I know an Oscar winner!

Hey -- I know an Oscar winner!

Big CONGRATS to John Canemaker for winning the Oscar for Animated Short Film! I was hoping his captivating and emotional THE MOON AND THE SON would win because of the years it took for him to finally get it made, as well the personal journey he took to get this subject out in the open. It's a brave film. This is a well-deserved win. I met John in Ottawa and had the best time talking with him, rambling on about various subjects such as blogs, books, and his film. I was a little nervous about meeting him because of the massive backlog of animation history and knowledge stored up in his head, not to mention the multitudes of books he's written on the subject. I was so worried that I was going to slip up on some bit of info and then he'd correct me with a resounding "No, you're wrong silly animator boy," but no -- he was gracious, honest, open and so easy to talk to. So, my sincerest wishes to John and his family on winning this Oscar. You deserve it!

You know, I've been in contact with Canemaker several times since Ottawa, and I'm working on trying to get him down here to Atlanta to do a lecture/workshop about his career, his film, his books. It would be a joint venture with ASIFA-Atlanta and Image Film & Video -- we're hoping that John will be available later on this year. *Crossing fingers.*


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And speaking of ASIFA-Atlanta and Image, don't forget that we have the first ever Animation Film Slam, 7:30 tonight at The Earl in East Atlanta, off of Flat Shoals Road. I promise that we won't be too harsh on the filmmakers. I'll be one of the judges (along with Turner's Joe Peery and fellow Primate Jeff Fastner), and we plan on offering constructive criticism for anyone who asks for it. We promise it'll be a fun evening. Come on down!