Ottawa International Animation Festival celebrates 50 years with global award winners

The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF), hosted by the Canadian Film Institute, announced its award winners on September 27, marking a milestone for the festival's 50th anniversary year.

The OIAF is the second-largest animation festival in the world and one of the oldest. Among the major award winners, all but one hailed from Japan or Canada.

The Grand Prize for Animation went to "We Are Aliens," directed by Kohei Kadowaki and produced by Japan and France. The film tells the story of two boys who befriend each other and imagine themselves as aliens. When one boy is ostracized by classmates, the other joins in tormenting him—a betrayal with long-lasting effects on both their lives. The film impressed viewers with its realistic animation style and meticulous attention to detail.

"Tangles," directed by Leah Nelson (Canada and USA), received an honourable mention from the jury. The film follows a family navigating a middle-aged woman's descent into Alzheimer's disease, told from the perspective of her older daughter who lives in San Francisco working as an illustrator at a gay magazine. The jury called it "funny, heartfelt and ultimately heartbreaking" with "beautiful animation, emotional depth, and cinematic execution."

In the short film category, "Ball Face," directed by Laurence Thérien (UK and Canada), won an unprecedented four awards: the Public Prize, the Hélène Tanguay Award for Humour, the Bento Box Award for Best Student Animation, and the Canadian Student Award. The film uses claymation to depict a shy Grade 1 girl repeatedly struck in the face during a gym class competition, her face distorted into bloody bruises as her teacher cheers the "victory."

"When the Sea Was Calm," directed by Mamuka Tkeshelashvili (Georgia), won the Animation Guild Craft Award for Best Design. Set in 1992, the film features a teenage boy growing up in an idyllic seaside setting.