Young Voices, Big Choices as OIAF Reveals Kids and Teens Competitions

OTTAWA, ON — The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) announces its Official Selections for the Young Audiences 7+ and Teen Audiences 13+ competitions, putting the judging power in the hands of its youngest critics. A dedicated Kids Jury (ages 8-12) and Teen Jury (ages 13+) will choose their favourites live during the Festival in late September, with winners revealed at the Awards Ceremony on September 27, 2025, at the National Arts Centre.

“This year’s Young Audiences and Teen competitions bring together a fearless array of international animation—stories that trust young viewers to interpret and be moved, rather than speaking down to them,” says OIAF Artistic Director, Chris Robinson. “By handing the judging power to kids and teens themselves, we celebrate their freshest perspectives and ensure a competition full of surprises. It’s our hope that seeing animation pushed to these creative limits will ignite the spark in the next generation of Ottawa filmmakers.”

The Young Audiences 7+ category includes:

• Complexo Floral Artesanal (The Handmade Flowery Complex) (dirs. Class 5ºB Elementary School 2 and 3 Palmeira, Braga, Portugal)
• Omedodeedu (Edu’s Fear) (dirs. Bruno Mazzilli and Tiago Judas, Brazil)
• Get a Grip (dir. Abbey Collings, Canada)
• Les bottes de la nuit (The Night Boots) (dir. Pierre-Luc Granjon, France)
• Kinder Conversations (Big Stories, Small Scribbles) (dir. Diana Reichenbach, United States)
• Robot Leo (dirs. Piret Sigus and Silja Saarepuu, Estonia)
• Family Dinner (dir. Huayi Yu, United States)
• Rajskie Ptaki (Birds of Paradise) (dir. Tomek Ducki, Poland)
• Le tunnel de la nuit (The Night Tunnel) (dir. Annechien Strouven, Belgium/France/Netherlands)
• We’re Kinda Different (dir. Ben Meinhardt, Canada)

This year’s Young Audiences 7+ lineup features a vibrant mix of international storytelling and animation styles. Highlights include Get a Grip by Canada’s Collings, a playful exploration of perseverance and self-discovery, and Les bottes de la nuit (The Night Boots) from France’s Granjon, which invites viewers into a magical nighttime journey. The category also features Complexo Floral Artesanal (The Handmade Flowery Complex), a collaborative project from young students in Portugal, celebrating creativity and teamwork.

The OIAF 2025 Kids Jury, composed of animation enthusiasts aged 7 to 12 from the Ottawa area, will select the winner. The applications for the Kids Jury are open until July 29, 2025, at 11:59 pm ET.

The Teen Audience 13+ competition includes:

• Balconada (dir. Iva Tokmakchieva, Bulgaria/France)
• Play Fight (dir. Katrina Larner, United States)
• Autokar (dir. Sylwia Szkiłądź, Belgium/France)
• Super Pilut (dir. Keith Pakiz, United States)
• Dječak i Demon (The Boy and the Demon) (dir. Paula Petković, Croatia)
• Superspice (dir. Adriana Lopez Escalante, USA)
• OLIVE PLACE, Luxury Inn (dir. Jarrod Prince, Australia)
• L’étrange humeur adolescente (Strange Teen Spirit) (dir. Frank Ternier, France)

The Teen Audiences 13+ competition showcases bold and thought-provoking films that speak to the challenges and adventures of adolescence. Notable selections include Dječak i Demon (The Boy and the Demon), a haunting coming-of-age tale from Croatia, and L’étrange humeur adolescente (Strange Teen Spirit), a visually inventive French short exploring the complexities of teenage emotions. Superspice, from the United States, brings a burst of energy and humour to this year’s lineup.
Teens attending the Festival will have the opportunity to watch and judge these films during the Teens @ OIAF Day.

The winners for both competitions will be announced live at the OIAF Awards Ceremony on September 27, 2025, at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.