New Animation Festival to Take Place in the U.S.

PORTLAND, December 5: The PLATFORM International Animation
Festival will take place for the first time from June 25 to 30 in Portland,
Oregon, with sole sponsorship by Cartoon Network.

The Festival program will feature premieres and
retrospectives, exclusive screenings, guest speakers, exhibitions, workshops
with leading artists, parties and networking opportunities.

“This is an important period for animation because the rapid
growth of technology changes the possibilities of our craft every day,” said
Irene Kotlarz, the festival’s founder and director and a former director of
several animation festivals in the U.K. “We want animators to be able to find
new answers and new opportunities with the best in the industry. Whether the
animated submissions are created for theaters, cell phones or for the sides of
buildings, if it is brilliant and innovative, we want to show it.”

The international competition is open to films under 40
minutes and there is no entry fee. Awards will be presented in categories
covering commercial and independent films, student animation and films for new
platforms, including cell phones and the Internet. The deadline for entry is
March 1.