The Ottawa International Animation Festival comes to an end with the highly anticipated closing ceremonies held this evening at the Museum of Civilization in Gatineau. Organizers announced the winners of the official competition during the ceremonies. This year’s event, held September 17th – 21st, was a tremendous success with packed screenings, sold out workshops, high profile networking events such as the Television Animation Conference and the Industry Day recruiting fair. The Festival is a major international film event that attracts 1500 industry pass holders from across Canada and around the world with a total attendance of over 27,000. Although the final numbers are not officially in, there are strong indications that this year’s Festival reached the highest attendance to date.

The 2008 international jury for Independent, Student and Commissioned Films include: Marco de Blois (Canada), Jonas Odell (Sweden) & Duscha Kistler (Switzerland). The international jury for School Showreel and Feature Films include: Amica Kubo (Japan), Christopher Mills (Canada) & Heather Harkins (Canada).

The Festival has a special jury made up of local kids to select the Best Short Animation Made for Children and the Best Television Animation Made for Children. This year’s kids jury included: Miles Kempffer-Hossack, Sophia Gayowski, Asha Swann, Gyasi Swann, Chioke Swann, Emma Scout McDonald, Anupallavi Sinha, Austin Kinross, Sara MacPhee, Tegwyn Hughes & Isabel Hunter.

NELVANA GRAND PRIZE FOR BEST INDEPENDENT SHORT ANIMATION
Chainsaw, directed by Dennis Tupicoff, Australia
GRAND PRIZE FOR BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Terra, directed by Aristomenis Tsirbas
	Honourable Mention:	Sita Sings the Blues, directed by Nina Paley
	"We found Waltz With Bashir to be a haunting, profound, informative film. We appreciate Idiots and Angels' unflinching personal subject matter. Its use of music and sensual drawings were a lovely way to realize its vision. Sita [Sings the Blues] tackles religious subjects in a way that is fun and easy to enjoy. It is a culturally rich, bridge-building film that has earned an Honorable Mention. Terra presented a surreal world with strong design in an accessible context. Its tempo and good intentions make it our pick for the Feature Prize."
MyToons GRAND PRIZE FOR BEST STUDENT ANIMATION
I Slept With Cookie Monster, directed by Kara Nasdor-Jones, USA
GRAND PRIZE FOR BEST COMMISSIONED ANIMATION
Sony Bravia 'Play-Doh', directed by Frank Budgen & Darren Walsh, UK
CANADIAN FILM INSTITUTE AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN ANIMATION
Drux Flux, directed by Theodore Ushev, Canada
NATIONAL FILM BOARD OF CANADA PUBLIC PRIZE
This Way Up, directed by Smith & Foulkes (UK)
BEST ANIMATION SCHOOL SHOWREEL
Rhode Island School of Design (USA)
	Honourable Mention:	Supinfocom (France)
	"There are so many great films, it is unfortunate that we can only award one school showreel prize. Whether the ideas were abstract or not, the Royal College of Art impressed us with their clarity of communication. The Massachusetts College of Art + Design films were risk-taking in a broad range of techniques. Supinfocom blew us away with their level of professionalism and we award them an Honorable Mention. The Rhode Island School of Design animation had a heart-felt originality that has garnered the award for [Best] School Showreel. Congratulations."
INDEPENDENT SHORT ANIMATION COMPETITION
Best Narrative Short Animation:: Chainsaw, directed by Dennis Tupicoff, Australia
	"For the brilliant architecture of its story structure and its clever use of technique to convey emotion."
Best Experimental / Abstract Animation: Muto, directed by Blu, Italy
	"For taking animation where it never went before and spreading it like a virus."
	Honourable Mentions:	Dialogos, directed by Ülo Pikkov
		Drux Flux, directed by Theodore Ushev, Canada
STUDENT ANIMATION COMPETITION
Adobe Prize for Best High School Animation: The Depose of Bolskivoi Hovhannes, directed by Will Inrig, Canada
	"For its cinematography, its strong storytelling and its imaginative scenery."
Best Undergraduate Animation: I Slept With Cookie Monster, directed by Kara Nasdor-Jones, USA
	"For its humanity, its unsentimental treatment of a serious subject in a personal style."
Graduation Animation: Camera Obscura, directed by Matthieu Buchalski, Jean-Michel Drechsler & Thierry Onillon, France
	"For its poetic use of technique, the originality of the concept and its evocative set and lighting."
COMMISSIONED ANIMATION COMPETITION
Promotional Animation: Sony Bravia 'Play-Doh', directed by Frank Budgen & Darren Walsh, UK
	"For turning animation magic into a real life event."
Music Video: Último 'Spong Ice', directed by Bolos Quentes Design, Duarte Amorim, Albino Tavares, Miguel Marinheiro & Sérgio Couto, Portugal
	"For its evocative association of live action and animation, music and movement and its rich texture."
Television Animation for Adults: People from The Dark Years 'Bates', directed by John Halfpenny, Canada
	"For its use of animation to bring history to life and the convincing depiction of a social drama."
ANIMATION MADE FOR CHILDREN
Best Short Animation: The Swimming Lesson, directed by Danny De Vent, Belgium, The Netherlands and France
	Honourable Mention:	Leon in Wintertime, directed by Pierre-Luc Granjon & Pascal le Nôtre, France and Canada
Television Animation for Children: The Upstate Four, directed by Fran Krause, USA
	Honourable Mention:	The Bunjies, directed by Andreas Hykade & Ged Haney, Germany