Poster for the 2006 Waterloo Festival for Animated CinemaFestival curator Joseph C. Chen (right) talking with director Ladd Ehlinger Jr. about his film Flatland at the 2007 festival.
The festival was founded in 2001(2001) to promote appreciation for animation as a narrative medium for mature cinematic storytelling, and to review and celebrate animated feature films in the venue they were meant to be seen: a theatre.
The festival was unique in its focus on feature animation. Its selection of films suggested a desire to create bridges: from audience to animator, from anime to non-anime, and most obviously from mature audiences to mature films, which simply happen to be animated. The programme was also surprisingly comprehensive - in its first year the festival was dedicated mainly to anime, but it later became much more international. Perhaps reflecting its focus, WFAC has presented more animated feature films in public exhibition than any other festival in the world.
One interesting development since 2003 was the festival's Tidbits programme, developed to search out and promote the creation of feature films by one single artist or very small groups, made possible by advancements in technology.
Retrospective screenings: Die Abenteuer des Prinzen Achmed (The Adventures of Prince Achmed - Lotte Reiniger, 1926) from restored 35mm print, with live score composed and performed by Miles and Karina; 20th anniversary screening of Hotaru no Haka (Grave of the Fireflies - Isao Takahata, 1988) from 35mm print, with Frederik Schodt, Brian Ruh, John O'Donnell leading discussion
Retrospective screenings: Canadian/North American premiere of Rocky and Hudson
Tidbits selections: Canadian/North American/International premieres of Black Ceiling, Five Centimeters Per Second, The Killer of Montmartre, Anna and the Moods, SOS Metro Tokyo Explorers
World Cinema: Canadian/North American/International premieres of The Pixar Story, RH+: the Vampiress of Seville, Flatland, One Night in One City, Wood & Stock: Sex, Oregano and Rock 'n Roll; also Aachi and Ssipak, The Ugly Duckling and Me, Film Noir, Free Jimmy
2006
Retrospective screenings: Princes and Princesses
Titbits selections: various
World Cinema: Canadian/North American/International premieres of Origin: Spirits of the Past, Fimfárum 2, Fire Ball, Khan Kluay, Pettson and Findus: Pettson's Promise, Prince Vladimir, Dobrynia Nikitich, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time; also Princess, The Book of the Dead, Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles, Blood Tea and Red String
2005
World Cinema: Canadian/North American/International premieres of Alosha Popovich i Tugarin Zmey, Fragile Machine, A Place Promised in Our Early Days, Terkel in Trouble; also Frank and Wendy, Mind Game, The District, Strings, Winter Days
2004
Retrospective screenings: Rock & Rule
Tidbits: various
World Cinema: Canadian/North American/International premieres of Appleseed, McDull: Prince de la Bun, Oseam, Y Mabinogi, La Prophétie des Grenouilles, Karlik Nos; also Steamboy, Kaena, The Legend of the Sky Kingdom, Hair High
2003
Retrospective screenings: Laputa: Castle in the Sky, Utena, Perfect Blue, Escaflowne
Tidbits: various
World Cinema: Canadian/North American/International premieres of Mari Iyagi, WXIII Patlabor, My Life as McDull, Princess Arête, Corto Maltese, Wonderful Days, Officer Down, Missing Persons; also Princes and Princesses
2002
World Cinema: Canadian/North American premieres of Cowboy Bebop, A Tree of Palme; also Spirited Away, Spriggan
2001
World Cinema: Canadian premieres of Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, Metropolis, Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade
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