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Poster
Statement from the Artist
Last spring, Chris asked me if I would create the OIAF poster and signal film for 2025. I thought, “Sure, that’s ages from now and will involve drawing at least one owl—and I love owls!” I happily accepted the job and mentally filed it under “later.”
Only a few months later, Chris messaged me to ask if I had made any progress on the poster and if I had anything to show. I didn’t, but I felt I should present something. So, I sketched a grumpy owl sitting in a tree. Why grumpy? I’m not sure—it’s a common expression for owls, though I understand it doesn’t necessarily reflect their actual mood.
When I began working on the poster for real, I had grown fond of the grumpy owl. Since he looked a little lonely, I added some small stick figure owls that appear to be flying off the phenakistoscope. One of the stick figure owls is wearing a hat like the Animation Pimp, but I wouldn’t read too much into that.
And orange is my favourite colour.
– Torill Kove
Torill Kove
Born in Hamar, Norway, Torill Kove has lived most of her life in Montreal, Canada, except for a 3-year hiatus in Kenya, during which she, among other things, developed a healthy fear of elephants. She is an award-winning director, animator and illustrator who draws inspiration from her childhood, exploring themes of family, attachment and belonging.
Her films My Grandmother Ironed the King’s Shirts (1999) and Me and My Moulton (2014) were both nominated for an Academy Award®, with The Danish Poet (2006), narrated by Liv Ullmann, winning the Oscar® for Best Animated Short. Kove’s 2017 film Threads won a Special Prize at the Hiroshima International Animation Festival. Most recently she has completed her latest animated short, Maybe Elephants, the fourth co-production between Norwegian studio Mikrofilm and the National Film Board of Canada, and the first step toward facing her fear of large mammals.
