OIAF animates Ottawa high schools

The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF), in cooperation with the Community Foundation of Ottawa, and MASC (Multicultural Arts for Schools and Communities), is bringing Animate Ottawa to a number of high schools across the city this spring.

Animate Ottawa is an in-class presentation that gives students the opportunity to explore animation and make their own film all about Ottawa. Participants watch a program of independent animation to get inspired, then create their short film under the guidance of an animation expert.

“We’ve always loved doing outreach activities with students, and we’ve always wanted to collaborate with MASC,” says Kelly Neall, Managing Director at the OIAF. “Animate Ottawa provided us with the perfect opportunity to do both, and highlight the City as well.”

Through Animate Ottawa, students will create a short film exploring what they love about Ottawa. The OIAF will use these films to introduce Ottawa to the hundreds of out-of-town visitors that the Festival brings in each year. Organizers have already visited two schools and the results are impressive!

Animate Ottawa begins with a screening featuring a variety of independent short animated films curated by OIAF’s Artistic Director, Chris Robinson. The 40 minute program includes a number of works from the National Film Board, from the macabre (The Big Swing, Paula Gillgannon) to the adorably absurd (Git Gob, Philip Eddols). Also featured is the accomplished Paper Man from Glebe Collegiate’s David Borish as well as innovative, low tech, personal films like Helen Hill’s Mouseholes. The goal is to present a program that is designed to inspire students to make a film. Many of these films use simple methods such as cut-outs and found objects, techniques students will be using themselves.

After the screening, students participate in a light table workshop with animation expert Tina LeMoine from MASC. Using natural materials such as pine needles, grains, sand and adding cut out characters, students will manipulate objects on a light table and film them. Students will be encouraged to watch and correct their actions.

The OIAF is excited to bring Animate Ottawa to schools free of charge, giving students the opportunity to experience the world of animation and immerse themselves in the creative arts.

This program is made possible with the financial support of the Community Foundation of Ottawa, and the cooperation of MASC and the National Film Board of Canada.

The Ottawa International Animation Festival is one of the world’s leading animation events providing screenings, exhibits, workshops and entertainment since 1976. OIAF is an annual five-day event bringing art and industry together in a vibrant hub, with a total attendance of 28,000 artists, producers, students and animation fans from around the world.

This year’s festival runs from September 21-25, 2016. For more information about the Ottawa International Animation Festival, visit www.animationfestival.ca

Ottawa International Animation Festival highlights: Meet the filmmakers and more

Join animation aficionados at the Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF), North America’s leading animation film festival, taking place from September 16 to 20, 2015, at multiple venues across Ottawa, Canada.

Among the highlights for 2015 is Meet-the-Filmmakers which gives OIAF ticket-holders a rare chance to meet some of animation’s greatest talents up close. Moderated by OIAF Artistic Director Chris Robinson, audiences will be introduced to a variety of filmmakers whose short films are featured in one of seven official short film competitions including the Shorts and Series For Kids competitions.

Audiences are encouraged to ask questions and share comments or opinions about the films featured the night before.

“Meet-the-Filmmakers is a fun, informal event which lets animation fans get a behind-the-scenes look at some of their favourite films from the best animators in the world,” says Chris Robinson. “It’s incredibly rare to get such high-profile animators together in one place to answer questions about their latest projects.”

Canadian filmmakers attending this year’s Meet-the-Filmmakers presentations include Isaac King (Toronto), and Claude Cloutier, Theodore Ushev, Pierre Hébert, Nicolas Ménard, and Julien Grey (Montreal). International speakers include Ely Dagher (Beirut, Lebanon) and Patrick McHale (New Jersey, U.S.A) among others. Meet-the-Filmmakers takes place Sept. 17-18 at Saint Brigid’s Centre for the Arts (310 St. Patrick Street), and from Sept. 19-20 at the Arts Court Theatre (2 Daly Avenue).

