Exuberant self-expression dotted with wrestling self-reflection.
Last year, OIAF 2023 opened with a tribute to the passing of two people the indie animation community continues to miss very much: Helene Tanguay, whom many of us first came to know during her days in distribution and media at the NFB (things haven’t been the same without her enthusiasm and infectious good humor); and Paul Bush, the UK animator obsessed with the flickering of everyday objects around him. This year, festival artistic director Chris Robinson noted the very recent passing of UK animator Emma Calder, whose films rollercoaster through an emotionally complex world. Thank you, Chris for these touching tributes; the loss of these good souls is felt deeply within our small indie animation community.
It was a curious selection of films this year. There was an emphasis on war, understandably, with an excellent program, “What is it Good For? Images of War in Animation.” The films dated as far back as 1966, reminding us that human nature doesn’t change. While all the animators presented in the program grappled successfully with the subject, Tornhekken: The Hedge of Thorns (2001) by Anita Kili (Norway) stands out for its gentle treatment of a loving friendship between two young children at the border of opposing zones.
The competition selection itself, for the most part, felt centered on raw expression of feelings or form. Best Non-Narrative winner you’ve got a friend in me (2024) by Peter Millard was one surprising exception. Humorous and intelligent in its daring simplicity and reference to conceptual art, the jury rewarded the film for its “... guilty pleasures of acting weird...”
Narrative shorts that did wrestle with subject often touched on political hostilities and included Best Script winner I Died in Irpin (2024) by Anastasiia Falileieva, in which a young woman is caught between her anxious urgency to flee Ukraine’s impending conflict and her frustration with the family’s inaction. Innego konca nie bedzie: There will be no other end (2024) by Piotr Milczarek is a satisfying 8 minutes about the human tendency to solve problems with aggression.
Visually intriguing and thoughtfully composed, Silent Panorama (2024) by Nicolas Piret brings together exquisite 14th century pen and ink techniques with the sounds and imagery of a 21st century camping trip.
Metaphor, one of the great strengths of animation, was clearly and precisely presented in Circle (2024) by Yumi Joung. A young girl picks up a simple branch and draws a circle on the ground. Passersby automatically settle into it until it’s too small to accommodate them all. As she erases it, they passively disperse.
The Car That Came Back from the Sea (2023) by Jadwiga Kowalska was one of the strongest films of the festival. Awarded the Helene Tanguay Award for Humor by jurists Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis, the film’s gentle and charming humor is made even more apparent by its context. As six friends drive to the Polish Baltic coast for a swim in the midst of war, their small wreck of a car parallels their country’s fate as both fall to pieces.
The next Ottawa International Animation Festival is scheduled for September 2025.
