Ottawa International Animation Festival

by MovieMaker Staff | Published June 11, 2007

When it comes to the film festival circuit, animated films often get a raw deal. Of the fests that do accept animated shorts and features, theyâ€™re often considered a sort of â€œspecial programmingâ€ and relegated to one of those blink-and-youâ€™ll-miss-them time slots… Except when it comes to the Ottawa International Animation Festival.

For more than 30 years, Ottawa, Ontario has been the place to showcase the best in animated content--for aspiring moviemakers and veterans alike. As the medium has grown so has the OIAFâ€™s definition of acceptable submissions, which today includes not just shorts and features, but interactive gaming projects as well as cell phone and made-for-the-Web content, too.

As the largest event of its kind in North America, OIAF has succeeded not only in proving that animated projects deserve just as serious attention as their live-action counterparts (even if Oscar does recognize them separately), but in bringing the talented artists who come here to showcase their toons together with their fans and the industry executives who can take them to the next level.

Think youâ€™ve got what it takes to make it in the high-stakes world of animation? The Ottawa International Animation Festival is accepting entries to its 2007 event, happening September 19 - 23, until Friday, June 15th. Log on to https://ottawa.awn.com for more information.