Several other presentations designed for audiences to learn more about their favourite companies, schools, and personalities make up OIAF programming this year.

Other 2015 Highlights:

• The Animation Pimpcast With Chris Robinson: Presented by Animation World Network on Thursday, September 17 through Sunday, September 20 at select times at St. Brigid’s Centre for the Arts, writer, programmer and OIAF Artistic Director Chris Robinson sits down for informal chats with four of animation’s top filmmakers, including Leah Shore, Kaspar Jancis, Michèle Cournoyer, and Bruce Bickford.

• Michael Kurinsky: An Artists Growth at Sony Pictures Animation: On Thursday, September 17 at 2:45 p.m. at Château Laurier, Michael Kurinsky shares insights and learnings from his experiences as visual development artist on Sony Pictures Animation’s first feature Open Season, art director on the Studio’s comedy hit, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and his current role as production designer on the upcoming Hotel Transylvania 2, in theaters nationwide September 25.

• Toon Apprentice Day: On Friday, September 18, high school students interested in animation can watch animated films from around the world and attend presentations by some of Canada's top animation schools. This free all-day event is held at the National Gallery of Canada (380 Sussex Drive).

• TED-Ed: Where Education Meets Animation: This educational presentation takes place on Friday, September 18 at 5:00 p.m. at the Arts Court Theatre. It includes a screening of selected work followed by a discussion of TED-Ed’s production process and some of the unique creative challenges faced when creating animation for educational purposes.

• Indie VR: The Oculus Rift Experience: On Saturday, September 19 at 5:30 p.m. at the Arts Court Theatre, a panel of independent artists, including Framestore’s Nick Fox-Gieg, stop-motion filmmaker Brett Long, Toronto Animated Image Society President Madi Piller, and Passion Pictures Creative Director for Commercials Saschka Unseld, discuss how artists and storytellers work with virtual reality technology to create new experiences.

• Masterclass: Bruce Bickford: On Saturday, September 19, at 3:00 p.m. at the Arts Court Theatre, legendary storyteller, clay and line animator Bruce Bickford will give a tutorial on the various morphing techniques he has developed over his career.

Tickets are available for purchase at www.animationfestival.ca until Friday, September 11, and will be sold at the Box Office at the Arts Court Studio thereafter. Tickets start at $13 for the general public, or $9 for seniors, students, and members of the Canadian Film Institute. Festival passes are also available.

For a complete list of scheduled talks and guest speakers, visit animationfestival.ca or download the official OIAF app for the latest updates and information.

Call for Ottawa 2014 Film Festival entries

Call for entries – OIAF, Digi60, OIFF, OWFF, and CDFF

Five local film festivals are currently (or soon will be) accepting submissions for festivals taking place in 2014. And in case you didn't hear, I won first place in the Cellar Door Film Festival promo video challenge.

Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF)
Festival dates: September 17-21, 2014
Submissions deadline: May 16 (entry forms) and May 30 (preview DVDs)

Digi60 Filmmakers Festival (Spring Edition)
Temporary registration page here
Festival date: June 22, 2014
Submissions deadline: June 14 (the “catch” will be released on May 15)

Ottawa International Film Festival (OIFF)
Festival dates: October 15-19, 2014
Submissions deadline: June 30 (earlybird deadline ends May 10)

One World Film Festival (OWFF)
Festival dates: September 25-26 and October 2-3, 2014
Submissions deadline: June 30

Cellar Door Film Festival (CDFF)
Festival dates: TBD (Fall 2014)
Submissions deadline: August 15 (earlybird deadline ends July 15)

OIAF PITCH THIS! deadline is July 1

TAC, The Ottawa International Film Festival’s (OIAF) industry event, announces the return of its Pitch THIS! program, presented by 9 Story Entertainment.

 

Pitch THIS! allows content creators the opportunity to pitch their project ideas to a panel of international broadcasters. Following the five-minute pitches, panel members will share their insight and provide valuable feedback to the presenters.

