SIGGRAPH 2019 Computer Animation Festival Announces Award Winners, One-night-only Event at Microsoft Theater

Electronic Theater to Feature 24 Diverse Selections That Celebrate
Modern Storytelling

CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#ACMSIGGRAPH–SIGGRAPH 2019 announces the award winners and lineup of 24 short films,
breakdowns, scientific visualizations, advertisements, and more, set to
appear in the Computer
Animation Festival Electronic Theater next month. Showcasing the
latest in computer graphics, the one-night-only Electronic Theater event
will premiere on Monday, 29 July at Microsoft Theater, located in L.A.
LIVE.

“The Computer Animation Festival celebrates the power of telling
stories, whether emotional or educational, through computer graphics,”
said 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, and 2019 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.

“Participating in the jury this year was a real treat! I was truly
inspired by the talent displayed through the submissions and the fellow
jurors beside me in the room. The quality and diverse perspectives in
the work we saw — especially from students! — was incredible, and made
for some tough decisions. Honestly, if all of us had our way, the show
would be three hours instead of two. The experience definitely
reinforced my enthusiasm for storytelling through animation,” noted
SIGGRAPH 2019 Computer Animation Festival Juror Everett Downing, Jr., of
Netflix Animation.

Out of 10 student and 14 professional studio productions, including work
from Sony Pictures Imageworks, NASA, Ringling College of Art and Design,
Industrial Light & Magic, Weta Digital, DreamWorks Animation, and more,
the 2019 award winners 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)

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. Learn more about registration for SIGGRAPH 2019,
the 46th international conference and exhibition on computer graphics
and interactive techniques: s2019.SIGGRAPH.org/register.

About ACM, ACM SIGGRAPH and SIGGRAPH 2019

ACM,
the Association for Computing Machinery, is the world’s largest
educational and scientific computing society, uniting educators,
researchers, and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources, and
address the field’s challenges. ACM
SIGGRAPH is a special interest group within ACM that serves as an
interdisciplinary community where researchers, artists, and
technologists collide to progress applications in computer graphics and
interactive techniques. The SIGGRAPH conference is the world’s leading
annual interdisciplinary educational experience for inspiring
transformative advancements across the disciplines of computer graphics
and interactive techniques. SIGGRAPH
2019, the 46th annual conference hosted by ACM SIGGRAPH, will take
place from 28 July–1 August at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Contacts

Emily Drake
Media Relations Manager
+ 1.312.673.4758
emily_drake@SIGGRAPH.org