Ottawa International Animation Festival

About Us

Founded in 1975 by the Canadian Film Institute, and pulled together over a short nine months, the Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) was born.

First held August 10 to 15, 1976, the OIAF created a gathering place for North American animation professionals and enthusiasts to ponder the craft and business of animation. It also provided their international colleagues with a unique opportunity to gain an appreciation for and access to the North American scene.

Many key players of Canadian animation banded together to help festival founders, Bill Kuhns (who came up with the idea for a festival), Frederik Manter, Prescott J. Wright, Frank Taylor and the late Kelly O''Brien (who put it all together) organize North America''s first event of its kind. The National Film Board of Canada, Radio Canada, CBC Television, and Cinémathèque Québécoise, among others, all had a hand in creating and building what is now North America''s largest animation festival.