The Ottawa International Animation Festival revealed its very cool 2012 poster yesterday. Created by acclaimed Japanese animator Koji Yamaura (Mount Head, Muybridge’s Strings) who won the grand prize in 2007 for his short A Country Doctor.
“Drawing a poster for Ottawa 2012 is a great honor for me, “says Yamamura. “This image was made from an unused sketch from Muybridge’s Strings. It was the basis for the creation of the character Zeno, who is thinking about the infinite split of time.”
Each year, the Ottawa International Animation Festival commissions an artist to design our Festival poster. The Festival grants the artist free reign and encourages the design of unique and provocative works of art.
Born in Nagoya, Japan in 1964, Yamamura began his animation career at an early age, creating his first film at just 13 years old. After graduating from his painting studies at Tokyo Zokei, he took a job as an animation background artist at Mukuno studio. He then left the studio to pursue freelance work, eventually founding his own company, Yamamura Animation, Inc. with his wife in 1993.
Over the past decade, Yamamura’s work has been critically acclaimed around the world. His 2002 animated short Mount Head was nominated for an Oscar and won top prizes at major animation festivals around the world including Annecy in 2003 and Zagreb and Hiroshima in 2004.
Last year, Yamamura released Muybridge’s Strings, co-produced with the National Film Board of Canada, which was featured in competition at Ottawa 11. The film won several awards in Japan, Europe and North America.
Here is the trailer for Muybridge’s Strings:
