CLOUD

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA -- For the eighth consecutive year all films nominated for an Academy Award® for Distinguished Achievement in Visual Effects relied on the power of SGI® high-performance computer graphics systems to create the year's most unforgettable images. The amazing worlds and “cyborgs” of A.I.: Artificial Intelligence and the harrowing air and sea battles of Pearl Harbor were made possible by the creative artistry of Industrial Light + Magic (ILM), a division of Lucas Digital Ltd. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) also recognized Weta Digital, a New Zealand company that built a state-of-the-art production facility based on SGI systems in order to produce the film trilogy of The Lord of the Rings. The first film of the series, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, was not only nominated for visual effects but also garnered 12 other Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. In addition, two films nominated in the brand new AMPAS category of Best Animated Feature Film were also created using SGI visual workstations and servers: Disney/Pixar Animation Studios' Monsters, Inc., and PDI/DreamWorks' Shrek, both critically acclaimed for advancing physical and emotional realism in computer animation. ``SGI heartily congratulates all our distinguished customers for their Academy Award nominations,'' said Greg Estes, vice president of corporate marketing, SGI. ``As we celebrate our 20th year and deep heritage in the entertainment industry, we're excited that SGI systems continue to drive the most groundbreaking visual effects and animation creation year after year. We are particularly gratified that so many of the effects and animations were created using a full complement of SGI IRIX and SGI Linux systems-a powerful combination that we believe will advance the art and science of visual effects and animation for years to come.'' The winners of the Visual Effects and Best Animated Feature Film categories will be announced on March 24 during the 74th Annual Academy Awards broadcast. For more information on the astounding visual effects and animations created using SGI systems, please go to: ``SGI Technology Powers Weta Digital's The Lord of the Rings Film Trilogy'' http://www.sgi.com/newsroom/press_releases/2002/january/lotr.html http://www.sgi.com/solutions/broadband/success/lotr.html ``SGI Technology Powers Industrial Light + Magic's Visual Effects for Five of This Summer's Biggest Blockbuster Films; Silicon Graphics O2 Workstations and SGI Origin Family Servers Are the Workhorses behind The Mummy Returns, Pearl Harbor, A.I., Jurassic Park III and Planet of the Apes'' http://www.sgi.com/newsroom/press_releases/2001/august/ilm.html ``PDI/DreamWorks Uses SGI Firepower to Visualize the Adventures of Shrek; The magical realm of fairies and elves gets a sharp poke from DreamWorks's latest all-CG animated feature, Shrek'' http://www.sgi.com/features/2001/aug/shrek/ ``Silicon Graphics Octane2 Visual Workstations Power Disney/Pixar's Monsters, Inc.'' http://www.sgi.com/newsroom/press_releases/2002/january/pixar.html