A leading creative innovator in animation and digital creation, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) will be at SIGGRAPH 2026 to explore new approaches in visual storytelling and production technologies.
Eloi Champagne, Head of Technical Direction and Production Technology, and Jimmy Fournier, Chief Technology Officer (CTO), will represent the NFB at the Los Angeles Convention Center from July 19 to 23 at SIGGRAPH, the world's premier conference and exhibition on computer graphics and interactive techniques, as industry professionals gather to advance the future of digital storytelling.
SIGGRAPH provides the NFB with a unique opportunity to exchange ideas with the global animation, visual-effects and research communities, while contributing to conversations that help shape the next generation of productions.
Champagne will lead a Birds of a Feather (BoF) discussion on Gaussian Splatting for animation, an innovative technique for capturing and displaying environments from 2D photos and video that is opening new possibilities for animation and visual-production workflows. He will facilitate the conversation with participants in the room and share examples from current works in progress at the NFB's Animation and French Documentary units, as well as technical explorations by the NFB Technical Direction team with the help of external research collaborators like the NVIDIA Spatial Intelligence Lab (SIL) and the Dynamic Graphics Project lab of the University of Toronto.
Industry professionals attending SIGGRAPH 2026 are invited to join the BoF discussion on July 22 and meet with Fournier and Champagne throughout the conference to explore ideas and potential partnership opportunities.
Gaussian Splatting for Animation: Emerging Workflows and Hybrid Pipelines - Birds of a Feather
Wednesday, July 22, 2026
10:00-11:30 a.m. PDT
Room 510
This Birds of a Feather session invites technical directors, animators, researchers and tool developers to discuss how Gaussian-based representations can integrate into production pipelines, from acquisition and layout to lighting, editing and delivery. Please arrive early, as seating is limited.
About the NFB
A world-class creative hub, the NFB brings together filmmakers, artists and technologists to explore new forms of audiovisual storytelling that expand artistic possibilities and enrich audience experiences. This spirit of innovation has earned international recognition through thousands of awards, including the 2025 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski's The Girl Who Cried Pearls.
