the beneficiary of its annual international photo contest. Previous beneficiaries have included a children’s hospital in the U.S., an institute for children with special needs in Guatemala, and a micro-credit financing organization for women in Afghanistan.

The theme of the contest, naturally, is ‘Every Child Matters’. ECM intends to create a nationwide traveling exhibition of the top 30 photos to draw public attention to the needs of children. The exhibition will visit major American cities from November of 2011 right up to the 2012 November election.

If you or someone you know have an interest in photography, this could be a great way to get your own work seen by a panel of veteran photographers, while giving child advocacy a boost. The 3 top photos will be selected by the National Portrait Gallery’s curator of photography. Visit colorsoflife.org/photocontest to learn more about the contest. Submissions of up to 3 photos may be made until June 30, 2011.