OTTAWA — British animators Phil Mulloy and Stephen Irwin took home two of the top jury prizes as the Ottawa International Animation Festival that ended Sept. 25.

The annual festival, the largest of its kind in North America, ran Sept. 21 to 25, presenting short and feature films on screens around town, as well as workshops and special screenings outside of the competition. In a closing ceremony at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the festival presented more than a dozen awards.

Phil Mulloy, a two-time previous winner at the festival for best feature film, won the prize again for Dead but Not Buried, a dark comedy bout a dead body that goes missing. The jury praised Mulloy’s “innovative way of filmmaking, bold use of minimalistic graphics, original use of sound and subversive humour.”

Stephen Irwin won the $3,000 Nelvana Grand Prize for best independent short animation, for his film Moxie, “for its powerful combination of style and narrative, leaving a memorable impression.”

Call animated films cartoons and Chris Robinson gets a little testy, which is understandable.

As the artistic director of Ottawa’s International Animation Festival, the author and film programmer screens more than 2,000 films that want to be shown at the annual Animation Festival. Only 150 actually make it in.

Animated films are much more than cartoons, he points out, because they have the ability to amuse, entertain, and most importantly, satirize the way no regular film can.

That’s an awesome power, one that few films outside Jean Cocteau are even remotely capable of duplicating.

And because they work with cute and playful images, animators can say dangerous truths and get away with it.

“Short animated films are the poets of the film industry,” Robinson states flatly.

“They aren’t made by nerds, but by people who are passionate about the art.”

So, you can understand why Robinson, or anyone who loves film, gets defensive calling animated films cartoons. That’s like calling a Harley a bike.

He gets to show what he means Sept. 21 to 25, when his International Animation Festival opens around town.

Read more on the Ottawa Sun website: Ottawans get ‘animated’ at yearly festival

Steven Mazey, the Ottawa Citizen

FIVE DAYS OF TOONS

What: Ottawa International Animation Festival, the largest event of its kind in North America

When & where: Sept. 21 to 25. Screening venues include ByTowne Cinema, Arts Court, Rideau Centre cinemas and others

Tickets and passes: Single tickets are $12 general, $7 for seniors and children under 12. Passes, at assorted prices, are also available.

Information: www.animationfestival.ca; 613-232-8769

Watch a Clip: Watch a trailer for Chico and Rita, one of four feature films in competition this year.

OTTAWA — In case you didn’t hear about it, Bambi once met Godzilla.

The encounter didn’t go well for the little deer, as you’ll see if you attend “Ten Reasons to Love Animation,” one of the special presentations at this year’s Ottawa International Animation Festival.

Running Sept. 21 to 25, the festival is the largest event of its kind in North America, with more than 150 films from around the world presented on screens around town, chosen from more than 2,000 that were submitted.

Read more on the Ottawa Citizen website: Bambi, Godzilla and a few surreal spirits

The Ottawa International Animation Festival is back for its 35th year, with a mix of work by veterans like Koji Yamamura, Paul Driessen, Bill Plympton, and entries from animation’s newest young rising stars.

Every year, said artistic director Christopher Robinson, the official competition event is the heart of the festival.

“That’s where everybody can come in and see the latest hot animation from around the world. Every year that’s always exciting,” he said. “You’re watching short films mixed with TV ads mixed with experimental films, so you really get the whole spectrum of animation in one go. Maybe you don’t like a couple of films, but you might love the next film.”

Read more on the Metro Ottawa website: Festival draws many stars from animation

A Glebe Collegiate Grade 12 student is excited his film is among the few that were selected to be screened when thousands of film buffs, art lovers, filmmakers and cartoonists descend on Ottawa for the Ottawa International Animation Festival.

Paper Man, a new short film by David Borish that will be making its world premiere at the Sept. 21-25 festival, presents a unique animation adventure come to life.

“I’m super excited for my work to be on display, since I want to get as many people to see it as possible,” said 17-year-old Borish.

His film is one of only five high school films selected to be part of the festival’s High School category.

