The curators of the Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) has announced its official selection of films for its 45th edition.

Festival organizers drew their selection from a record 2,528 entries from over 100 different countries.

Canadian creators are well represented in the festival’s programming this year: among the official selections, 35 Canadian films and series were selected. In the panoramic screenings, 18 Canadian films were selected.

Festival goers can look forward to entertainment spanning genres such as comedy, horror, absurdity, and drama.

More films, screenings, industry talks and events are expected to be announced before the festival takes place virtually from September 22 to October 3.

This year’s list of Canadian films is not afraid of the social and political issues that have come to light in recent years.

“This crop of Canadian competitors showcases an array of innovative techniques and designs from nearly every corner of Canada, as well as stories and themes that address an assortment of concerns and challenges like residential schools,” said the artistic director. of the festival. Chris robinson in a press release.

Meneath: the hidden island of ethics (Terril Calder) explores the challenges of a young girl examining her mixed European and Indigenous ancestry. Calder, a Métis artist from Port Frances, Ontario. who is currently based in Toronto, refuses to shy away from the complexity of the subject.

Angakuksajaujuq, or The Shaman Apprentice (Zacharias Kunuk) is another film that is sure to be one of the audience favorites. Kunuk, an Inuk artist based in Iglulik, Nevada, won the Fipresci Award for this animation at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival this year. Kunuk’s film follows the journey of a young shaman who must face her first ordeal and understand why a member of her community fell ill.

Ottawa is represented in the Canadian student competition by students of Algonquin College Isaac lyon and Noah Henman.

Algonquin College is building a reputation for its animation program, ranked in 2020 as one of the top animation colleges internationally by Animation Career Review, a leading resource for aspiring animators around the world.

The school has provided top-notch talent to major studios such as Disney and Nickelodeon, as well as to the many studios that make up Ottawa’s thriving animation industry.

The crown jewel of the animation industry in Canada, the National Film Board (NFB) has a strong presence at this year’s OIAF with films in official competition and in the Canadian Panorama. Art Affairs (Joanna Quinn and Les Mills) was a favorite at Annecy 2021, winning the “Special Distinction for Achievement” award from the jury. Weeds (Claude Cloutier) will not fail to visually stun the spectators by taking them into a strange world populated by carnivorous plants. Impossible figures and other stories (Marta Pajek) is the final installment of Pajek’s trilogy and explores the dichotomy of what was and could have been.

Other highlights of the Canadian competition include Guillaume Pelletier-Auger’s visual feast, What the walls feel when they watch Rob Ford sitting in his office and that of Brandon Blommaert electric +.

This year’s Ottawa International Virtual Animation Festival runs from September 22 to October 3, 2021. Visit animationfestival.ca for full schedule and lineup.

#OIAF is pleased to announce 📣 the selections for the Official Competition and the Panoramas at # OIAF21. #animation

Visit our website to read the full list of selections at OIAF21 👇.https: //t.co/yCkBoumZ6p pic.twitter.com/IGp2T5DDSe

– Ottawa International Animation Festival (@OIAF_Animation) July 15, 2021