 

The panelists will assess each pitch based on their creative, innovative and financial merits as well as their marketability and overall appeal.

 

Animators are encouraged to submit their ideas. To qualify for the program, proposals from animators must include the following:

• Project synopsis, including target audience, technique, format, rough budget (1-2 pages)
• One episode synopsis
• Bio of key executives
• Short paragraph indicating your current stage of development and any additional information (i.e. interactive components, merchandise, etc.)
• Concept art (2 or 3 images)

TAC will be accepting proposal by email (tac@animationfestival.ca) until July 1st, 2013.

 

NEW FOR 2013: The two selected proposals will each win 3 nights of accommodation (value $600 each) during the event, plus one complimentary all access TAC Anima pass (value $540 each) per proposal.

 

TAC (The Animation Conference) is a specialized industry conference for animation professionals including content creators, developers, producers, distributors, and marketers.

 

The Conference brings together key players from North America and international markets to provide a forum for active networking, practical information exchange, and trade in a comfortable and intimate environment.

 

Now celebrating its 10th year, TAC has become North America’s preeminent animation industry conference. TAC 2013 takes place September 18-20 in Ottawa.

 

For complete information about TAC and the Ottawa International Animation Festival, visit www.animationfestival.ca.

OIAF adds new category for video game animation

Cyanide Studio's Game of Thrones

The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) has announced the creation of a new category, specifically created for video game artists. The Best Non-Gameplay Animation category is the first of its kind to be featured at any animation festival.

The OIAF created the Non-Gameplay Animation category in response to industry needs from video game animators, who lacked a competitive forum to display their work.

"Since the mid-1990s, we've been trying to find a way to seamlessly integrate videogame animation into OIAF competitions, ” says Festival Artistic Director Chris Robinson. “We found that the best way for us to acknowledge the outstanding work being done in gameplay animation was by encouraging the submission of non-game play components.”

Examples of non-gameplay animation include:
• Trailers previewing a new video game 
• Cinematic cut scenes, a break in the gameplay action that is used to further the plot of the video game

All entries for this year’s competition must be received by May 18, 2012. The deadline for preview DVDs is June 1. There is no entry fee.

Industry professionals are hailing the creation of the new category.  Yves Bordeleau, studio director at Montreal’s Cyanide Studios, the company behind the upcoming release of Game of Thrones, says that the artwork present in video games plays a vital role in promotion of the product and deserves to be recognized.

“I am really happy to see this new category addition for competition at the Ottawa International Animation Festival,” says Bordeleau. “As video games evolve, the need to immerse the player into complex worlds is now mandatory; hence the importance of high quality cinematic cut scenes. Be it in-game or pre-rendered, the value of these ‘non-gameplay’ sequences is so great that they are very often part of key promotional activities like game launch trailers and viral videos.”

Cyanide is an independent and privately held video game studio. Based in Paris, it was created in 2000 and has risen to become one of the most productive game development studios in France. Since 2007, the company has maintained a facility in Montreal.

The OIAF is one of the world’s leading animation events providing screenings, exhibits, workshops and entertainment since 1976.  OIAF is an annual five-day event bringing art and industry together in a vibrant hub and attracting more than 28,000 artists, producers, students and animation fans from around the world. For more information, visit the OIAF website at: www.animationfestival.ca.

Call for Entries! Ottawa International Animation Festival

The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) is pleased to announce its worldwide call for entries for its 2012 festival, taking place September 19 to 23 in Canada’s National Capital Region -- Ottawa!


Animators are invited to submit their recent work into five major categories including: Independent short films, feature films, commissioned films (TV series, commercials, music videos and video game animation) student films and films made for children. 

The OIAF is recognized as one of the world’s most competitive film festivals, receiving more than 2,000 entries annually. The Festival’s selection committee chooses approximately 150 films for competition and out-of-competition showcase screenings.

