There’s always been more to Japanese animation than simply anime. That’s one of the messages of the Ottawa International Animation Festival that artistic director Chris Robinson is hoping will come across.

Along with a retrospective of indie Japanese animation, Robinson has curated a selection called The Genius of Osamu Tezuka, the man behind Astro Boy.

“We’re constantly steering away from anime and showing other sides that exists,” he says. “If you say Japanese animation, the first thing people say is Akira, Ghost in the Shell. We exist at our core to promote short, independent animation, so it felt like it was time to do that and bring it to more people.”

He adds that Japan has always had “very strong submissions, bizarre ones. Films I always look forward to because you have no idea what’s coming. And it was totally coincidental, we have 10 to 12 Japanese films this year, it turned out to be a strong year.”

Other programs new to the OIAF this year are Let’s Go Crazy, which takes a serious look at the relationship between mental illness and animation, and Furniture of the Mind, delving into the human relationship with furniture.

On the home front, OIAF is paying tribute to Bravo!FACT’s 15th anniversary with a showcase of the animation it’s helped to produce over the years, including the Oscar-nominated I Met the Walrus.

Robinson also points out the Winnipeg DIY Animation selection. “The city has an amazing history. Richard Condie (Getting Started) and Cordell Barker (The Cat Came Back) are both still there, and there’s been a real increase in the indies there,” he says. “It’s about people who’ve managed to make films without big budgets or sometimes without any budgets.”

Among the highly anticipated films are The Illusionist by Sylvain Chomet (The Triplets of Belleville), which is part of the Feature Film Competition, along with Goodbye Mister Christie, One Piece Film – Strong World, Gravity Was Everywhere Back Then, and Midori-Ko.

The fest kicks off Wednesday October 20 and runs until the 24th. Running concurrently with OIAF is the Television Animation Conference and Cartoon Connection, which encourages more co-productions with European and Canadian producers.

For more information, head here.