The University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) is renowned for its creativity and innovation, and its animation of students are no exception.UTS graduates have worked on films including the award- winning Happy Feet,The Matrix and King Kong.

This year UTS hosted the Sydney International Animation Festival (SIAF) across three days in September. The festival displayed UTS's strength in digital and traditional techniques, narrative and production, bringing together researchers, animators and industry practitioners from the full spectrum of animation practice. The international audience was treated to films featuring the talent of UTS students, as well as movies by the best in the industry, including the creators of the Oscar-winning short film, Logorama.

As the first institution in Australia to offer a Master of Animation, UTS was the perfect venue to host the animation festival.The UTS Master of Animation is across-disciplinary course, covering traditional film animation, 2D and 3D digital animation, graphic visualisation, object-oriented programming and animation studies, culminating in the production of a short animated work.

SIAFreflected this diversity, bringing together researchers from other disciplines and the community, exploring new forms of animation.Guests were able to explore the expanding use of unconventional and emerging technologies that push the boundaries of the animation industry. Highlights of world animation included Mathieu Bergeron and Yves Martel's documentary, A Thorn in the Mind. This film provides rare insight into the creative processes of six internationally renowned animators; Jacques Drouin, Tali, Barry Purves, PjotrSapegin, Raoul Servais and Georges Scwizgebel.

On the opening night, Guy Verge Wallace was announced as the creator of the winning entry in the inaugural Sixty40 Proto Ninja Award. Entrants created a piece of work between 40 and 60 seconds in length, telling a story striking an emotional chord around the theme of "The Underdog". Guy received a cash prize and a two-month mentorship with Sixty40, an award-winning animation company based in Sydney.

Considered to be a leader in animation and graphic education, UTS offers animation courses which are industry focused, with excellent teaching and world-class facilities.The university continues to attract talented students with outstanding futures, and its graduates have worked on the set of Happy Feet, which won the Academy Award in 2007 for Best Animated Film, and other films including The Matrix, King Kong, the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Ice Age.

For details of all UTS courses available to international students, including design, information technology and animation courses, see www.uts.edu.au/international
Lordin Margi
UTS International
UTS CRICOS Provider Code: 00099F
Photography: Michael Chan
Source: David Samuel, Business Development Manager, Austrade-Colombo
E-mail: David.Samuel@austrade.gov.au