Formed in 1976 by the Canadian Film Institute, the Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) is North America's largest and most prestigious animation event. Internationally, the OIAF is second only to France's Annecy Animation Festival. The centerpiece of the festival is the Official Competition, which features the cutting edge of international contemporary animation.The Best of Ottawa 2000 features new animations competing in this year's Ottawa Festival. The collection encompasses a wide array of techniques and subjects by some of animation's leading figures. Igor Kovalyov, a two-time Grand Prize winner, uses Norwegian explorer Nansen as a door into his Bressonian investigations of human nature and identity. Janno Poldma's On the Possibility of Love brings the characteristic Estonian wit and surrealism to a tale about a family in search of love. Barry Purves brings the story of Gilbert and Sullivan to life with his eerily human and wonderfully choreographed puppets. German Raimund Krumme continues his sparse, deceptively simple black-and-white style with The Message, a tale about communication breakdown. From Switzerland comes the bold pastel work of Georges Schwizgebel's poetic Fugue, while Zoltan Horvath uses an original blending of 3-D and cut out in creating an unusual perspective on the sinking of the Titanic from the point of view of fish.To add a little humor to this at times serious package, we've thrown in Aardman Animation's Humdrum, a very funny piece about two bored shadow puppets. At the Ends of the World, made while Russian Konstantin Bronzit was an artist in residence at France's Folimage studio, has won many international prizes for its Paul Driessen-influenced tale of daily absurdities at a Russian border crossing.In addition we feature some outstanding new work from up and comers. Lorelei Pepi's film exploration of female identity, Grace, won the Grand Prix at the 1999 Ottawa International Student Animation Festival. Kunyi Chen's Subida is a frantic interpretation of flamenco dancing. Finally, Andreas Hykade, whose magnificent student film We Lived in Grass won the 1997 Grand Prix in Ottawa, brings us Ring of Fire, a stunning and frighteningly inventive Felliniesque noir western about two cowboys and their encounter with a multitude of strange characters and desires. Far from the cozy kiosks of Hollywood, the program offers a multitude of techniques from puppet, cel, stop-motion, pixillation, paint, and scratch, to a remarkable film from Pacific Data Images called Fishing that uses computer technology to recreate a watercolor style. Most importantly, these films reveal a side of animation that is rarely seen outside of the film festival circuit. Enjoy.Chris Robinson, Festival Director PFA extends thanks to the Ottawa International Animation Festival and its director Chris Robinson for curating and touring this series.Saturday November 4
