Max and Mary wins Grand Prize at OIAF

The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) concluded last night with a closing ceremony held at the Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Canada. Organisers announced the winners in the various categories of official competition during the ceremonies.

The festival attracted 1500 industry pass holders from across Canada and around the world with a total attendance of over 25,000.

GRAND PRIZE for Best Animated Feature
Mary and Max, directed by Adam Elliot, Australia

“The film tells a simple and strong story about friendship, deep understanding of the human condition with all its defects. It is a perfect balance between tragedy and comedy.” Said the festival judges.

Nelvana GRAND PRIZE for Best Independent Short Animation, Kaasündinud Kohustused (Inherent Obligations) - by Rao Heidmets, Estonia

"We selected Obligations because of its compelling portrayal of sexual politics, its disturbing but effective metaphors and the director's bold and provocative vision." Said the judges

HIT Entertainment GRAND PRIZE for Best Student Animation
Laska (Chick) – by Michal Socha, Poland

"This remarkably confident animation takes its exotic graphic style to an extreme as its characters carry out an intense, elegant and brutal mating dance."

GRAND PRIZE for Best Commissioned Animation
Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, A Journal Diary) – by Bastien Dubois, France

"A deeply personal and touching documentary. The film buoyantly realizes 3-D space, and combines a hand-drawn feel with a dimensionality that hovers just off the page."

Best Animation School Showreel
Rhode Island School of Design (USA)

BEST Narrative Short
Please Say Something – directed by David OReilly, Ireland and Germany

"A film that compels us to reassess our notions of aesthetic execution and beauty in computer animation. The film has a fragmented story structure and surprisingly personal character interactions."

BEST Experimental/Abstract Animation
Peripetics – directed by Jamie Raap and Henrik Mauler, UK

"A series of lavish and mysterious vignettes which use 3-D animation to suggest sculptural metaphors suspended in space."

Adobe Prize for BEST High School Animation
Did U See That – by Yuri Rhee, Ha Jung Kim, Paul Kim and Hyun Jung Lee, Korea Animation High School, South Korea

"With simple and strong line drawings the filmmakers create a modern fairytale."

BEST Undergraduate Animation
The Terrible Thing of Alpha-9! – directed by Jake Armstrong, School of Visual Arts, USA

"An expertly designed, scripted and animated tale of a space explorer and a monster who just wants to play fetch."

BEST Graduate Animation
Lebensader – directed by Angela Steffen, Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemburg, Germany

"A moving portrait of a child's vision is created through the rich realization of natural form, dynamic animation and sophisticated design."