OIAF announces its shorts competition for 50th anniversary

OTTAWA, ON — The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) has announced the final slate of competition films for its 50th anniversary.

For its 50th edition, the OIAF received a record 3,026 entries from more than 100 countries. By contrast, the inaugural festival in 1976 received just over 400 films over a two-year period. The festival has grown in size and stature since its founding, while continuing to provide a platform for animation across the spectrum — from independent to studio work, and from emerging artists to established voices — in all forms and techniques.

“Fifty years is a rare and meaningful milestone, but what stands out this year is how alive the field feels,” said OIAF artistic director Chris Robinson. “Across this year’s competitions, we’re seeing artists stretch form, tone, technique and subject in ways that feel urgent, strange, funny and deeply personal. Festivals like OIAF remain essential because independent animation still needs a place where risk, experimentation and individual voices are not just welcomed, but seen, discussed and taken seriously.”

Broken down by competition category, the Animated Short, Commissioned, Student and Canadian Student films are:

Animated Short

• Action Bog (dir. Winston Hacking | Canada)

• Adgwa-Ata (dir. Zsuzsanna Kreif | Hungary, France)

• Antitermitas (Anti-termites) (dir. Alex Rey | Spain)

• Daughters of the Late Colonel (dir. Elizabeth Hobbs | United Kingdom, Germany)

• The End (dir. Niki Lindroth von Bahr | Sweden, France, Denmark)

• Eri (dir. Yano Honami | Japan, France)

• Fit Check (dir. Kyle Brooks | United States)

• Five Orphans (dir. Sarina Nihei | France, Japan, Germany)

• How To Walk, A Guide For Fun and Profit (dir. Zachary Margolis | United States)

• Jelly Baddies (dir. Ivan Li | Canada)

• Je ne t’aime plus (I Don’t Love You Anymore) (dir. Diane Obomsawin | Canada)

• Kozmonavti (Cosmonauts) (dir. Leo Černic | Slovenia, Italy)

• ちいさなうりぼう (little boarlet) (dir. Atsushi Wada | Japan)

• Local Squalls (dir. Skip Battaglia | United States)

• Melk (dir. Filip Anthonissen | Belgium)

• Next Step (dir. Tamás Patrovits | Hungary)

• Paper Trail (dir. Don Hertzfeldt | United States)

• The Picture of Dorian Gray (dir. Georges Schwizgebel | Switzerland)

• Pingviin (Penguin) (dir. Kaspar Jancis | Estonia)

• A PINT OF BITTER. (dir. Conor Kehelly | Ireland)

• PLEASE (dir. Anna Mantzaris | Sweden, France, Czech Republic, Norway, Finland)

• Praying Mantis (dir. Joe Hsieh | Taiwan, Hong Kong)

• Roll Over and Play Dead (dir. Gina Kamentsky | United States)

• The Stars Watch from Long Ago (dir. Stacey Steers | United States)

• Street Race (dirs. Christopher Rutledge, Daniel Rutledge | United States)

• Uka-uka (dir. Henri Veermäe | Estonia)

• როცა ზღვა იყო მშვიდი (When The Sea Was Calm) (dir. Mamuka Tkeshelashvili | Georgia)

• XYZ (dir. Kyle Brooks | United States)

• yellow orange green blue red cut (dir. Peter Millard | United Colour)

Commissioned

• Anibar Animation Festival ‘WTF?! – 2025 Trailer’ (dir. Joni Männistö | Finland, Kosovo)

• A$AP Rocky ‘Helicopter’ (dir. Daniel Streit | United States)

• Barber for the Queen ‘My Hang Up’ (dir. Romy Côté | Canada)

• BLON ‘2025 Teaser’ (dir. Nathan Jurevicius | Lithuania, Canada)

• Bump ‘2025 Leader’ (dirs. Jonas Wellens, Wouter Medaer | Belgium)

