Digital Domain with Three Movies on the Shortlist for Potential Nomination in Best Visual Effects Category at the 87th Annual Academy Awards (Oscars)

12.11.14

An honor in recognition of its world-leading visual effects

(Hong Kong, 11 December 2014) – Digital Domain Holdings Limited (“DDHL” and together with its subsidiaries, the “Group”) (stock code: 547) has produced visual effects on three of the top ten films on the shortlist for potential Oscars nomination. “Maleficent”, “X-Men: Days of Future Past” and “Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb” moved into the next round among voters in the Visual Effects branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Final selection for the final five Academy Award nominations will be held on 10 January 2015.

Mr. Daniel SEAH, Executive Director and CEO of DDHL, said, “We are honored and proud by this recognition from the Academy’s Visual Effects branch. To have three examples of our team’s amazing works represented at this phase is truly exciting. With every project, we attempt to push boundaries and create new standards. With hundreds of films, featuring terrific visual effects this year, having three of the ten best illustrates just how great our team is. It’s an exciting time here and I look forward to a strong showing at the Oscars.”

Appointed as CEO of Digital Domain 3.0, Inc. (“Digital Domain”, a subsidiary of DDHL) in July 2013, Mr. Seah led the team working on the box office successes “Maleficent” and the co-production of “Ender’s Game” as well as high profile clients United, Kia, Nissan and the video games “Destiny”, “Assassin’s Creed” and “Halo” .

For the selection of the final five Oscars nominations, all members of the Visual Effects Branch will be invited to view a 10-minute excerpt from each of the shortlisted films on 10 January 2015. Following the screenings, members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscars consideration. The nominations for the 87th Academy Awards will be announced on 15 January 2015. The official Academy Awards presentations ceremony will be held on 22 February 2015, and televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

Digital Domain (“original Digital Domain” founded in 1993) has garnered seven Academy Awards for both Best Visual Effects as well as the Scientific and Technical categories. Receiving its first Oscars in 1997 for the ground-breaking visual effects in “Titanic”, it followed with a second Oscars for “What Dreams May Come” in 1998. In 2008 Digital Domain received its third Oscars for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”. Its four Scientific and Technical Achievements include “TRACK”, “NUKE”, “STORM” and “FSIM Fluid Simulation System” in 1998, 2001, 2004 and 2007 respectively. In addition, Digital Domain also received Oscars nominations for Best Visual Effects for “Iron Man 3”, “Real Steel”, “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”, “I, Robot”, “Apollo 13” and “True Lies”.

About the Selections:

“Maleficent” is a 2014 American dark fantasy film directed by Robert Stromberg. The film is a live-action re-imagining of Walt Disney's 1959 animated film “Sleeping Beauty”, and portrays the story from the perspective of the antagonist, Maleficent. Produced by Walt Disney Pictures, “Maleficent” was a commercial success as one of the highest-grossing films in 2014. One of Digital Domain’s main tasks on “Maleficent” was a creating a trio of tiny CG pixies – Flittle, Knotgrass and Thistletwit – based on three real actresses who also appear in their life-sized form in several sequences. The challenge lay in giving their pixie versions slightly altered, diminutive proportions and facial characteristics, animated to fly around and perform pixieish actions while remaining completely recognizable and indistinguishable from the real human versions of the actresses.

Official trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-XO4XiRop0

“X-Men: Days of Future Past” is a 2014 superhero film based on the fictional X-Men characters that appear in Marvel Comics. Directed by Bryan Singer, the film stars a distinguished cast, including Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, Ellen Page, Peter Dinklage, Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart. “X-Men: Days of Future Past” had more than one thousand visual effects shots produced by professional studios. Digital Domain created the 1973 Sentinels and all of the environment work based in Washington D.C., including the destruction of Robert F. Kennedy Stadium and the White House. In addition, Digital Domain created Mystique's transformations and eyes as well as the sequence featuring the inside of the 1973 Sentinel.

Official website: http://www.x-menmovies.com/

“Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb” is an upcoming 2014 American comedy film directed by Shawn Levy. It is the sequel to the 2009 film “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian”. The film stars Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Dan Stevens and Ben Kingsley. The film is scheduled to be released on 19 December 2014, by 20th Century Fox.

Official website: http://www.nightatthemuseummovie.com/

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