Ottawa: The Long and the Short of It
Notable among the former were The Heart of Amos Klein by Uri & Michal Kranot, a powerful critique of Israeli military politics (and, as such, an interesting companion piece to Ari Folman's acclaimed feature, Waltz with Bashir); Kunio Kato's accomplished House of Small Cubes; Jeremy Clapin's very funny and clever Skhizein; the beautifully designed, ethically unsettling Berni's Doll by Yann Jouette; Andrés Barrientos & Carlos Andres Reyes' overly familiar but technically spectacular apocalyptic epic In August; Smith & Foulkes' crowd-pleasing, Audience Award-winning tale of funereal mishaps, This Way Up; Felix Massie's Hertzfeldtian Keith Reynolds Can't Make It Tonight; and Don Hertzfeldt's even more Hertzfeldtian I Am So Proud of You, the ironically deadpan and heartbreaking sequel to Everything Will Be Ok.
In the abstract/experimental/oblique category, standouts included Muto by Blu Blu; George Schwizgebel's virtuoso and emotionally affecting Retouches; the whimsical and amusing Cattle Call by Mike Maryniuk & Matt Rankin; Sea Dog's Devotion, one of the strangest and most satisfyingly ambiguous of the narrative films, by Anna Kalus; Bruce Bickford's drug-addled, graphically fluid The Comic That Frenches Your Mind; Theo Ushev's Marcusian Drux Flux; Kudan, a strange Japanese fable with Matrix-like themes, by Taku Kimura; and two incredibly accomplished graduation animations: the beautifully wrought, if almost wholly elusive, Pecatum Parvum by Asya Lukin, and Matthieu Buchalski, Jean-Michel Drechsler & Thierry Onillon's exquisite, surreal Camera Obscura.
It was gratifying to see such a diversity of styles, and if the omnipresent computer played some role in a majority of films, the proceedings were not dominated by soulless CGI, an increasingly common occupational hazard. If there was a recurring element in a large number of films, it was the use of text, either in the form of voiceover narration or as a visual element -- an interesting and somewhat surprising development in a world ruled more and more by images. A significant number of films also incorporated a confessional element (notably It's Always the Same Story by Joris Clerté & Anne Morin, I Slept with Cookie Monster by Kara Nasdor-Jones, A Letter to Colleen by Andy London & Carolyn London, and Like Me, Only Better by Martin Pickles), perhaps reflecting the greater public display of formerly private matters in such media as reality shows, blogs, and nonstop social networking. Or not.
Shorts Competition tip: Keep up the good work!
Animated Activities A beautiful day welcomed artists to the annual Animator's Picnic. Shuttle buses were running late for this event, but once participants arrived at Canada's heritage Billings Estate, they were able to consume hot dogs or veggie burgers (did we mention beer?) and begin carving pumpkins -- a festival tradition. First-time attendees Alex Mostovyk and Victoria Cook from Philadelphia had a grand time creating a drunken pumpkin, which, while perhaps not a suitable symbol for the entire festival, captures the party atmosphere and rampant creativity that is the OIAF.
Or, in the words of director Robinson: "Congratulations to you all, well done, enjoy your bananas."
Janet Hetherington is a freelance writer and cartoonist who shares a studio in Ottawa, Canada, with artist Ronn Sutton and a ginger cat, Heidi. Janet's character, Portent from Monster Love, placed third in the Starz Character Idol pitching competition held at the OIAF.
Jon Hofferman is interim editor of Animation World Network.
The OIAF also offered animators the chance to interact at other functions, such as the SAW Gallery art exhibit, which was the site for the book launch of author Chris Robinson's Ballad of a Thin Man: In Search of Ryan Larkin (an AWN publication). Artist Theodore Ushev was also in attendance, with his work from the book on display in the gallery. Other books on art, design, animation and comics were available at the OIAF Book Fair, located in Ottawa's Arts Court venue.
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