Chris Robinson and the team at the Ottawa Intl. Animation Festival are preparing a stellar program for this year’s event, which takes place Sept. 18-22. One of the big highlights of the event this year is definitely going to be a special Cartoon Network Creator Talk featuring the talented JG Quintel, the man behind the hugely popular and hilarious Regular Show. The former CalArts grad will be talking about creating Mordecai and Rigby’s world and sharing tips and anecdotes about making it in the competitive world of TV animation.
The organizers have also added a new program titled “The Kids Are Alright,” curated by National Film Board of Canada producer Michael Fukushima and festival director Chris Robinson. The selection will focus on some of the best student works from the past two decades, focusing on the early films of animators who have gone on to enjoy active careers in animation, including Michael Langan, Andreas Hykade and Suzi Templeton, to name a few.
If you are still waiting to enter your show idea for the Pitch This! Program, the deadline has been extended to July 15th. This event will allow you to pitch your show idea to a panel of broadcasters and the TAC audience. Selected presenters win three nights of accommodations during the event, plus one complimentary all access TAC Anima Pass (value $540).
In addition, Oscar-winning Australian stop-motion animator Adam Elliot (Harvey Krumpet, Mary and Max) will offer a special master class and will be the subject of a retrospective at this year’s festival. Among the other schedule highlights is a tribute to Chicago animator Chris Sullivan, and a look at Indigenous and Spanish animation.
By the way, the festival’s beautiful 2013 poster and signal film is created by Brooklyn-based animator Aaron Augenblick and Estonian artist Mati Kutt, who became friends when they served as OIAF jurists in 2011.
To learn more about this year’s exciting lineup and purchase tickets, visit www.animationfestival.ca.
