The Illusion Almanac is pleased to share this press release from VIEW Conference.

For six unforgettable days this October, an incredible group of international award-winning visionaries assembled in the beautiful baroque city of Turin, Italy, to take part in VIEW Conference 2023.

During the event, which took place 15-20 October, 2023, nearly 6,000 attendees converged on two of Turin’s most prestigious venues – the ITS ICT Piazza dei Mestieri and the futuristic OGR – where they experienced an extraordinary live program of talks, presentations, in-depth workshops and masterclasses. Throughout the week, the OGR’s huge Fucine hall was filled to capacity with industry professionals, thought leaders, students and enthusiasts seeking inspiration and enlightenment, and excited to celebrate the latest achievements in animation, VFX, games and much more.

In one of many standout moments, Wētā FX’s Joe Letteri, senior VFX supervisor of James Cameron’s groundbreaking sci-fi sequel “Avatar: The Way of Water,” received this year’s coveted VIEW Visionary Award, presented for outstanding contribution to the visual arts. Winner of a staggering five Academy Awards, Letteri began his career working on such innovative movies as “The Abyss” and “Jurassic Park,” and helped raise the bar of VFX with films including “The Lord of the Rings,” “Avatar” and the 2011-2017 “Planet of the Apes” trilogy. Previous recipients of the VIEW Visionary Award include Oscar-winning cinematographer Sir Roger Deakins, pioneering VFX supervisor Dennis Muren, animated feature director Nora Twomey and Pixar designer/director Ralph Eggleston.

Attending VIEW Conference 2023 in person, Joe Letteri went on to deliver a dazzling presentation exploring his work on “Avatar: The Way of Water,” and participated in an insightful panel “The Future of VFX.” Other top talent present at the conference included Oscar-winners Doug Chiang, vice president and executive creative director at Lucasfilm, and Mark Ulano, sound engineer on Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” plus the production-side VFX supervisors of blockbuster films including “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer.”

In a trio of exclusive Italian premiere presentations, VFX supervisor Kyle Odermatt thrilled the VIEW Conference audience with a screening of 25 minutes of previously unseen footage from “Wish,” the upcoming animated feature from Walt Disney Animation Studios. Meanwhile director Benjamin Renner presided over a special screening of scenes from Illumination’s “Migration,” and director Sam Fell presented a preview of Aardman’s upcoming feature “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget.” Joining them at VIEW Conference 2023 were ten of the directors behind this year’s biggest grossing animated features, including “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” “Elemental,” “Trolls Band Together” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.”

A series of mind-expanding presentations was led by visionary thinkers such as James Knight, global director of media and entertainment/visual effects at AMD, and Pixar’s Dylan Sisson. The rapidly-evolving phenomenon of AI came under the microscope in a range of talks and panels, and featured heavily in VIEW Conference 2023’s program of in-depth workshops and masterclasses.

Students and young professionals benefited from this year’s recruitment fair, which allowed up-and-coming talent to participate in portfolio reviews and mock interviews, and to meet with top-level professionals committed to nurturing the next generation. VIEW Conference 2023’s free exhibition featured 15 workstations giving attendees the opportunity to get hands-on with the latest Wacom graphics tablet technology.

I am blown away by the success of VIEW Conference 2023. This year’s event was a glorious celebration of talent, achievement and vision. As I mingled with the crowds filling our spectacular venue, I was overwhelmed by the incredible atmosphere. What a buzz! I am profoundly grateful to all the amazing speakers who joined us in beautiful Torino, and to all the generous sponsors, partners and patrons who made it possible. All that remains is for me to say a huge ‘thank you’ to everyone who attended. See you all next year at VIEW Conference 2024!

Dr. Maria Elena Gutierrez, VIEW Conference Director

VIEW Conference 2023 was made possible with the support from Fondazione CRT and Fondazione Sviluppo e Crescita, Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, Regione Piemonte, Camera di Commercio di Torino, AMD, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Lenovo and Nvidia, Wacom, Netflix and RenderMan.

About VIEW Conference

An English speaking event, the annual international VIEW Conference takes in Turin, Italy, every October. The conference’s vibrant and inclusive atmosphere is designed to enlighten and inspire, with an extensive live program of talks, presentations, workshops and masterclasses embracing cutting-edge thinking on such diverse topics as Storytelling, Virtual Production, Computer Graphics, Interactive & Immersive Media, VR/AR/Mixed Reality and the Metaverse, Artificial Intelligence, Real-Time Rendering and much, much more.