A lone penguin marks the spot where a retrospective of Canadian animator Janet Perlman's films (and Perlman herself) delighted an audience of schoolchildren.

The Beginning
Apart from the picnic, the OIAF vibe (such as it is) was perhaps best captured at the opening ceremonies (such as they were) prior to the first shorts screening on Wednesday. Chris Robinson, ever the showman, explained that he had been asked by his publisher to write a blog from the festival, which would be posted on the Pimp book page on Amazon. Thus, as he delivered his opening remarks, a computer screen projected behind him displayed an alleged simultaneous transcript of his talk. A la The Colbert Report's "The Word" segment, however, what appeared on the screen was more a commentary (or, in some cases, an entirely unrelated digression) than an accurate record of what he was saying. The humorous effect was enhanced by the fact that whoever was doing the typing wasn't very good at it.

Ubiquitous Cartoon Network executive (and former AWN editor) Heather Kenyon catches up with composer Judith Gruber-Stitzer.

Following this travesty of protocol, the mood became more somber as the festival recognized two animators who died tragically this year. Paul Boyd, who was shot during an altercation with Vancouver police in August, was remembered by jury member Bruce Alcock, owner of Global Mechanic studios, where Boyd worked. And independent animator Heather Harkins memorialized her former teacher Helen Hill, who was murdered in January by an intruder in her New Orleans home. Also in Hill's memory, one of her films was shown before each shorts screening, a fundraiser was organized to benefit her young son, and the personable Harkins hosted a series of "tea parties" in her honor at the official OIAF hangout, the Russian-themed Avant Garde Bar.

Finally, Robinson introduced 2007 Honorary Festival President Hélène Tanguay, the much-loved "soul of NFB animation," who, after four decades at the National Film Board, was returning to civilian life. (On Friday, Hélène would be presented with a "memory box," containing messages from animators from all over the world.) One couldn't have found a better figurehead, or a more enthusiastic ambassador of animation, and Tanguay was a visible presence throughout the festival. Also, as part of her presidential duties, Tanguay programmed "10 Reasons to Love Animation," a selection of shorts -- ranging from Bob Clampett's 1938 Porky in Wackyland and Tex Avery's King-Size Canary (1947), to Oury Atlan, Thibaut Berland & Damien Ferrie's elegiacal 2004 film, Overtime -- that I was sorry to have missed.

Coda
"Even 10 years ago," says Robinson, "we were shooting the shit about the Internet coming and would this be the end of festivals, and I just never felt it was really an issue... This is a chance to come out and meet people and exchange ideas and have a meaningful connection... There is a communal atmosphere, that whole tent/chapel thing... It is a nice feeling to be in there with a group of people and experience this thing together."

Jon Hofferman is the interim editor of AWN.