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What Is OIAF?
The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) is one of the world’s leading animation events providing screenings, exhibits, workshops and entertainment since 1976. OIAF is an annual five-day event bringing art and industry together in a vibrant hub, attracting artists, producers, students and animation fans from around the world. This year the event returns to an in-person format running September 21 to 25, 2022.
OIAF’s History
The Ottawa International Animation Festival was founded by the Canadian Film Institute (the second oldest film institute in the world, founded in 1935) in 1975 and the first OIAF took place in Ottawa in 1976, making it the first major animation festival to take place in North America. Ottawa already had a history of being the hub of animation in Canada, being home to the National Film Board and legendary animators like Norman McLaren (Neighbours).
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The early editions of OIAF attracted animation pioneers like Lotte Reineinger, Alexeïeff & Parker, and McLaren, as well as all the up-and-coming independent animators in North America. After some ups and downs in the 80s, including the Festival’s move to Toronto, then Hamilton, the OIAF returned home to Ottawa in 1988 and has been going strong ever since.
The Festival grew throughout the 90s; more films submitted, more international recognition, more local attention, more staff members. In August 1999, the OIAF was on fire. No, literally. The OIAF office in the Arts Court building burnt to a crisp. Much was lost, or at least covered in soot, but the Festival was able to go on. After that year’s Festival, Chris Robinson stepped down as Executive Director of the OIAF, and instead created two Director positions; Artistic Director, for himself, and Managing Director, which Kelly Neall took on. Both are still in those positions, innovating and improving the Festival every single year.
The Animation Conference (originally named the Television Animation Conference) was created in 2004. This animation business conference is the only event in Canada designed to cater to professionals in the animation industry: including content creation, development, production, distribution and marketing. TAC has hosted animation heavy-hitters like Seth Green (Robot Chicken), Henry Selick (Nightmare Before Christmas), and Rebecca Sugar (Steven Universe) and the connections made between animators and industry execs at TAC over the years have led to some of your favourite animated shows being created.
In 2016, the OIAF celebrated 40 years of the Festival with the monumental, interactive party, NightOwl. The Saturday night party full of dancing, drawing, VR, film screenings, and several bar options continues to be a highlight of every edition.
The OIAF brought more than just the animation community into the Festival in 2017 with the addition of InGenius Jr Day for kids and their families to enjoy screenings, workshops, and fun with their favorite TV characters, and Animation Exposé, which gives the public a chance to get behind the scenes of their favourite animated films and shows with high profile talks. The Animation Exposé Fair became the hotspot for attendees to find a job, a school or just learn about the world of animation.
Like most film festivals, the OIAF had to make big changes and create a new type of festival in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The team took on the challenge of re-creating the atmosphere of the Festival in online spaces, and succeeded, with animation lovers from all over the world virtually attending, many for the first time.
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Canadian Film Institute (CFI) Board of Directors
Jim McKeen, Chair (Ottawa, joined November 2016)
Hayley Cooper, Treasurer (Ottawa, joined June 2020)
Lauren Brown (Ottawa, joined February 2018)
Will Straw (Montreal, joined September 2017)
Patrick Dion (Ottawa, joined May 2018)
Joy Yang (Toronto, joined May 2018)