• Juana Molina ‘Desinhumano’ (Juana Molina ‘Uninhuman’) (dir. Dante Zaballa | Argentina)

• Mad Barrowsky ft. Joseph Shabason ‘It Didn’t Really Matter’ (dir. Jordan Minkoff | Canada)

• MOME Anim ‘Friss Kakas Animációs Filmnapok Spot’ (MOME Anim ‘Friss Kakas Animation Film Days Spot’) (dir. Máté Horesnyi | Hungary)

• NBAT2 ‘It’s Ok to Be’ (dirs. Francesca Colombara, Matteo Dang | United States, Italy)

• OK Go ‘Impulse Purchase’ (dirs. Will Anderson, Lucas Zanotto | United Kingdom, Finland, Netherlands, United States)

• Overwatch 2 x Street Fighter 6 ‘Collaboration Trailer’ (dir. Barry Kelly | United States)

Student

• Ball Face (dir. Laurence Thérien | Canada, United Kingdom)

• Bootstrapping for the Boobied (dir. Stella Chen | United States)

• Cold Bathroom (dir. Eleni Aerts | Belgium)

• Fisheye (dir. Łukasz Rygał | Poland)

• My Good Boy (dir. Sara Priorelli | Hungary, Italy)

• Quantum Jump (dir. Šimon Mészáros | Czech Republic)

• Visiting the Zoo (dir. Maria Zilli | Italy, France)

• 地動き山揺れる時 (When The Mountains Shook) (dir. Daiyu Li | Japan)

Canadian Student

• Amalgame (Amalgam) (dirs. Marielle Boutin, Charlie Guèvremont | Université Laval)

• Ball Face (dir. Laurence Thérien | Royal College of Art)

• Crocodile Tears (dir. Gaoyuan Song | NSCAD University)

• Entiérrame (Bury Me) (dir. Stella Dipieri | OCAD University)

• Everything On Land With Bones Is A Fish (dir. Antonia Novakovich | Concordia University)

• Expo Inferno (dir. A. John Yates | Concordia University)

• (in)significant (dir. Jessica Toca | Concordia University)

• insomn (dir. Min Kim | Emily Carr University)

• The Maggots (dir. Amberia Keke Li | Emily Carr University)

• Mortal Lace (dir. Lucas Piperias | OCAD University)

• Seeing Hands (dir. Penakee Das | OCAD University)

• Sing to the Wind (dir. Yaffa Aboudib Husseini | Munster Technological University)

• Skinless Symphonies (dir. Rose Rousseau | St. Clair College)

• Thief of Night (dir. Yoonji Nam | Sheridan University)

• Western Blot! (dir. Ashlee Gonsalves | Concordia University)

The selected works will compete for several prizes, to be awarded by an all-Canadian shorts jury comprising Alexandra Myotte, Barry Doupé, and Dave Cooper, along with the festival’s programming team.

Bento Box Entertainment continues its support of the festival with the Bento Box Award for Best Student Animation. The studio will also present the Salon des Refusés party on September 24. The OIAF signature event screens a selection of films that were not accepted into the festival, celebrating “rejection as redirection.”

In addition to the Grand Prix, films will be eligible for the XPPen Craft Award Prize for Best Animation Technique. Canadian films in competition will be eligible for The Canada Media Fund Award for Best Canadian Animation.

Winners will be announced live at the OIAF Awards Ceremony on September 26 at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. All winners will receive a unique award statuette designed by Ottawa scrap metal artist Tick Tock Tom. The statuettes are working phénakisticopes featuring an animation by New York artist George Griffin.

About the Ottawa International Animation Festival

The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) is one of the world’s leading animation events and North America’s oldest animation festival. It has presented screenings, exhibits, workshops, and entertainment since 1976. Attracting artists, producers, students and animation fans from around the globe, the OIAF brings together art and industry to experience world-class animated works. OIAF’s 50th celebration runs from September 23 to September 27 at venues throughout downtown Ottawa. Festival passes are on sale now.