Ottawa International Animation Festival

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Ottawa International Animation Festival
Ottawa International Animation Festival 2019.jpg
The poster for OIAF 2019. Design by Steve Angel.
StatusActive
Genre Film festival
FrequencyAnnually
Location(s) Ottawa, Ontario
CountryCanada
Inaugurated1975 (1975)
Most recentSeptember 2024 (2024-09)
Next eventSeptember 2025
Website Ottawa International Animation Festival

The Ottawa International Animation Festival is an annual animated film and media festival that takes place in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The OIAF was founded in 1975, with the first festival held from August 10 to 15 in 1976. [1] Initially organized by the Canadian Film Institute on a biennial basis and with the co-operation of the International Animated Film Association, the Festival organization now remains in the hands of the CFI. It moved from a biennial to an annual festival in 2005. Today the festival is recognized as the largest and oldest animation festival in North America, and regularly attracts upwards of 25,000 attendees when it is held each September. [2] [3]

Contents

History

The Ottawa International Animation Festival was founded in 1975 by various figures in the world of Canadian animation, most prominently Bill Kuhns, Frederik Manter, Prescott J. Wright, Frank Taylor, and Kelly O'Brien. Many Canadian film and media institutions, such as the National Film Board of Canada, Télévision de Radio-Canada, CBC Television, and Cinémathèque Québécoise also played a fundamental role in building the festival into its present state.

Canada's national capital Ottawa was chosen as the host city due to its already strong film culture, being the former home of the NFB as well as many of Canada's first animation studios. Additionally, Ottawa was (at the time) home of famed Canadian animator and filmmaker Norman McLaren, who went on to be recognized for his contributions to the field of animation by the festival as its first honorary president. The festival was originally led by Wayne Clarkson, until he left in 1978 to become artistic director of the Festival of Festivals.

The OIAF experienced a brief change of location in 1984 when it was moved to Toronto and subsequently to Hamilton, Ontario in 1986 before settling back in Ottawa in 1990, where it has remained since. In 1999 the festival office suffered a fire, leading to many of the files from past years being lost. Nevertheless, the festival has continued to thrive. In 1997 the Ottawa International Student Animation Festival (SAFO) was founded and held in alternate years to the larger OIAF. In 2005 the OIAF moved from biennial to annual and as such the student categories became part of the main festival.

In 2002 the festival premiered its business conference component, originally called the Television Animation Conference and now known simply as The Animation Conference or TAC. The Animation conference runs concurrently with the festival and is aimed more at industry professionals than the general public, providing those in the animation industry an opportunity to network with their colleagues.

Today the OIAF continues to grow and is known in the festival world for its practice of pitting both commercial and independent projects in competition with one another, a strategy which leads to a wide breadth of styles and formats. The OIAF features traditionally-drawn animated films, animation made with computer graphics, and more recently, even projects made in virtual reality.

