SIGGRAPH Asia 2008 Highlights #2 – Asian Panorama 

Established in the USA more than 30 years ago, SIGGRAPH (short for Special Interest Group on GRAPHics and Interactive Techniques) saw the wave of CG animation approaching long before most of us even saw a ripple. SIGGRAPH is now one of the world's largest and most important gatherings of the digerati. The annual SIGGRAPH conference brings together innovators, creative researchers, producers, proactive artists, energetic executives and adventurous engineers. SIGGRAPH's premiere event is its Computer Animation Festival (CAF), which showcases the very best CG animated works, whether they are short films, ads, music videos or experimental software demos.
In the lead-up to SIGGRAPH Asia 2008, held in Singapore, I was invited to Seoul to sit on a jury that would consider nearly 1000 entries and select the works to appear in the SIGGRAPH Asia 2008 CAF. From this privileged vantage point I've put together this comprehensive double collection of the top contenders, along with a few favourites of mine which missed the jury consensus.
Unsurprisingly, SIGGRAPH Asia 2008 attracted many Asian entries, providing the perfect opportunity for us to devote an entire programme specifically to animation from the region. Films such as Fly Out Blue, The Evil Twin and KUDAN (a mythical Japanese half man, half cow creature) bring to the screen uniquely Asian sensibilities that blend perfectly with a breathtaking grasp of the possibilities the technology offers. You will also see incredible examples of the way graphic design and animation are morphing into a single art form, an area in which Asian animators are disproportionately well represented. — MT