Tonight: Final Night of the 20th Annual One World Film Festival
Friday, October 30th
Library and Archives Canada
395 Wellington Street
Doors Open at 5:30/Screenings Begin at 6:00PM
Evening Pass: $12.00/$10.00 (Students and Seniors)
www.wiam.ca
6:00PM /
THE MOST SECRET PLACE ON EARTH – THE CIA’S COVERT WAR IN LAOS
A film by Marc Eberle (Germany)
52 min., 2009
The Vietnam War was the most intensely televised war ever. However, next door in neighboring Laos, the longest and largest air war in human history was underway, which eventually made Laos the most bombed country on earth. The Secret War was the largest operation ever conducted by the CIA, yet to this day, hardly anyone knows anything about it. Critics call it the biggest war crime of the Vietnam War era and point to striking similarities to the present conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan; similarities that were tested and set in motion back in Laos in the 1960s. In The Most Secret Place On Earth, key players of the Secret War- former CIA agents, American pilots, Laotian fighters and war reporters – take us on a journey into the physical heart of the conflict: Top secret Long Cheng, where the CIA built its headquarters in 1962. It was from this base that the Secret War was largely planned and executed. As the war dragged on, Long Cheng became the busiest airbase in the world and a major center for the global opium and heroin trade. As we journey into Long Cheng for the first time – the site has been off limits to the outside world since the end of the war in 1975 – the film reconstructs the gripping story of the operation and illustrates its relevance to current American conflicts.
BREAK
7:30PM /
Good Fortune
A film by Landon Van Soest (USA)
73 min., 2007
GOOD FORTUNE explores how massive, international efforts to alleviate poverty in Africa may be undermining the very communities they aim to benefit. Through intimate portraits of two Kenyans battling to save their homes from large-scale development organizations, the film presents a unique opportunity to experience foreign aid through the people it is intended to benefit.
In the rural countryside, Jackson’s farm is being flooded by an American investor who hopes to alleviate poverty by creating a multi-million dollar rice farm. Across the country in Nairobi, Silva’s home and business in Africa’s largest squatter community are being demolished as part of a United Nations slum-upgrading project.
Interweaving meditative portraits of its characters, GOOD FORTUNE examines the real-world impact of international aid. With a broad scope and intimate style, the film portrays gripping stories of human perseverance and suggests that the answers for Africa lie in the resilience of its people.
Followed by:
WaterCan
3 short films – 1 min.
Featuring the winning entry, H2Slow by Ottawa-native William Barber, these one-minute videos were run as a contest by the locally-based non-profit organization WaterCan.
Presentation by :Gary Pluim, Executive Director of WaterCan and George Yap Program Director, WaterCan.
BREAK
9:30PM /
The Choir
A film by Michael Davies (Australia)
88 min., 2008
South Africa in 1994 was in the grip of massive social change. The transition from dictatorship to democracy also ushered in a massive crime wave that rocked the country. The Choir explores the consequences of this social upheaval in the struggle for humanity and redemption through music in South Africa’s biggest prison.
Shot over six years by Emmy award winning Australian filmmaker Michael Davie, the story follows a group of inmates – led by wily ex-bank robber Coleman – finding strength in the community of the prison choir. Coleman takes under his wing a rebellious and angry young prisoner, Jabulani Shabangu whose eventual release back onto the streets of Johannesburg is fraught with poverty and despair before his returned to prison.
Under the tough love of the choirmaster, Jabulani learns to respect others and behave with discipline. Mirroring their homeland’s struggle to deal with the past and forge a new identity, The Choir is testament to the power of music and self-belief.
Ottawa festival winners announced
Mike Valiquette | CanadianAnimationResources.ca
The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) comes to an end with the highly anticipated closing ceremonies held this evening at the Museum of Civilization in Gatineau. Organizers announced the winners of the official competition during the ceremonies.
This year’s event, held October 14-18, was a tremendous success with packed screenings, sold out workshops, high profile networking events such as the Television Animation Conference and the Recruiting Fair. The Festival is a major international film event that attracts 1500 industry pass holders from across Canada and around the world with a total attendance of over 25,000. Although the final numbers are not officially in, there are strong indications that this year’s Festival reached the highest attendance to date.
The 2009 international jury for Short Program, Student and Commissioned Films include: Amid Amidi (USA), Jim Blashfield (USA) and Suzan Pitt (USA). The international jury for Feature Film Competition include: Thomas Meyer-Hermann (Germany), Christa Moesker (Netherlands) and Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre (Canada).
The Festival has a special jury made up of local kids to select the Best Short Animation Made for Children and the Best Television Animation Made for Children. This year’s kids jury included: Tallie Doyle, Tegwyn Hughes, Jamie McCormick, Felipe Bemfica, Isabelle Birchall, Aditya Mohan, Paris Mullin, Quinn Murphy and Eric Ding.
Full story: Ottawa festival winners announced
Here’s what you’ll see at the animation festival
Peter Simpson, The Ottawa Citizen
More than 150 animated films — from as short as 10 seconds in length to this year’s record crop of feature-length entries — will be screened between today and Sunday evening. Ninety-nine of those films will be in official competition, and 58 others will be showcased outside the competition.