Read more on the Your Ottawa Region website: GCI student’s film to premiere at animation fest

The Ottawa International Animation Festival’s industry event TAC is now accepting proposals for its 2011 Pitch THIS! Program, presented by 9 Story Entertainment. This year’s event will be held at the Fairmont Château Laurier on September 21 and 22, the first two days of the Festival.

“Nothing beats pitching to industry execs in front of hundreds of people to bring the potential of your project quickly into focus! For us it was the confidence boost we needed to go after the opportunities that arose from attending TAC.” - Warren Brown, Producer of BIGBOX SINGSONG (Pitch THIS! 2009)

Pitch THIS! gives two producers the opportunity to steal everybody’s attention by revealing their new project to everyone in the TAC audience, which includes over 350 potential buyers, financiers, partners and industry leaders. Two of the most promising ideas will be selected by the TAC committee for a chance to WOW the conference’s panel of broadcasters and industry leaders for 10 minutes. Both producers and audience members alike will receive valuable feedback from a panel of broadcasters.

Read more on the Ottawa Start website: TAC Announces Pitch THIS! 2011 at the Ottawa International Animation Festival

Be prepared to welcome a few thousand of the animation universe’s annual, and some new, honorary Ottawans as they descend upon the city – it’s a friendly invasion. Last year’s attendee numbers were impressive and you can bet the numbers this fall will definitely be as impressive and, no doubt, exceedingly so! The total count last year was well over 27,000 with almost 200 delegates and special guests. The screening venues will host more than 90 presentations with many special events at venues across the city. The tickets are reasonable, coming in around the average cost for a mainstream flick at your favourite mondo movie-plex. If you absolutely have to see everything (and why would you not?) you can opt for the festival’s day, weekend and full passes and a very nifty ‘ticket six pack’.

You can also catch the excitement of the festival by attending the outreach events presented by the OIAF. This year the events include: The Toon Apprentice high school lecture series; An animation celebration with free screenings for elementary classes; An animation school fair; free – yes free! – NFB workshops for families and teens; A Toon Appretice website and the Adobe Toon Apprentice Pass. Excellent draws for everyone.

Full article on Ottawa Life Magazine’s website: Ottawa International Animation Festival: That’s More Than All Folks!

Ottawa’s Chris Robinson knew he was partly writing about himself when he penned the script for the Genie-nominated animated short film The Lipsett Diaries, but he didn’t realize how much until a year after he’d finished.

The film tells the tragic tale of 1960s film director Arthur Lipsett, and reveals the so-called method to his madness behind his unique experimental shorts.

During Lipsett’s time with the Nati onal Film Board, he would collect “found footage” from the trash and then connect those tossed clips to tell his desired story. Lipsett’s sporadic style is said to have stemmed from his battle with psychological disorders, from witnessing his mother’s suicide to his own struggle with bipolar disease, which ultimately led to his suicide weeks before his 50th birthday.

Read the full story on the Ottawa Citizen website: Genie Awards: Finding the ‘crazy manic sides’

Gary has won wide praise for his work as an animator and cartoonist, including a 1994 Harvey nomination for his comic book Idiotland. His illustrations and cartoons have appeared in The New Yorker, Musician Magazine, The New York Observer, Raw, Blab and as weekly features in The New York Press for many years. To learn more about the man and his work visit www.garyleib.com.

For more about the OIAF, please visit www.animationfestival.ca

The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) comes to an end with a highly anticipated closing ceremonies which were held this evening at the Canadian Museum of Civilization. OIAF organizers announced the 2010 winners of the official competition during the ceremonies.

This year’s OIAF, which were held from October 20 to 24, was a tremendous success. The festival was packed with special screenings, sold out workshops and high profile networking events such as TAC (Television Animation Conference) and the “Students-for-Hire” Animation School Fair.

The OIAF is a major international film event that attracts more than 27,000 film buffs, art lovers, producers, and cartoon fans from around the world. Although the final numbers are not yet officially in, there are strong indications that this year’s festival reached the highest attendance to date.

The members of the 2010 International Jury for the Short Program, Student and Commissioned Films are: Frances Leeming (Canada), Munro Ferguson (Canada), and Maya Yonesho (Japan). The members of the International Jury for the Feature Film Competition are: Atsushi Wada (Japan), Torill Kove (Canada/Norway), and Michaela Pavlatova (Czech Republic).

