Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/863838
3 #SIGGRAPHcaf Welcome to the SIGGRAPH 2017 COMPUTER ANIMATION FESTIVAL. Over the past 12 months, SIGGRAPH teams have been working hard to assemble an exceptional lineup of content for you. Use this program as a guide to explore the pieces featured in the Electronic Theater, VR Theater, Production Sessions, and Real-Time Live! The Electronic Theater is packed with short films, cinematics, VFX breakdowns, and, for the first time, short films generated and played back in real time. Our jury, comprised of seasoned industry professionals, carefully considered each submission based on originality, craft, storytelling, and use of technology. During Monday's opening-night Electronic Theater screening, awards will be presented for Best in Show, Jury's Choice, and Best Student Project. The SIGGRAPH Computer Animation Festival is proud to be recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as a qualifying festival for the Best Animated Short Oscar. This year, we are moving beyond the flat screen to present short films and experiences in a new space, the VR Theater, where you will discover the next generation of storytelling in virtual reality, including pieces from Google Spotlight Stories, Baobab Studios, Aardman Animations, The New York Times, and more. Production Sessions has a strong lineup that will let you learn from the best with talks about "Rogue One," "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets," Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," Marvel's "Spider-Man: Homecoming," Google Spotlight Stories' "Son of Jaguar," Pixar Animation Studios' "Cars 3," and Walt Disney Animation Studios' "Moana." (Check out the complete lineup on page 20.) If you like a good show and real-time graphics, you can't miss Real-Time Live! This year brings presenters from a wide range of fields, from VR/AR to production and games. The Mill will demonstrate "The Human Race," which revolutionizes the conventions of digital filmmaking by rendering and compositing final pixels in real time. Penrose Studios will showcase a suite of tools that enable artists and directors to review and work on VR stories, and Criterion Games will show "Star Wars Battlefront VR: Piloting an X-Wing for the First Time," among many others. (You can check out the complete lineup on page 26.) Finally, if you want to hear from the directors who show their work at the Electronic Theater or VR Theater, stop by our brand-new Computer Animation Festival Directors' Q&A sessions to ask questions. And be sure to check out the Production Gallery, an all-new, one-of-a-kind exhibit recognizing the art, processes, and physical materials involved in the creation of major studio projects. We sincerely hope you enjoy SIGGRAPH 2017. Pol Jeremias-Vila Computer Animation Festival Director