Torill Kove’s Ottawa International Animation Festival 2025 Poster Takes Flight
Skwigly
The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) reveals its 2025 poster designed by Academy Award-winning Canadian director, animator, and illustrator Torill Kove. Each year, a different animator is selected to design the OIAF poster, resulting in a unique piece of art that reflects that animator’s craft. This year’s poster takes inspiration from the Festival’s iconic image, the owl.
“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’,” says Kove. “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.”
Kove continues, “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. And orange is my favourite colour.”
Born in Norway and having lived most of her life in Montreal, Canada, Kove discovered a passion for animation that led to several Academy Award® nominations. Her first nomination was in 2000 for My Grandmother Ironed the King’s Shirts (1999), which was inspired by the story of her grandmother who had ironed the shirts of Norway’s King Haakon VII.
In 2007, Kove’s The Danish Poet (2006) would go on to be nominated and win the Animated Short Film category at the 79th Academy Awards. In addition to My Grandmother Ironed the King’s Shirts and The Danish Poet, Kove’s Me and My Moulton (2014) was nominated for the 87th Academy Awards. Her films have screened worldwide at several prestigious festivals, including the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), and OIAF.
Kove’s most recent animated short film, Maybe Elephants (2024), screened at OIAF 2024 in competition. The film was included in TIFF’s annual Canada’s Top Ten list for 2024.
Torill’s artwork brings a breath of fresh air to our festival poster, with a simplicity and brightness that sets it apart from the more layered and abstract designs we’ve traditionally embraced. After years of wild, wacky imagery, we wanted to try something more straightforward and direct, and Torill’s work captures that spirit perfectly. It’s a bold and beautiful new direction for OIAF, and we couldn’t be more excited to share it.
Chris Robinson, OIAF Artistic Director
Kove’s OIAF design will join the works of past artists Lei Lei (2024), Matthew Rankin (2023), Angela Stempel and Amanda Bonaiuto (2021), Gary Baseman (2007), Gary Panter (2005), and Dave Cooper (2001), among others.