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OIAF 2026: Award Winners, ‘Ray Gunn’ Panel, AI In Animation, And More From Ottawa
We recap OIAF 2026, including the festival’s award winners, a ‘Ray Gunn’ panel with Brad Bird, AI discussions, Pitch THIS!, and more.
#Ottawa International Animation Festival
ACE Canada Names Nine Animation Professionals For Its Fifth Career Excelerator Cohort
The Netflix-backed program will bring together artists and filmmakers from across Canada to make an animated short and gain senior-level credits.
‘We Are Aliens,’ ‘Praying Mantis’ Win Top Prizes As ‘Ball Face’ Makes Student Film History At OIAF 2026
Other Ottawa International Animation Festival winners included ‘Eri,’ ‘The Comet,’ Adult Swim’s ‘The Elephant,’ and Don Hertzfeldt’s ‘Paper Trail.’
Brad Bird Wants To Push Animation ‘Less Towards The Kiddies Table’ With ‘Ray Gunn’
Bird was joined by Cinesite VFX supervisor Adel Abada, costume designer Neysa Bové, and head of animation Jason Ryan at OIAF to discuss ‘Ray Gunn.’
How To Make An Animation Market Worth Your Time And Money
At OIAF, animation professionals shared practical advice on preparing for a market, building relationships, following up, and attending when money is tight.
Cheyenne Curtis Wins OIAF Pitch THIS! 2026 With ‘King Baby Snail’
Selected from more than 100 submissions, Curtis’s series pitch won a CAD $11,300 prize package. Gino Baldeon’s ‘tiny BIG adventure’ was runner-up.
Canada Debates AI’s Place In Animation At OIAF’s The Animation Conference
A panel of local industry vets tackled AI’s effect on entry-level jobs, creative control, and the growing problems with large AI models.
Book Excerpt: OIAF Artistic Director Chris Robinson’s ‘Watch Me Jumpstart’ (EXCLUSIVE)
OIAF artistic director and longtime Cartoon Brew contributor Chris Robinson recalls film cans, selection committees, and transformative shorts.
OIAF Celebrates 50 Years With Brad Bird ‘Ray Gunn’ Talk, ‘Forgotten Island’ Screening, And Canadian Animation Showcase
Seven features will compete in alongside new shorts from Don Hertzfeldt and Niki Lindroth von Bahr, industry talks, retrospectives, and Canadian showcases.
Brazil’s Raucous Road Movie ‘Son Of A Bitch’ Unveils International Trailer (EXCLUSIVE)
The filmmakers behind the Brazilian feature discuss its 10-year production journey, festival reception, expressive visuals, and music.
Peering Through the Cracks: How Sun Xun Spent A Decade Creating The Chinese Epic ‘Magic Atlas’ With 500 Artists
Sun Xun discusses the decade-long production of ‘Magic Atlas,’ its handmade animation, shifting visual styles, political themes, and spiritual ideas.
Opinion: When Is A Film Responsible For Its Country?
OIAF programmer Chris Robinson and his colleagues consider boycotts, Russian and Israeli films, and if artists should be judged by their countries’ actions.
Ottawa Animation Festival Picks 64 Shorts From Record 3,026 Submissions For It’s 50th Anniversary Edition
Don Hertzfeldt, Atsushi Wada, Anna Mantzaris, and Georges Schwizgebel land among the filmmakers competing at OIAF’s 50th edition.
OIAF’s Expanded Feature Competition Flaunts Animation’s Emotional Range
OIAF’s biggest-ever feature competition features seven heavy films that show off the tremendous emotional range of animated storytelling. Bring your tissues.
‘Death Does Not Exist,’ ‘The Puppet And The Whale’ Take Top Honors At OIAF 2025
Canadian gem ‘The Girl Who Cried Pearls’ and other standout shorts, features, and student films were also celebrated as this year’s festival wrapped things up.
Home Sweet Home? — Matea Radic Takes Us To ‘Paradaïz’
Filmmaker Matea Radic revisits war-torn Sarajevo decades later in ‘Paradaïz,’ blending memory, loss, and identity in a moving animated short.
The Ottawa International Animation Festival Has Released Its Full 2025 Lineup
This year’s fest received 2,850 submissions from 99 countries, with six features and 79 shorts selected for official competition.
When Did Animated Shorts Get So Long? An Investigation Into The Uncomfortable Rise Of Long Shorts
As animation directors explore longer film formats, the trend is causing headaches for producers, distributors, festival programmers, and educators.
‘Flow,’ ‘La Voix Des Sirènes’ Win Top Awards At Ottawa International Animation Festival
The Ottawa win should help reinforce the fact that ‘Flow’ is one of the best animated films of 2024 and a real Oscar contender during the upcoming awards season.
9 Animated Shorts You Won’t Want To Miss At Ottawa 2024
We’ve put together a list of nine shorts that demonstrate the breadth and diversity available at this year’s Ottawa Festival.