The Ottawa Citizen 

August 4, 2000, Friday, FINAL 

SECTION: News; E2 

LENGTH: 838 words 

HEADLINE: Ottawa showcases hit 'toons: The Ottawa International Animation 
Festival is a five-day eyeful 

BYLINE: Jay Stone 

BODY: 
   ''One minute, you'll see a Japanese anime, and the next, a German 
Fellini-esque neo-noir Western.'' 

That's how Chris Robinson describes the artistic range of the Ottawa 
International Animation Festival, a five-day showcase of everything from the 
old-fashioned technique of so-called scratch animation to the high-tech future 
of Internet distribution. 

The festival, one of the city's best-kept secrets, is the largest in North 
America and the second-biggest in the world after Annecy, France. It runs from 
Sept. 19 to 24. 

''The big surprise is the Canadian stuff this year, which was pretty good, '' 
said Robinson, the festival director. 

Nineteen Canadian movies will be in competition, chosen from more than 1,300 
entries from 45 countries. The festival will show 100 short films, commissioned 
films, music videos, educational films, TV shows, and internet animations. 

Robinson, who has been critical of Canadian animation, and especially the recent 
work of the National Film Board -- ''too politically correct'' -- said this 
year's entries from Canada are much improved. Two NFB movies, the 
Oscar-nominated When The Day Breaks and a ''shocking'' film about incest called 
The Hat, are among the entries. 

Two movies from Ottawa animators also made the cut. Nick Cross and Tavis 
Sibernagel, who both work for the local Dynomight Studios (Franklin the Turtle), 
have submitted short films that Robinson says are ''short, funny and crude, 
something for the South Park generation.'' Cross's movie is entitled Der 
Unterseefraulein, or U-Girl and Sibernagel's is called Fruit, Juice! Protein? 
The animators are both working on a new animation project called The Untalkative 
Bunny, a series of short animation stories for children. 

It is unusual for Ottawa animators to get into the festival and difficult for 
anyone: among the rejects at this year's festival is the Oscar- winning Old Man 
and the Sea, which Robinson says he found ''really overrated. '' 

The animation festival, now in its 26th year, is still unknown to many Ottawans, 
but its international reputation is such that representatives from major 
studios, such as Nelvana, Cinar, Warner Brothers, MTV, Nickelodeon and 
DreamWorks, attend to keep an eye on up and coming talent or simply to support 
the festival. 

The movies, which are open to the public, are shown at the National Arts Centre, 
World Exchange cinemas, National Archives of Canada and the Public Works theatre 
at 350 Albert St. Films this year came from the Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain, 
Estonia, Slovakia, Germany, France, Russia, Australia, Korea, the U.K., Poland, 
Sweden, the U.S., the Czech Republic, Japan and Canada. 

Among the other highlights in competition are the world premiere of an animated 
adaptation of Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment by Piotr Dumala of Poland, and 
two films from Vancouver's Marv Newland (Bambi Meets Godzilla), including an 
episode of The PJs, a children's TV series. The TV special Bob and Margaret: 
Going Dutch, by David Fine and Alison Snowden of Toronto, is also in the 
running. 

Feature films to be screened include Yellow Submarine by George Dunning of 
Canada, the animated film based on the Beatles album, and the North American 
premiere of Magic Lutos Lantern, from Chang Cuang Xi of Shanghai Animation Film 
Studio. 

There are several special programs as well. The festival will pay tribute to 
Hull- born Rene Jodin of Beaconsfield, Que., one of the first NFB animators and 
first head of the French animation studios in the 1960s. Jodin, 80, is still at 
work: he recently made a computer-animated film in his basement called Between 
Time and Place, which will be screened at the festival. 

''The guy's brilliant,'' Robinson says. 

The festival will also screen several examples of scratch animation, an early 
technique in which animators drew directly onto film. One of the artists: Andy 
Warhol. 

The festival also runs several workshops, which Robinson says will be more 
public-oriented and creative- driven this year. The topics include working with 
puppets, the Internet, scratch animation, a roundtable on the Canadian industry 
and a pitch session in which ticket holders can sign up for 15 minutes with four 
animation producers -- including the Cartoon Network and Teletoon -- and try to 
sell them on their project. 

There is also a children's workshop on Sept. 23, a six-hour session in which 
kids will learn how to make an animated film and then see it at the end of the 
day. A program called Animate Ottawa, in which a group of Canterbury High School 
visual arts students worked all year on a movie that had something to do with 
Ottawa, will culminate with a screening. Robinson said the film may travel to 
other festivals, and that next year, other schools may get involved. 

Individual screenings at the festival will cost $8.50. The AnimaPass Plus, which 
includes access to all screenings, workshops, parties and the animators' picnic, 
costs $195. For information call 232-8769 or e-mail oiaf@ottawa.com. 



GRAPHIC: P Black & White Photo: Two works that can be seen during (the festival 
are Wawa & Coco), by Hannah Cho and Der Unterseefraulein, by Nick Cross, who is 
from Ottawa.; Black & White Photo: Two works that can be seen during the 
festival are Wawa & Coco, by Hannah Cho and (Der Unterseefraulein), by Nick 
Cross, who is from Ottawa.; Black & White Photo: Lynn Ball, The Ottawa Citizen / 
Festival director Chris Robinson says Canadian submissions were much better this 
year.