The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) celebrated its 40th anniversary with festivities new and old.
The festival showcased the best of animation in the past year, but also held special events to commemorate the anniversary.
Artistic director Chris Robinson said the big way the festival celebrated its anniversary was with screenings of all of the grand prize winners since 1976.
The screenings served as an opportunity for audiences to see how the world of animation has changed over the past 40 years.
“The animation when I was a kid was pretty simple, pretty limited,” Robinson said. “Today, the technologies have changed and the diversity of techniques and styles are pretty mind-blowing.”
Like previous years, this year’s competing films came from talented filmmakers from around the world. According to a press release issued by the OIAF, it received 2,311 entries from 86 countries. That was narrowed down to 80 short films and seven features to be screened at the festival.
The press release also stated that Diane Obomsawin won the grand prize for her short film, J’aime les filles, a collection of narratives about women discovering homosexual desire.
The grand prize for an animated feature was awarded to Jean-François Laguionie for Louise en hiver. He won his first grand prize at the OIAF in 1982.
In addition to film screenings, the OIAF hosted the Animation Conference, featuring discussions and workshops.
The festival invited Michael Hirsh, co-founder of Nelvana, to give a special one-on-one talk with conference attendees. He said he always had an interest in animation, although his ambitions were not as refined as a child.
“When I was growing up, my ambition would’ve been to either grow up to be Mickey Mouse or Superman,” he said. “I wasn’t a very strong person at the time, so I wasn’t going to be Superman. It was easier to become Mickey Mouse.”
The OIAF hosted Hirsh’s discussion as part of the 40th anniversary celebrations.
Robinson has had a hand in creating many popular animated series for children, such as The Care Bears, Franklin the Turtle, and Babar.
Although the festival hosted big names like Hirsh, Robinson said it is an opportunity for independent animators and students to compete at the same level as the bigger studios.
“We treat people from Pixar the same as we treat students,” Robinson said.
The festival also featured a variety of other events, including an interactive space-themed dance party with live music, an additional film screening, and arcade games.
The festival ran from Sept. 21-25 at several venues across downtown Ottawa.