It’s all turning into the biggest year to date in the 33-year history of the Ottawa International Animation Festival, which can say without hyperbole that it attracts the best of the world’s animation, and some of its biggest hitters as guest speakers.
This year’s speakers include Henry Selick, director of Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach, who will talk about his 2009 hit Coraline. Story supervisor Ronnie del Carmen will talk about the making of another big animated hit this year, Pixar’s Up!, and David Silverman will talk about directing The Simpsons Movie and 22 episodes of The Simpsons on TV.
Full preview available on Peter’s The Big Beat blog: Here’s what you’ll see at the animation festival
Animation Festival expects large crowds
Veronica Quach, Centretown News
The festival features the competition of animated films, including short films, PSAs, commercials and feature films. Approximately 100 films are selected from 1,000 entries from all over the world each year, says Kelly Neall, managing director of the festival. It also allows animation professionals and fans to get together and network.
More students groups are expected to boost attendance, says Neall. Groups from all over North America have time to organize and are expected to come out, she says. When the festival was held in September, schools did not have time to prepare, she says.
More than 1,500 people have signed up for passes this year and the festival expects to break the attendance record from last year, says Neall. People attend because the festival is one of the largest animation festivals in the world, she says.
Full story at centretownnewsonline.ca: Animation Festival expects large crowds
Animation buffet: Fest draws big industry names, enthusiasts
TRACEY TONG | METRO OTTAWA
From the new Wallace and Gromit movie to a new film by The Cat Came Back creator Cordell Barker and appearances by The Simpsons Movie director David Silverman, Up’s Ronnie del Carmen and Coraline director Henry Selick, the Ottawa International Animation Festival has “some pretty heavy stars in animation” here this year, said artistic director Chris Robinson.
The 33rd annual festival, which kicked off Wednesday and runs through Sunday, has “taken over downtown” with screenings at the Bytown, the Arts Court, the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the National Gallery of Canada and the Empire Theatre, said Robinson.
With so many film choices – 99 in competition and 40 in the international showcase – and lectures, workshops and networking opportunities for those in the industry, Ottawans have a lot to choose from.
Read the full preview on Metro Ottawa online: Animation buffet
The 2009 Ottawa International Animation Festival
Migneault | Apt.613 blog
This week the Ottawa International Animation Festival will celebrate its 33rd year. No that wasn’t a typo. The Animation Festival has been around for more than three decades. In that time it has cemented itself as one of the premier animation festivals on the planet [We here at Apt. 613 cannot comment on what goes on in other solar systems]. Animators from around the world can point out Ottawa on a map because they know that the festival has always been on the cutting edge for their field. In short, the Ottawa International Animation Festival is the place to be if you want to know what exciting directions all forms of animation are headed in the next few years. We should be proud that animators look up to this event to check the collective pulse of their industry. There is no better way to show that pride than to check out some of the best films the festival has to offer.
This year the Animation Festival will run from Wednesday Oct. 14 to Sunday Oct. 18. Over the course of those five days 93 short films and seven feature films will be screened for competition. These films were hand picked from 2,185 different entries over the course of the past year. There will be an additional 58 films (out of competition) that are meant to showcase Canadian talent. The festival also hosts many different workshops and keynote speeches by industry leaders. Spaces for these events are limited for the general public, however, because they are really meant for animation insiders.
Read the full post on Apt. 613: The 2009 Ottawa International Animation Festival
20th Annual One World Film Fest Opens with Rhino
Source: Gaia Kit, Earth’s #1 resource for wildlife filmmakers
The prize-winning documentary Milking the Rhino (2009), directed by David E. Simpson, will kick off the 20th annual One World Film Festival Thursday at Library and Archives Canada. The first documentary to explore wildlife conservation from the perspective of people who live among animals in the wild will air at 9:30 p.m on Oct. 15.
For the full story and movie trailer, visit the Gaia Kit blog: 20th Annual One World Film Fest Opens with Rhino
The 20th Anniversary of the One World Film Festival Presents the 2009 Opening Night Screening of Us Now
The 20th Anniversary of the One World Film Festival Presents the 2009 Opening Night Screening of Us Now followed by a presentation with Shauna Sylvester, Director of Canada’s World and ForeignPolicyCamp
Thursday, October 15th
Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa
Doors open at 5:30 pm. Film starts at 6:00 pm.
Admission for the full evening of three films and speakers is $12.00/$10.00 for students. See Festival line-up: wiam.ca/downloads/OWFF_Program2009.pdf
Us Now takes a look at how internet communities could transform the way that countries are governed. It tells the stories of the online networks whose radical self-organizing structures threaten the fabric of government forever. ForeignPolicyCamp is an innovative unconference conference that is using social media tools to get Canadians to rethink Canada’s role in the world.
For more information contact:
Jolynn Sommervill: jolynn@wiam.ca
Micheline Shoebridge: michelines@magma.ca
WIAM office: 613-238-4659
www.wiam.ca
