The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF), the largest animation festival in North America, takes place in Ottawa from September 21 to 25, 2022.
France is in the spotlight this year, with 16 French-produced or co-produced animation films in competition, as well as a “French Focus” at TAC 2022, the festival’s professional program.
The “French Focus”, organized with the support of the Embassy of France in Canada, will take place on Wednesday, September 21 at the Château Laurier, around three key events.
First, a conference will be held from 10:30am to 11:20am, around the new French-Canadian co-production agreement, which came into effect on May 1, 2022. Moderated by Camille Gueymard, from Telelfilm Canada, it will bring together 2 French producers: Stéphanie Launay, from Komadoli Studio, and Sébastien Onomo, from Special Touch Studios, as well as a Canadian producer, Archita Ghosh, from E.D. FILMS.
This conference will be followed by a workshop presented by Pierre Cattan, producer at Small Bang, who will unveil the beginnings of his new project: a “bande-défilée” (a hybrid format between comics and animation) adapted from La Horde du Contrevent, the famous novel by Alain Damasio. This workshop will be held from 11:30am to 12:20pm.
Finally, to conclude this Focus France, a networking lunch sponsored by the French Embassy and Unifrance will take place from 12:30pm to 1:30pm to allow the French participants to continue the exchanges with the Canadian and foreign professionals present.
As for the festival’s programming, France will be present through 16 productions or co-productions, with the support of Unifrance, sponsoring 3 directors in attendance.
Among them, 3 feature films are in competition, including :
The Island, co-produced with Belgium and Romania, directed by Anca Damian:
A musical fable on the myth of Robinson Crusoe: The Little Prince meets Monty Python. Robinson is a doctor and unlike the real Crusoe, he voluntarily cultivates his solitude. But his island, located in the Mediterranean Sea, is invaded by migrants, NGOs and guards. And Friday is a shipwrecked man, the only survivor of a boat going from Africa to Italy.
[ 2 screenings, September 22 at 7:00pm and September 25 at 5:00pm at ByTowne Cinema ]
Dozens of Norths, co-produced with Japan, directed by Koji Yamamura:
“The North is lonely everywhere. Here, everything is the North. This is an account of the people I met in the North. However, my memory is fragmented and does not capture the essence at all. Now I am beginning to wonder if my efforts were not in vain. I just get the occasional recognition of the existence of the world through a dull ache that changes shape little by little.”
[ 2 screenings: September 22 at 1:00pm and September 24 at 7:00pm at ByTowne Cinema ]
Unicorn Wars, co-produced with Spain, directed by Alberto Vázquez:
An army of little bears trains and indoctrinates young recruits for the war against the unicorns, which threatens the safety of the little bears people. Brothers Celestin and Dodu, along with a group of inexperienced recruits, are sent on a dangerous mission to save the Magic Forest where the unicorns live, and will start a terrible battle.
[ 2 screenings : September 23 at 7:15pm and September 24 at 9:15pm at the ByTowne Cinema ]
You will also find the following short films:
Luce and the Rock, co-produced with the Netherlands and Belgium, directed by Britt Raes, with the support of Unifrance :
One day, out of nowhere, a huge Rock appears in the middle of the quiet village where Luce lives. The villagers can’t even open the door to their house anymore. Luce is angry: go away Rock, you have nothing to do here! And besides, what are you doing here?
Pharrell Williams ‘Cash In Cash Out’, co-produced with the United States, directed by François Rousselet :
On a spinning zoetrope, Pharrell, 21 Savage and Tyler the Creator perform the impossible…
Letter to a pig, co-produced with Israel, directed by Tal Kantor and supported by Unifrance:
A Holocaust survivor reads a letter he wrote to the pig that saved his life. A young schoolgirl hears his testimony in class and falls into a strange dream, where she is confronted with questions of identity, collective trauma, and the extremes of human nature.
The Seine’s Tears, French production, directed by Yanis Belaid, Eliott Benard, Nicolas Mayeur, Etienne Moulin, Hadrien Pinot, Lisa Vicente, Philippine Singer and Alice Letailleur:
October 17, 1961, Algerian workers decide to demonstrate in the streets of Paris against the curfew imposed on them by the Prefecture of Police.
Biolum, co-produced with Germany, directed by Abel Kohen and supported by Unifrance:
Biolum is a first-person, interactive sci-fi virtual reality experience that immerses the user in the stunning beauty of the deep for a dive that won’t go as planned.
To view the complete list of screenings and book your seats, visit the OIAF website:
