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Lucas, Students and Puppeteers Honored by Karl Cohen
George Lucas lands his first ever Emmy for the animated series 'Star Wars: Clone Wars', presented by Princess Leia actress Carrie Fisher. photo: courtesy Emmy Awards
Lucas Finally Lands an Emmy
For his work as executive producer of Cartoon Network's “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” George Lucas finally garnered an Emmy. Indeed, he said in his acceptance speech, it was only the second award he's ever won, following fast on the heels of an NAACP Image Award for his movie “Red Tails” (2012). He previously had been nominated twice for Primetime Emmys for Ewok-themed children's series.
Plans Progress for Lucas Presidio Museum
It is one of three proposed projects that are finalists in the contest to obtain the lease on the former PX building in the Presidio, in San Francisco. Plans for a Lucas museum would include displays of storytelling art from great illustrators and from his features. Heavily endowed, it would be another feather in the cap for the Presidio which already has the Disney Museum and Lucasfilm's Letterman Center.
Another finalist, the park’s conservancy group, propose using the space for temporary exhibits, performances, and “experiences.” The third proposal is similarly vague: a “sustainability institute.” There was a hearing on the three proposals on June 17 and final hearings start on September 16.
SF MOMA to Honor Lucas with Lifetime Achievement
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art will honor George Lucas with Lifetime Achievement Award and Dinner. The October 24 event will raise money for the museum’s education programs. Tickets will be $400.
Winsor McKay wowed the early 20th century's newspaper readers with avant-garde comics like Little Nemo, shown here. photo: courtesy W. McKay Estate
Winsor McCay's Art Investigated by Canemaker
On Saturday, July 20th at 10 am, the Silent Film Festival will present John Canemaker doing his fascinating multimedia presentation on Winsor McCay, the incredible early-20th century cartoonist.
Taking place at the Castro Theatre, it will include four McCay films: “Little Nemo” (1911), the first adaptation of a comic strip to a film format; the disturbing “How a Mosquito Operates” (1912); the charming animation McCay designed as part of his “Gertie the Dinosaur” (1914) vaudeville act and “The Sinking of the Lusitania” (1918).
Stephen Home will accompany the shorts on the piano. John heads the animation program at New York University and has won an Oscar and other awards for his work as an independent animator.
Baiocchi's Cicada Princess Blows Up
"Cicada Princess" is doing well at international film festivals. The live action puppetry film was directed by Mauricio Baiocchi whose screen credits for effects work include major features produced at ILM, The Orphanage and other studios. The short is based on Mauricio’s script about cicadas, an insect that lives underground for sixteen years, a timely piece since the cicada cycle just passed the East Coast.
Scenes from 'Cicada Princess' by Mauricio Baiocchi. photo: courtesy M. Baiocchi
In the film they live above ground for only one day and one glorious night, hoping to find happiness and maybe love in that brief time. They gather for the grand Cicada Ball knowing that when the sun rises their lives will come to an end. It was narrated by Stephen Fry.
Made with lead puppet maker Robert Barnes and lots of local volunteers, the film premiered late last year in NYC at the 2nd Puppets on Film Festival, sponsored by the Jim Henson Foundation. Since then it has been shown by the SF International Film Festival, the Santa Barbara Film Festival, the Chicago Film Critics Festival, SXSW (Austin, Texas -South by South West); Shorts Fest in Aspen, Colorado where it won a special jury prize; Cinequest in San Jose, Flatpack in Birmingham, England and by several other events.
San Jose State Students' Short Listed for Student Oscar
“Couch and Potatoes,” a stop-motion short directed by SJSU Animation/Illustration students Eunsoo Jeong and Christopher Lam, was selected as a National Finalist for the 40th Annual Student Academy Awards. It was selected from over 500 entries.
The Student Academy Awards is a national competition conducted by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science. Each year over 500 college and university film students compete for awards and cash grants. At ASIFA-SF’s First Annual Spring Show in 2012 the short won the Excellence in Humor award.
Animation Director Becomes Monk
John Hays is now a director in Bangkok, Thailand at The Monk Studios, a boutique visual effects and animation studio. They worked on the animated sequences John directed for the feature “Howl” about Allen Ginsberg (2010). The studio also has also worked on “Rango” and, more recently, on episodes of “Detour” for Lucasfilm.
The Monk is currently in production on three commercials that Hays is directing. John, who was a founder and president of WildBrain, will continue to live in SF and commute as needed. There's also talk about him opening a satellite studio in SF in the near future.
SF State Grad Plays with Lasers
Clarissa Matalone, after graduating from SF State in 2012, was hired at Walt Disney Imagineering, the unit that designs and installs the Disney theme parks. She loves her job and will be overseeing the laser and projector installations at the theme park Disney is building in Shanghai.
Cartoonland's New Site
Kevin Coffey. who has worked for Disney, Lucas, Cartoon Network and many others has over 50 animation clips on the Cartoonland site along with design work for national ad campaigns, comic strips, illustrations from 20+ books he has illustrated and much more.
Anime at Pacific Archives
Anime from Studio Ghibli, which is fantastic, shows at the Pacific Film Archives: Sun. July 7, 4:30 PM. “Pom Poko” by Isao Takahata, 1994; Sun. July 14, 4:30 PM, “Poorco Rosso” by Hayao Miyazaki, 1992; Sun. July 21, 4:30 PM, “Spirited Away” by Miyazaki, 2001; Sun, July 28, 4:30 PM, “Princess Mononoke” by Miyazaki, 1997; Sun, Aug. 4, 4:30 PM, “From Up On Poppy Hill”, by Goro Miyazaki, 2011; Sun. Aug. 11. 4:30 PM, “Whisper Of The Heart” by Yoshifumi Kondo, 1995; Sun. Aug. 18, 4 PM, “Howl’s Moving Castle” by Hayao Miyazaki, 2004; Sun. Aug. 25, 3 PM, “My Neighbor Totoro” 1988 and at 5 PM, “Nausica Of The Valley Of The Wind,” 1984, both by Hayao Mizayaki.