The shorts jury, led by Jan Pinkava, hands out the big prizes.

By Dan Sarto

Another OIAF Grand Prix gets awarded, another Phil Mulloy feature takes top prize, another grumbling voice can be heard complaining about the winners.  Much like the start of Ontario’s moose hunting season, which I watched in awe Sunday on a TV at the back of a bar, as the Nelvana Grand Prix is announced, "second-guessing the judging" season once again begins in the province.  Hopefully, you won’t see too many animators hanging upside down, suspended from a crane over the bloody bed of a pickup truck.  But you never know.

The festival’s 2011 edition concluded with all the formality and aggrandizement you’ve come to expect, which is to say, very little.  Never one to let form get in the way of function, Festival Director Chris Robinson this year turned over emcee duties (if you consider emceeing to consist of standing at a lectern searching sheets of paper for forgotten announcements) to the improvisational FFAF podcasting pair of Joel Frenzer and Alan Foreman.  Often deviating from what I’m sure was a largely unrehearsed script (ie., a card that read ‘get out there and do something’), the two guided the audience through proceedings filled with too many kids, too few clips of winning work and a beatbox rap done in Chinese.  In between, special guests and festival juries sat center stage and awarded a large number of richly-deserving films.  You can read the complete list of winners here.  Here are some pictures.

New this year to the proceedings, comfy chairs set center-stage. When I saw the layout, I knew things would run long. As they did.

The awards table stands patiently in the background.

FFAF in action as emcees - Joel Frenzer and Alan Foreman.

The crowd grew anxious. Maybe they couldn't wait for the kid's jury to take the stage? I know I couldn't.

The kid's jury entertained the audience for hours, or so it seemed.

The NFB's Judith Gruber-Stitzer, Marcy Page and David Verral. Judith did music and Marcy produced on Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby's latest film, Wild Life, which won the award for Best Canadian Animation.

Frederick Tremblay, winner of Best Narrative Short, for Blanche Fraise, a sad tale of rabbits who starve, get caught in traps, then commit suicide.

Juror and animation director Aaron Augenblick.

Plymptoons past and present - former Plympton Studio producer and festival juror Biljana Labovic with current producer Desiree Stavrocos.

Animators Gil Alkabetz and Madi Pillar.

Animator Munro Ferguson and Helen Tanguay.

2 emcees, 1 dad - Joel Frenzer, Joel's dad Dave and Alan Foreman.