Young Audiences @ OIAF
All Ages @ OIAF
All Ages Day @ OIAF
Saturday, September 23, 2023
Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG), 10 Daly Avenue, and Arts Court, 2 Daly Avenue

- Presented by Shaw Rocket Fund, All Ages @ OIAF is a full day of screenings and hands-on activities for animation fans of all ages.
- All Ages @ OIAF takes place on Saturday, September 23, throughout the OAG and Arts Court.
- Tickets are free for kids 12 and under and General Admission tickets are by donation.
- Sit with the OIAF Kids Jury at the Animation Made For Young Audiences 7+ competition screening. Teens! OIAF needs your help to decide the winner of the Animation Made for Teen Audiences 13+ competition screening.
- Stay after the screening to vote for your favourite and help decide the winner of the Teen Vote @ OIAF Public Prize.
- Anime lovers won’t want to miss Lu Over The Garden Wall and Chicken for Linda is a new comedy from France that everyone will love.
Screening Times:
Animation Made For Young Audiences 7+, 9:30 am – 10:35 am, Alma Duncan Salon, OAG (Floor 3)
Feature: Lu Over The Garden Wall (dir. Masaaki Yuasa, Japan), 11:00 am – 12:20 pm, Alma Duncan Salon, OAG (Floor 3)
Feature: Linda Veut Du Poulet ! (Chicken for Linda!) (dirs. Chiara Malta, Sébastien Laudenbach, France, Italy), 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm, Alma Duncan Salon, OAG (Floor 3)
Animation Made for Teen Audiences 13+, 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm, Alma Duncan Salon, OAG (Floor 3)
Free All Ages Workshops & Activities
Go Digital In The Animation Lounge
DARC Workshop Room (Floor 1)
Sonya Carey from the Animation Lounge, sponsored by Switch Animation, is giving demonstrations about how to get started with animation software. Pop in and try out some computer animation techniques.
The Animation Lounge workshops run from 10:00 am – 11:00 am, 11:30 am – 12:20 pm, 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm, 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Sketch And Scratch An Animation!
10:00 am – 4:00 pm, IFCO Office (Floor 2)
Join friends of the Festival at IFCO with a drop in scratch animation workshop! Learn how to create short animations on 16mm film in the artists studio at the coop with Nicole Blundell. (Bilingual instruction.)
Get Creative In The Animation Art Space
9:00 am – 4:00 pm, Sky Lounge (Floor 3)
Volunteers will be running a relaxed drawing space where attendees are encouraged to come hang out before screenings and doodle their favourite characters.
Stop In And Make An Animation!
9:00 am – 4:00 pm, OAG Studio (Ground Floor)
Make a short animation with Pixie Cram using cut-outs, props, and everyday objects. Combined with stop-motion animation techniques, you can make an animation and recreate the process at home.
Ottawa Art Gallery Discovery Cards
10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Grab a Discovery Card at the Visitor Experience desk and take a stroll through the OAG to learn more about the works on display. Check off the whole list to claim a prize!
In 2022, Family Day was presented by Shaw Rocket Fund and saw kids and their families from the community attend screenings and workshops at the OAG. Here is a sample of the stop-motion animation made this year:
Young Audience Program
Two popular programs at OIAF are the Animation Made For Young Audiences 7+ competition and the Animation Made for Teen Audiences 13+ competition which is a curated collection of short animated films made for kids, teens, and young at heart.
“With children able to access more shows and animation than ever before in the history of human existence, the OIAF strives to find beautiful, engaging, and thoughtful works that families aren’t necessarily able to find on their favourite streaming gadgets.” – Chris Robinson, OIAF Artistic Director
Click here to learn more about OIAF Screenings.
Kids Jury
The OIAF Kids Jury is a unique opportunity for animation enthusiasts ages 8-12 to judge animation made for young audiences at North America’s largest animation festival.


2023 Kids Jury

Matthias B.-M.
Kids Juror

Fran W.
Kids Juror

Maraya J.
Kids Juror

Tia M.
Kids Juror

Jack C.
Kids Juror

Max M.-L.
Kids Juror

Nico R.
Kids Juror

Pilar Newton-Katz
Kids Jury Coordinator
Applications for 2023 closed on Friday, July 21. Check back in May for the 2024 application.
Kids Day @ OIAF
Field Trip! Every year the OIAF invites elementary school students and their teachers to attend a one-hour screening and talk with an animation professional that will give students an inside look at the art of animation.
Kids @ OIAF (formerly called Animation Celebration) has featured many special guests including Aardman Animation (Wallace and Gromit), Laika (Coraline), and the National Film Board of Canada. In 2022, guest animator Britt Raes screened her short film Luce and the Rock and then led a captivating and exciting Q&A session about how she made the film! There were also fun rock characters and colouring crafts for after the presentation.

Information for teachers was sent out in mid-June 2023.
Sign up for the Teachers mailing list for news on OIAF 2024 youth programming:
Teen Day @ OIAF
High school students interested in animation will not want to miss this event. Teachers, bring your students to check out amazing animated films from around the world and catch presentations by the top animation schools and special guests.
- This free event for local high school students takes place on the Friday of the Festival in the Alma Duncan Salon at the OAG in downtown Ottawa
- Animation schools in attendance include:





Teen Day @ OIAF is full for 2023 – information for teachers was sent out in mid-June.
Sign up for the Teachers mailing list for news on OIAF 2024 youth programming:
Saturday Day Pass for Teens (Free!)
- The Saturday Day Pass for Teens (formerly the Toon Apprentice Pass) grants all local teens access to all OIAF screenings and programming on the Saturday of the Festival, including Animation Exposé talks, the career fair, and Awards Ceremony.
- Don’t miss Animation Exposé: featuring live Talks with animation artists and the opportunity to meet representatives from animation schools as part of the career fair.
- New for 2023: All secondary school Teachers can also get a free Saturday Day Pass! Tell your colleagues!
Volunteer at OIAF
Need to do some volunteer hours? We’ve got you.
Being a Volunteer with the OIAF presents some excellent opportunities and benefits:
- Get a FREE volunteer pass to attend screenings & workshops
- Get a FREE OIAF t-shirt
- Learn about the world of animation film
- Make new friends and get work experience
There are also year-round opportunities with the Canadian Film Institute including the International Film Festival of Ottawa (IFFO) in March 2023.