The OIAF 2010 also has a special Kids Jury made up of local kids to select the Best Short Animation and the Best Television Animation Made for Children. This year’s Kids Jury members are: Riel Schryer, Rowan Martineau, Traicy Quintero, Erica Vong, Marc Patterson, Liza Roik, Thomas Berry, William von Herff, Namira Keshavjee, Kiera Kealey and Lara Kelly.

The 2010 Nelvana GRAND PRIZE for Best Independent Short Animation ($3,000 CDN) is:
· The External World by David O’Reilly (United Kingdom).
“A unique reconstruction of the universe.”

The 2010 GRAND PRIZE for Best Animated Feature is:
· Goodbye Mister Christie by Phil Mulloy (United Kingdom).

The 2010 Walt Disney Animation Studios GRAND PRIZE for Best Student Animation is:
· Prayers for Peace by Dustin Grella (U.S.A.).
“Moving and honest.”

The 2010 GRAND PRIZE for Best Commissioned Animation is:
· Going West by Martin Andersen and Line Andersen (New Zealand).
“Conceptual sophistication and exquisite rendering.”

The 2010 Best Animation School Showreel is:
· Tokyo Arts University (Japan).
Honourable Mention: Rhode Island School of Design (U.S.A.)

The 2010 Best Narrative Short is:
· This is love by Lei Lei (China).
“Because we loved it.”

The 2010 Best Experimental/Abstract Animation is:
· Little Deaths by Ruth Lingford.
“Describing the indescribable.”

The 2010 Adobe Prize for Best High School Animation is:
· Where is the love by Dae Woen Yoon and Joe Woo Shin (South Korea).
“Careful drawing and good story.”

The 2010 Best Undergraduate Animation is:
· LGFUAD by Kelsey Stark (U.S.A.).
“Shows a lot of spirit.”

The 2010 Best Graduate Animation is:
· Prayers for Peace by Dustin Grella (U.S.A.).
“Moving and honest.”

The 2010 Best Promotional Animation is:
· WWF ‘Heroes of the UAE’ by Josiah Newbolt and Ben Falk (United Kingdom).
“For its memorable twist.”

The 2010 Best Music Video is:
· Blockhead ‘The Music Scene’ by Anthony Schepperd (U.S.A.).
“Powerful, non-stop fluidity.”

The 2010 Best Television Animation for Adults is:
· Midtown Twist by Gary Leib (U.S.A.).
“Jazzy, upbeat fun.”

Special Mention: Tord och Tord (Tord and Tord) by Niki Lindroth von Bahr (Sweden)
Reason: “Warm and fuzzy, yet dry and dark.”

Special Mention: Fumiko no Kokuhaku (Fumiko’s Confession) by Ishida Hiroyasu (Japan)
Reason: “Amazing technique and energy.”

The 2010 Best Short Animation Made for Children is:
· Cul de bouteille (Specky Four Eyes) by Jean-Claude Rozec (France).
Honourable Mention: Diversity by Anthony Dusko (U.S.A.)

The 2010 Best Television Animation Made for Children is:
· The Gruffalo by Jakob Schuh and Max Lang (United Kingdom).
Honourable Mention: Spliced ‘Helen’ by Matt Ferguson (Canada)

The 2010 National Film Board of Canada PUBLIC PRIZE is:
· Sinna Mann (Angry Man) by Anita Killi (Norway).

The Canadian Film Institute (CFI) Award for Best Canadian Animation is:
· Lipsett Diaries by Theodore Ushev (Canada).
Honourable Mention: Playtime by Steven Woloshen (Canada)

About the Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF)

OIAF 2010 was held from October 20 to 24 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Events at OIAF included special screenings, panels, workshops, parties and TAC. The OIAF is North America’s animation film festival featuring cutting-edge programming catering to industry executives, trend-setting artists, students and animation fans. As an annual five-day, the OIAF brings art and industry together in a vibrant hub, attracting more than 27,000 film buffs, art lovers, producers and cartoon fans around the world. For more information about the OIAF, please visit: www.animationfestival.ca.