This is the second of three postings relating to the ninth annual Society for Animation Studies conference, to be held in the Netherlands on October 8-12, 1997. This posting gives some background on the sponsoring instittutions; the first lists the papers to be presented; and the third includes a registration form. 1997 Conference in Utrecht, the Netherlands Here is information about the 9th Conference of the Society for Animation Studies to be held in the Netherlands from 8 through to 12 October 1997. A large number of abstracts were submitted in June and a selection have been compiled into an interesting programme. The fact that the conference is being organized in the Netherlands has clearly led to many contributions from Europe. We have received many enthusiastic responses from scientists and animation film makers who are looking forward to the conference. The opportunity of taking stock of the current state of affairs concerning scientific study into all facets of animation film, as well as making contacts, is considered highly important. The interaction between art and science is considered a stimulus for both disciplines. The European animation film industry is flourishing. Animators and scientists play an important role in this growth, which the SAS conference can nourish. The Society for Animation Studies held the first conference nine years ago in the United States. This is only the second time since then that the conference has been held in Europe. We have already received so much positive support with the organization of this conference that we think it would be possible to hold more conferences in Europe in the coming years. Abstracts for the conference have been selected from Belgium, Canada, Germany, France, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, the Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Sweden and Switzerland. The conference is being organized by the Netherlands Institute for Animation Film (Ton Crone), Utrecht University (Dr William Uricchio) and the Free University Amsterdam (Dr Ed Tan). The organization is supported by The Foundation Raoul Servais, study center for animation in Belgium, Pilot Moscow Animation Studio in Russia, the Surrey Institute for Art and Design in the United Kingdom, Association Internationale du Film d'Animation ASIFA and CARTOON. The conference has been made possible by financing from the Ministry for Education, Culture and Science, the European Commission, the Royal Dutch Academy of Art and Sciences and contributions from the participants themselves. Animation Film in the Netherlands The ninth conference of the SAS is being held in the Netherlands: a country with not only a rich cultural history (Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Mondrian) but also a lively present-day cultural life. It will be evident at the conference that Dutch animation film makers have also achieved world fame. Below is a brief sketch of the history of animation film in the Netherlands and an introduction to the most important institutions. Animation films have been produced in the Netherlands since the twenties. These were originally commercials. Just like many American cartoons, they were generally shown as shorts before the feature film. The quality of these early animation films often left much to be desired and it was not until the thirties that animation film was elevated to a higher level, thanks in part to George Pal, who worked in the Netherlands for a few years. Up to the mid-sixties, with occasional exception, the majority of Dutch animation films were commissioned films. For a long time the studios of Marten Toonder and Joop Geesink in particular put their stamp on the look of the production and also, for example, the advertising breaks, which were permitted on Dutch television from 196- onwards. There were still no degree programmes in animation film and many people enjoyed on-the-job training at one of these studios. Today there are no longer any large studios in the Netherlands. That does not mean that commissioned animation films are no longer made, on the contrary, there are a considerable number of small-scale enterprises which work with a small core of full-time staff and a varying number of freelancers. The worldwide revival of independent film-makers in the seventies did not pass the Netherlands by. The numbers of independent film-makers swelled and state subsidies were forthcoming. At international film festivals animators such as Paul Driessen who, over the years, often worked abroad, stood a good chance. Foreigners also came to the Netherlands and made a considerable contribution to animation film, people such as Børge Ring and Monique Renault. The nineties have produced a new generation of film-makers. The Holland Animation Association (VHA) was established in 1973 to promote the interests of film makers in the Netherlands. In recent years this association has concentrated on professionalism by joining forces with the biggest organization for Dutch film-makers. VHA is an important mouthpiece for animation in the Netherlands when it comes to negotiating with government organizations, trade and industry and television, for example. Since 1985 the Holland Animation Film Festival has become the meeting place for animation film enthusiasts and it is the only event in the Netherlands where animation films are screened on a large scale. Special attention is paid to the relation between applied and independent animation film. The biennial festival is by now firmly established on the world map of international animation film festivals. In 1993 the Netherlands Institute for Animation Film (NIAf) opened in Tilburg. The institute got off to a good start thanks to years of preparatory work by producer and filmmaker Cilia and Gerrit van Dijk. The aim of this national institute is to reinforce and broaden the infrastructure of animation film. The institute has a wide range of objectives, varying from the maintaining of archives, collecting, education, distribution, research and promotion. The institute has a studio, the Werkplaats, where young animation film-makers with a grant can work on a project under supervision for a specified period of time: in September 1997 the first three animation films will be premiered. In recent years it has been possible to obtain a degree in animation at an art academy. In the Netherlands the practical degree programme for the subject "animation film" is kept quite separate from the theoretical degree programmes. And within the theoretical degree programmes in higher professional education and at the universities there is increasing interest in animation film as is demonstrated by the steady growth in the number of practical training places, theses and final projects. As far as the organization of the SAS conference is concerned the NIAf works in conjunction with two universities. At the Free University Amsterdam study at the Word and Image Studies (a department of the Faculty of Arts) has an interdisciplinary orientation and special attention is given to the interaction of verbal and pictorial modes of expression in film, television and interactive computer applications, both in products of art and in functional applications. Most of the conference sessions will be held at Utrecht University. Theatre, film and television studies (department of the Faculty of Arts) have a strong cultural historical orientation with research and teaching clusters in media, history, new media, media education, and a project entitled "mapping modernity". This conference is intended to give a positive impulse to the climate for scientific study into animation film in the Netherlands and other countries in Europe. Richard J. Leskosky office phone: (217) 244-2704 President FAX: (217) 244-2223 Society for Animation Studies 2117 Foreign Languages Building 707 S. Mathews Avenue Urbana, Illinois 61801 ---- To sign off SCREEN-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF SCREEN-L in the message. Problems? Contact [log in to unmask]