The Festival’s international jury: Barry Purves (England), Hisko Hulsing (Holland), Izabela Rieben (Switzerland), Mike Fallows (Canada), J.J. Sedelmaier (USA) and Sarah Muller (England) will review films in competition. Jury members will join the audience during screenings throughout the Festival and present the final awards at the closing ceremonies.

The OIAF is also introducing a new category for Non-Gameplay Animation, the first of its kind at any animation festival. Examples of non-gameplay animation include cinematic cut scenes that help advance a game's plot and trailers previewing an upcoming release.

"Since the mid-1990s, we've been trying to find a way to seamlessly integrate videogame animation into OIAF competitions, ” says Festival artistic director Chris Robinson. “We found that the best way for us to acknowledge the outstanding work being done in gameplay animation was by encouraging the submission of non-game play components.”

A new award for Best Canadian Student Animation Film, celebrating the work of emerging filmmakers and the wealth of up-and-coming Canadian talent, will also be introduced. Canadian student films in competition and showcase will be eligible for this award.

All online entry forms for this year’s competition must be received by May 18. The deadline for preview DVDs is June 1. There is no entry fee.

For more information about this year’s Festival, as well as the online entry form, visit the OIAF website at www.animationfestival.ca.  Questions about submitting a film may be sent to entries@animationfestival.ca or made by telephone at 613-232-8769.

The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) is one of the world’s leading animation events providing screenings, exhibits, workshops and entertainment since 1976.  OIAF is an annual five-day event bringing art and industry together in a vibrant hub and attracting more than 28,000 artists, producers, students and animation fans from around the world.

For more information, visit the OIAF website at: www.animationfestival.ca.

Second chance to watch best films from the 2010 Ottawa International Animation Festival on January 29

The Canadian Film Institute (CFI) is giving moviegoers in Ottawa, Canada, a second chance to view the best films featured at the 2010 Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF).

The CFI is presenting the Best of the OIAF, which is currently touring at various venues in Canada and around the world, with a stop in Ottawa on January 29, 2011. The program showcases films that were awarded top honours from the festival’s official competition as well as films that were audience favourites.

“The program is a great opportunity to view films that you may have missed during our 2010 packed-out edition or even just get a chance to enjoy the films again,” said OIAF Managing Director Kelly Neall.

The program includes extraordinary films such as: David O’Reilly’s 2010 Grand Prize-winning, The External World; the pulsating metamorphic madness of Andreas Hykade’s, Love & Theft; Dustin Grella’s deeply moving and brilliantly executed award-winning film, Prayers for Peace; the heart-thumping tale of Sinna Mann (Angry Man) by Anita Killi; and the snap-crackling goodness of Masaki Okuda's, Kuchao (A Gum Boy).

Be warned though, several of the films are sexually explicit.  This is not a program to bring the kids or your mother to.

The screening of the Best of the OIAF in Ottawa happens at 7 p.m. on January 29, 2011 at the Library and Archives Canada (395 Wellington Street at Bay). Free parking is available on the west side of the building.

Admission is $8.00 for CFI members, seniors and students, and $12.00 for the general public. Annual CFI memberships are available at the door for $15.00. For more information, call: (613) 232-8769 or email info@animationfestival.ca.

OIAF 2010 - Ottawa Gets Animated

The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) is offering a variety of activities for all ages at this year’s festival, which runs from October 20 to 24, 2010.

More than 27,000 film buffs, art lovers, producers, and cartoon fans from around the world are descending on the nation’s capital to attend the OIAF 2010.   

OIAF 2010 features the best new animated movies, short films, and music videos from Canada and around the world, and a guest list to match.  This year’s extravaganza of screenings, workshops, and special events are taking place at venues such as Bytowne, the National Gallery of Canada, the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the Arts Court, and Empire Theatres – Rideau Centre. 

Selected from this year’s 2091 entries, the Official Competition screenings collect 90 of the top, new animated works. Attendees of the festival get a chance to view Oscar-winning films such as, Logorama, an entertaining film that illustrates everyone and everything as advertising logos.  

