Northern Scene in 2013!

Details to come.

Contact Information

General:  613-947-7000
General information:  info@prairiescene.ca
Website: www.prairiescene.ca / www.scenedesprairies.ca
Volunteer information: www.prairiescene.ca / www.scenedesprairies.ca

OTTAWA – July 20, 2011 – In conjunction with our 30^th anniversary, SAW Video is pleased announce HOT BOX, a multi-disciplinary summer social and fundraiser.

The first of several anniversary events coming later this fall, HOTBOX celebrates SAW Video at a time when the media arts have become a ubiquitous part of our global culture. Whether someone is capturing video on their mobile phone, or recording a sound installation on their laptop, the media arts are no longer on the fringes, but are an ever-expanding facet of our digital lives.

We are bringing together some of the city’s best VJs, DJs, restaurants and bands, to highlight  SAW Video’s award-winning programs and raise a glass to the thriving artistic community we call home.

We will be featuring food stands from: Murray Street, The Manx Pub, Black Cat Bistro, Jak’s Kitchen, Pascale’s Ice Cream, Strata Pizza (Ottawa’s newest wood-fired pizza) and Kichesippi Beer.
Live music and video projections from: Bear Witness (A Tribe Called Red / Electric Pow-Wow), Holy Cobras, Adam Saikaley (electronic musician/dj & host of CBC’s Bandwidth), and more!

Rounding out HOTBOX will be a 30 prize raffle representing 30 years of SAW Video including prizes from NAC English Theatre, Top Of The World, ByTowne Cinema, GCTC, and many more.

Briefly:

WHAT: HOTBOX – a saw video summer social
WHEN: Thursday August 11, 2011, 6-11pm.
SOUND+VISION: VJ Bear Witness, Holy Cobras, DJ Adam Saikaley, DJ Chris International + VJ Daisy
GASTRONOMY: Kichesippi Beer & food stands featuring Ottawa’s sweetest chefs & restaurants
WHERE: SAW Courtyard, 67 Nicholas Street (next to Rideau Centre)
ADMISSION: Pay what you can, or $3 (includes one raffle ticket, two for $5)

OIAF attendees also have a chance to meet with animation filmmakers from around the world during the “Meet the Filmmakers” breakfast to take place at the Arts Court studio from Thursday, October 21 to Sunday, October 24 at 9 a.m.

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, a highly entertaining film which 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 the 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.

“While crazy behaviour has long been a basic ingredient in comedy,” said Guest Curator and Animation Historian, Karl Cohen, “Historically, dramatic film rarely depicted mental illness, except for token mad scientists, criminally insane masterminds or rage-filled monsters. In recent years, a handful of animators have pioneered new styles of animated storytelling able to portray the serious side of life and the complexities of mental health.”

“Let’s Go Crazy” brings together a selection of animation portraying mental health, from Looney Toons to new independent shorts, each depicting how minds work in unique ways.

Some of the films included in the “Let’s Go Crazy” program are: The Case of the Stuttering Pig by Frank Tashlin; Tex Avery’s, Happy Go Nutty; The Tell Tale Heart from Ted Parmelle; Mike Judge’s, Beavis and Butthead; The Spine by Chris Landreth; and the Oscar-winning film, Harvie Krumpet.

 For a complete list of films, schedules, special screenings and events at this year’s OIAF, visit: www.animationfestiva.ca.

About 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 that attracts more than 27,000 artists, producers, students and animation fans from around the world. OIAF 2010 is being held from October 20 to 24 in Ottawa, Ontario. For more information, visit the OIAF website at: www.animationfestival.ca.

Image: Still from the movie, “The Bright, the Bad and the Ugly”

For proof of what a group of preteens can accomplish over two months of lunch breaks with the help of some popsicle sticks, a few light bulbs and a camera, see this year’s Ottawa International Animation Festival.

One official selection, a stop-motion short film called The Bright, the Bad and the Ugly was written, shot and directed by a Grade 5 class at Grosvenor Wentworth Park School in Halifax. Their tale of the town of Squander, a tumbleweed-infested homestead populated by energy-wasting light bulbs, beat out more than 70 other entries from across the globe to win one of five spots in the high-school category.

Chris Robinson, the festival’s artistic director, said they are the only grade-school class to ever win a spot in that category.

Full story on the Globe and Mail website: Fifth-graders make the cut at international film festival

Sylvain Chomet’s new feature The Illusionist and the new Disney short film Tic Tock Tale are among the films set to screen at this year’s Ottawa International Animation Festival.

The festival, set for Oct. 20-24 in the Canadian capital city, will screen 90 film selected from more than 2,000 entries in a number of categories. The fest also will screen 56 international films out of competition.

Other highlights include Norway’s award-winning Angry Man, directed by Anita Killi; Pixar’s acclaimed short, Day and Night; Oscar-winner Logorama; German film Love and Theft from three-time Ottawa Grand Prix winner Andreas Hykade; and an episode from HBO’s The Ricky Gervais Show.

Full article: Illusionist, New Disney Short to Headline at Ottawa

Featuring independent works produced in 2009, the programme is comprised of eleven short videos created by SAW Video’s prolific membership. Media artists Izabel Barsive, Deniz Berkin, Phil Caron, Pixie Cram, Ed Folger, John Graham, Penny McCann, Rehab Nazzal, Theo Pelmus, Tasha Waldron, and Eric Walker represent the diversity of our members, featuring a range of styles and interests from dramas to documentaries to experimental videos.

The party will continue down the street at Patty’s Pub, 1186 Bank Street, after the screening. Join us as we tip our hats to the creativity of SAW Video’s members and support local artists!

Programme:

Phil Caron :: Tammy Teardrop :: 4 min. 17 sec.
Izabel Barsive :: Lustrale :: 9 min.
Pixie Cram :: Prometheus in Five Directions :: 15 min.
Tasha Waldron :: La Petite Mort :: 4 min.
John Graham :: Hidden Cities :: 2 min.
Rehab Nazzal :: A Night at Home :: 4 min.
Deniz Berkin :: Late Nights and Green Lights :: 4 min. 15 sec.
Penny McCann :: The Professor and the Blind Girl :: 7 min. 8 sec
Theo Pelmus :: Liquid for the Fall :: 10 min.
Eric Walker :: Up in Smoke :: 1 min. 49 sec.
Ed Folger :: Water Light and Chaos: Art by Juan Geuer :: 20 min. 9 sec.

SAW Video : Centre for the media arts
67 Nicholas St. Ottawa ON K1N 7B9

T: (613) 238-7648

www.sawvideo.com

SAW Video is an artist‐run‐centre committed to support ground breaking artistic production, presentation and programming of independent video and media art. SAW Video provides many services to its membership including affordable technical facilities, and a wide range of programmes designed to create an atmosphere that will inspire production through the exchange of ideas around form, content and style.

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

Mary and Max, directed by Australia’s Adam Elliot, took home the grand prize for best animated feature at the Ottawa International Animation Festival last night.

Kaasündinud Kohustused (Inherent Obligations) by Rao Heidmets of Estonia took home the grand prize for best independent short animation.

The 33rd annual festival featured 93 short films and seven features in competition and 58 in the international showcase, attracting a record 27,000 people, said festival spokeswoman Lindsay Wellwood. The festival had three local entries, including Nick Cross and Dave Cooper, who did a video for Danko Jones called King of Magazines, and Canterbury High School student Benjamin Woodyard.

Source: Metro Ottawa online: Animation fest wraps up 33rd year

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