FILM FESTIVAL REPORT – OIAF 2019

Another year, another festival gone by. Ever since 2013, I’ve been attending the Ottawa International Animation Festival every consecutive year; and I honestly hope that this trend won’t stop anytime soon. What makes the OIAF such a special festival, is it’s unfiltered lens on art and the social-political climate. Unlike the Toronto International Film Festival, […]

Away – OIAF 2019 Review

Taking the title of “one-man show” a step forward from the average crowd, this animated marvel is a creation that comes from one singular mind; the maddening persistence of vision from Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis. Small-scaled in narrative, explosively grand in world building, the universe set in Away is an extensive fictional reality. The film […]

On-Gaku: Our Sound – OIAF 2019 Review

Imagine the mumble-core likings of Hong Sang-soo, mixed in with a bit of Aki Kaurismäki and John Carney’s Sing Street, and you essentially get On-Gaku: Our Sound. Produced for a micro-budget of $40,000 USD, Kenji Iwaisawa and his crew of resourceful, resilient teammates managed to put together one hell of an entertaining light 60-minute feature. […]

Marona’s Fantastic Tale – OIAF 2019 Review

A noticeable trend that I have been slightly concerned about over the passing decade, is that children’s programming, in both film and television, is slowly declining in the amount of risks taken, in these vast forms of media. Pandering to a specific age demographic is already hard enough, but when dealing with strict contractual guidelines, […]

I Lost My Body – OIAF 2019 Review

I’ve been a fan of Jérémy Clapin’s short film filmography since his film Palmipedarium, which premiered back in 2012. His unique eye for earnest stories about the human spirit and resilience is motivating and courageous. Each of his film’s are uniquely different, with all of them, either music video or narrative think-piece, being key players […]