Grand prize winners

YearBest FeatureBest ShortRef
1976 The Street - Caroline Leaf (Canada)
1980Ubu - Geoff Dunbar (UK)
1978 Rowing Across the Atlantic - Jean-François Laguionie (France)
1982 Crac - Frederic Back (Canada)
1984Chips - Jerzy Kucia (Poland)
1986 The Frog, the Dog and the Devil - Bob Stenhouse (New Zealand)
1988 The Man Who Planted Trees - Frederic Back (Canada)
1990Hen, His Wife - Igor Kovalyov (USSR)
1992 Two Sisters - Caroline Leaf (Canada)
1994 The Wrong Trousers - Nick Park (UK)
1996Bird in the Window - Igor Kovalyov (Russia/USA)
1997We Lived in Grass - Andreas Hykade (Germany)
1998The Night of the Carrots - Priit Pärn (Estonia)
1999Grace - Lorelei Pepi (USA)
2000Ring of Fire - Andreas Hykade (Germany)
2001 Dog - Suzie Templeton (UK)
2002 Waking Life - Richard Linklater (USA) Home Road Movies - Robert Bradbrook (UK)
2003Son of Satan - Jean-Jacques-Villard (USA)
2004 Raining Cats and Frogs - Jacques-Rémy Girerd (France) Ryan - Chris Landreth (Canada)
2005 The District! - Aron Gauder (Hungary)Milch - Igor Kovalyov (USA)
2006The Christies - Phil Mulloy (UK) Dreams & Desires: Family Ties - Joanna Quinn (UK)
2007 Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi (France) A Country Doctor - Koji Yamamura (Japan)
2008 Terra - Aristomenis Tsirbas (USA)Chainsaw - Dennis Tupicoff (Australia)
2009 Mary and Max - Adam Elliot (Australia)Kaasündinud Kohustused (Inherent Obligations) - Rao Heidmets, Estonia
2010Goodbye Mister Christie - Phil Mulloy (UK)The External World - David O'Reilly (Ireland)
2011Dead but not Buried - Phil Mulloy (UK)Moxie - Stephen Irwin (UK)
2012 Wrinkles - Ignacio Ferreras (Spain)Junkyard - Hisko Hulsing, (Netherlands)
2013Tito on Ice - Max Andersson (Germany/Sweden)Lonely Bones - Rosto, (France/Netherlands)
2014 Seth's Dominion - Luc Chamberland, (Canada)Hippos (Hipopotamy) - Piotr Dumala, (Poland)
2015 Over the Garden Wall - Patrick McHale, (USA/South Korea)Small People With Hats - Sarina Nihei, (UK)
2016 Louise by the Shore (Louise en Hiver) - Jean-François Laguionie (France/Canada) I Like Girls (J'aime les filles) - Diane Obomsawin (Canada) [4]
2017 The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl - Masaaki Yuasa (Japan)Ugly - Nikita Diakur (Germany)
2018 This Magnificent Cake! (Ce magnifique gâteau !) - Emma de Swaef, Marc James Roels (Belgium)Solar Walk - Réka Bucsi (Denmark/Hungary)
2019 On-Gaku: Our Sound - Kenji Iwaisawa (Japan)Don't Know What - Thomas Renoldner (Austria)
2020 Kill It and Leave This Town - Mariusz Wilczynski (Poland)KKUM - Kang-min Kim (South Korea/USA) [5]
2021Bob Spit: We Do Not Like People - Cesar Cabral (Brazil)Honekami (A Bite of Bone) - Honami Yano (Japan)
2022Dozens of Norths - Koji Yamamura (France)Bird in the Peninsula - Atsushi Wada (France) [6]
2023 When Adam Changes (Adam change lentement) - Joël Vaudreuil (Canada) Miserable Miracle - Ryo Orikasa (Canada/France/Japan) [7]
2024 Flow - Gints Zilbalodis (Belgium/France/Latvia)La Voix des Sirènes - Gianluigi Toccafondo (France/Italy)
2025 Death Does Not Exist (La mort n'existe pas) - Félix Dufour-Laperrière (Canada)The Puppet and the Whale (Il burattino e la balena) - Roberto Catani (Italy) [8]

Venues

The following venues host events and screenings during the Ottawa International Animation Festival:

References

  1. ↑ Levy, David B. (May 1, 2006). "The Ottawa International Animation Festival". Your Career in Animation: How to Survive and Thrive. Allworth Press. p. 225. ISBN   1581154453.
  2. ↑ The Ottawa International Animation Festival isn't just a film festival, it's a 'dysfunctional family reunion'|CBC Arts
  3. ↑ What to do in Ottawa this week: From Indigenous to bluegrass to opera|Ottawa Citizen
  4. ↑ Milligan, Mercedes (September 25, 2016). "'J'Aime les Filles,' 'Louise' Take Ottawa Grand Prizes". Animation Magazine. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  5. ↑ Ottawa International Animation Festival Announces 2020 Winners|Skwigly Animation Magazine
  6. ↑ Jamie Lang, ‘Dozens Of Norths,’ ‘Bird In The Peninsula’ Take Top Prizes At Ottawa 2022". Cartoon Brew , September 25, 2022.
  7. ↑ Jamie Lang, "‘When Adam Changes,’ ‘Miserable Miracle’ Take Top Prizes At Ottawa 2023". Cartoon Brew , September 25, 2023.
  8. ↑ "‘Death Does Not Exist’ & ‘The Puppet and the Whale’ Win Top Prizes at OIAF 2025". Animation Magazine , September 27, 2025.
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