This year, the “Feature Competition” includes: The Illusionist (France) by Sylvain Chomet, a follow-up to Chomet’s Oscar-nominated film, The Triplets of Belleville; Goodbye Mister Christie (Canadian Premiere) by Phil Mulloy (United Kingdom); One Piece Film – Strong World (Canadian Premiere) by Munehisa Sakai (Japan); Gravity Was Everywhere Back Then (Canadian Premiere) by Brent Green (U.S.A.); and Midori-Ko (World Premiere) by Keita Kurosaka (Japan).

There are also many great films that are not in competition but are being shown through the OIAF’s “Out-of-Competition” Showcase.  Audiences have a chance to view films such as the National Film Board of Canada’s award-winning Lipsett Diaries by Theodore Ushev; Pixar’s acclaimed new short, Day and Night; and the ever-popular Walt Disney’s latest short, Tick Tock Tale.

Also this year, the OIAF is paying homage to Japanese animation with a four-part program showcasing independent filmmakers, including the godfather of anime, Osamu Tezuka. 

 

The following are other highlights of the OIAF 2010 “Special Screenings:”

• “Furniture of My Mind,” an engaging look at our relationship with our furniture;
• “Let’s Go Crazy,” a selection of films and new independent shorts about mental health;
• “XX in Animation: Taking a Peek at Work by Women,” a collection of films by women, about women;
• “Winnipeg DIY Animation: Improvised Art Explosions or Cheap Skates,” focuses on Winnipeg’s overlooked animators, those who chose to improvise and create animation on the cheap rather than get left behind;
• “The Inappropriate for Children Show,” a midnight movie collection of wild and unsettling cartoons originally meant for kids, but almost too strange for adults; 
• “Solve Et Coagula: Surrealism and Magic Realism in Czech Animation,” a unique collection of films by Czech animators who infuse personal style, political and social beliefs into their work;
• “Under the Sun: BravoFACT! at 15,” features highlights from Bravo!FACT’s animation oeuvre, from breakout hits like the Oscar-nominated I Met The Walrus through mobile phone delights like Theodore Ushev’s Sou.

OIAF 2010 Family Activities

The OIAF is offering an Animation School Fair for anyone interested in a career in animation on Saturday, October 23 and Sunday, October 24 at the Arts Court.  Teens are FREE on Saturday, Oct. 23 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and can also attend a FREE hands-on workshop presented by the National Film Board of Canada, “Introduction to Animation.”  Teens must obtain an Adobe Toon Apprentice pass in advance by contacting the OIAF before October 14 or they can pick up a pass in-person at the OIAF box office on October 18. Pre-registration is required for the workshop by calling: (613) 232-8769.

Bring your kids to the “Short Films for Kids” competition (October 23 and 24), the “TV for Kids” competition (October 21 and 23), and the FREE hands-on workshop at the Arts Court on October 24.  Pre-registration is required by calling: (613) 232-8769. 

Plus, get a free sneak peak of the new Teletoon series, Skatoony, and participate in an interactive activity, “Get Your Skatoony Game On,” on Sunday, October 24 at the Arts Court. 

Tickets to the festival are $12 (adults) and $7 (children) at the door.  You can also purchase a flexible animation six-pack (6 tickets at the cost of 5 tickets) to avoid the line-ups. 

For more information or a complete list of films, schedules, special screenings, workshops, and events at this year’s festival, please visit the OIAF website at: www.animationfestival.ca or call: (613) 232-8769.

About the Ottawa International Animation Festival

The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) is one of the world’s leading animation events providing screenings, exhibits, workshops and entertainment since 1976. OIAF is an annual five-day event bringing art and industry together in a vibrant hub. More than 27,000 film buffs, art lovers, producers, and cartoon fans are expected to attend the OIAF, the largest animation event in North America. OIAF 2010 is taking place in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada from October 20 to 24.