Computer Animation Festival Award Winners, All Student Projects, Take Center Stage Alongside Major VFX Powerhouses in Production Sessions

VANCOUVER, B.C., July 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- SIGGRAPH 2025, the world's premier conference on computer graphics and interactive techniques, is once again spotlighting the future of visual storytelling through two of its most anticipated programs: the Computer Animation Festival and the Production Sessions. Taking place Sunday, 10 August through Thursday, 14 August 2025 at the Vancouver Convention Centre, this year's conference marks a historic milestone for the animation showcase, with all top festival honors awarded to student-created films.

The Computer Animation Festival, SIGGRAPH's prestigious animation showcase and an Academy Award^® Qualifying Festival awarded to the "Best in Show" short film, sees all three top honors awarded to student projects, underscoring the extraordinary creative power emerging from today's academic institutions.

• Best in Show: "Trash"
  Maxime Crançon, Fanny Vecchie, Margaux Lutz, Romain Fleischer, Alexis Le Ral, Grégory Bouzid, Robin Delaporte, and Mattéo Durant with École Supérieure Des Métiers Artistiques (ESMA)
  In a dark alley, a scrawny rat has no choice but to fight with a pigeon for a small slice of pizza. Without a second thought, they throw themselves in a vertiginous chase from the top to the bottom of the street.
  
  
• Best Student Project: "The Mooning"
  Mason Klesch and Vivian Osness with Ringling College of Art and Design
  "The Mooning" is an animated mockumentary that reveals the truth behind the 1969 moon landing.
  
  
• Jury's Choice: "Jour de vent"
  Martin Chailloux, Ai Kim Crespin, Elise Golfouse, Chloé Lab, Hugo Taillez, and Camille Truding with École des Nouvelles Images (ENSI)
  Wind appears in a park. People fly away.

"These projects don't just meet professional standards, they redefine them," said Dawn Fidrick, SIGGRAPH 2025 Computer Animation Festival Director. "It's inspiring to see student filmmakers leading the charge in both storytelling and innovation. This year's winners reflect a global future of animation that is fearless, inventive, and deeply human."

The Computer Animation Festival includes screenings of the Electronic Theater and Animation Theater, giving attendees multiple ways to experience emerging trends in animation from across the globe. Several of the top films will also be included in SIGGRAPH's Computer Animation Festival Traveling Show, a touring collection that brings the Electronic Theater to campuses, festivals, and local communities worldwide.

Complementing the creative showcase of the Computer Animation Festival, the SIGGRAPH 2025 Production Sessions invite attendees behind the scenes of some of the world's most ambitious entertainment projects, offering a rare look at the artistry and innovation behind today's blockbuster films, immersive rides, and cutting-edge games.

In a landmark joint session, DNEG and Wētā FX present "A Journey Through Dystopia: The Last of Us", a two-part breakdown of the visual effects that brought the second season of the incredible episodic series "The Last of Us" to life. From building a CG version of post-apocalyptic Seattle to designing a thousand-strong infected horde, the teams unveil the technical ingenuity required to elevate one of television's most visually compelling series.

Other highlights include:

• "You Can Fly! The Making of 'Peter Pan's Never Land Adventure'" — Walt Disney Imagineering and Walt Disney Animation Studios chart the seven-year journey behind their new immersive ride at Tokyo DisneySea, blending hand-drawn charm with 3D innovation, plus "faith, trust, and pixie dust".
  
  
• "Bringing NASA Data to Life: The Power of Visualizing Science" — NASA's multidisciplinary team showcases how they turn complex Earth science data into stunning visual narratives, ranging from real-time disaster dashboards to immersive public exhibits, using cutting-edge models, AI tools, and storytelling techniques to make global phenomena accessible to all.
  
  
• "Developing the Stylized World of The Wild Robot" — DreamWorks Animation showcases how painterly techniques and handcrafted 2D aesthetics were translated into a rich 3D visual language.
  
  
• "'South of Midnight': Crafting a Stop Motion Southern Gothic Game" — Compulsion Games shares the hybrid animation pipeline used to bring its moody, stylized video game world to life.
  
  
• "Exploring the Novel Real-Time Pipeline of Nickelodeon's 'Max & the Midknights'" — Nickelodeon Animation's "Max & the Midknights" team reveals how a custom Unreal pipeline and real-time workflows powered a cinematic CG series with a handcrafted, stop-motion look.

The new Spatial Storytelling program expands SIGGRAPH's narrative frontier, thematically linking the imaginative worlds of the Computer Animation Festival and the behind-the-scenes innovation of the Production Sessions by exploring how stories are experienced through space, immersion, and interaction.

"With the Computer Animation Festival, Production Sessions, and the new Spatial Storytelling program, we see the full arc of storytelling — from bold student visions to immersive experiences and cinematic spectacle," said SIGGRAPH 2025 Conference Chair Ginger Alford. "Together, these programs embody the spirit of exploration and creative collaboration that defines SIGGRAPH."

In "SIGGRAPH 2025 Animation Theater Serves Up a Triple Shot of Storytelling", learn more about what's in store at this year's Animation Theater. Find more information about SIGGRAPH 2025, including registration options, at s2025.siggraph.org.

About ACM, ACM SIGGRAPH, and SIGGRAPH 2025
The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) is the world's largest educational and scientific computing society, uniting educators, researchers, and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources, and address the field's challenges.  SIGGRAPH is a special interest group within ACM that serves as an interdisciplinary community for members in research, technology, and applications in computer graphics and interactive techniques. The SIGGRAPH conference is the world's leading annual interdisciplinary educational experience showcasing the latest in computer graphics and interactive techniques. SIGGRAPH 2025, the 52nd annual conference hosted by ACM SIGGRAPH, will take place live 10–14 August at the Vancouver Convention Centre, along with a Virtual Access option.

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