The Best of Ottawa 2009

Award-winning films from the
2009 OTTAWA INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION FESTIVAL

Founded in 1975 by the Canadian Film Institute and first held in 1976, the now annual Ottawa International Animation Festival is the largest festival of its kind in North America and one of the most respected animation festivals in the world.

The 2009 festival, held October 14-18, attracted a record-breaking number of entries: 2,185 works from 78 countries. Of these, 93 shorts and 7 features were selected for the festival’s official competition, and another 58 were chosen for out-of-competition screenings. The festival awards prizes in several main competition categories, including feature films, independent short films, commissioned films, student films, and animation for children.

This year’s entertaining “Best of” program showcases festival award winners, audience favourites, and other outstanding and innovative entries in a wide variety of genres and forms.

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OIAF 2009 Signal Film · This year’s festival trailer, made by Julian Grey of Toronto’s Head Gear Animation. Julian Grey/Canada 2009. 1 min.

Love on the Line · A mix of stop-motion cut-outs and 2D computer animation tells the tale of two teen sweethearts with raging hormones who, in a time before the internet or even telephones, use the telegraph for a secret chat. G. Melissa Graziano/USA 2008. 5 mins.

Mak the Horny Mac Daddy · Honourable Mention/Undergraduate Animation · A horny guy lets nothing stand in the way of his goals. Ian Miller/USA 2009. 1 min.

Postalolio · From Vancouver’s Marv Newland of International Rocketship, an animated journey through the international post, made up of images hand-painted onto postcards and then sent through the mail. Marv Newland/Canada-USA 2008. 5 mins.

Please Say Something · Best Narrative Short · David OReilly (who directed U2’s recent video “I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight”) won the Golden Bear for Best Short at Berlin for this future-set tale of a troubled cat-and-mouse relationship. David O'Reilly /Ireland-Germany 2009. 10 mins.

The Bellow’s March · Pre-cinema zoetrope technology meets digital animation as concertina soldiers spin in a Sisyphean cycle of mock-time lapse. Eric Dyer/USA 2009. 5 mins.

Chick · Best Student Animation · An ironic tale of romantic infatuation and its consequences. Michal Socha/Poland 2008. 5 mins.

The Black Dog’s Progress · A dog, unwanted by his owner, most cope with an unwelcoming neighbourhood. Stephen Irwin/Great Britain 2008. 3 mins.

Magic Cube and Ping-Pong · A ping-pong ball goes astray in a city of people whose heads are magic cubes. Lei Lei/China 2009. 4 mins.

The Art of Drowning · Honourable Mention/Canadian Animation · A dynamic visualization of a poem by former U.S. poet laureate Billy Collins, made at Vancouver’s Emily Carr University. Diego Maclean/Canada 2009. 2 mins.

History of the Meat Packing District · A cartoon history of the famed Manhattan neighbourhood, from underground comic artist Gary Leib (Idiotland). Gary Leib /USA 2008. 1 min.

MGMT: “Kids” · Childhood fears come alive in this music video for Brooklyn duo MGMT’s Grammy-nominated song. Christy Karacas & Ray Tintori/USA 2009. 6 mins.

The Terrible Thing of Alpha-9! · Best Undergraduate Animation · A sci-fi film noir comedy in which a space bounty hunter targets a terrible monster. Jake Armstrong/USA 2009. 6 mins.

Madagascar, A Journey Diary · Best Commissioned Animation, Best Television Animation for Adults, Public Prize · Featured at Sundance this year, and winner of three prizes at Ottawa, a lively, luxuriant exploration of Madagascar and its culture. Bastien Dubois/France 2009. 12 mins.

Total running time: approx. 80 mins.

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MORE ANIMATION in April @ Pacific Cinémathèque!
Stéphane Aubier & Vincent Patar's A Town Called Panic: April 1-5 + 7
Bill Plympton's Idiots and Angels: April 2-4 + 7