We Are Aliens, Eri Short, and Candy Caries Take Top Honors at Ottawa Festival

Three distinct animated projects secured major awards during the recent 50th anniversary ceremony of the Ottawa International Animation Festival. NOTHING NEW’s feature film We Are Aliens claimed the Grand Prize for Animated Feature, while Honami Yano’s short film Eri received the Best Animated Short Award. Additionally, the original television series Candy Caries took home honors in the Animation for Young Audiences 7+ category.

The winning titles represent a diverse range of styles and production teams. We Are Aliens, directed by Kōhei Kadowaki, recently opened in Japanese theaters after screenings at Cannes and Annecy. Eri is a French-Japanese co-production adapted from Kasumi Asakura’s novel, focusing on a Holstein cow navigating complex emotions. Meanwhile, Candy Caries, created by Tomoki Misato and Wit Studio, follows a slapstick narrative involving tooth decay personified within a child’s mouth.

These accolades highlight the global reach of the festival, which also screened We Are Aliens at events in Melbourne, New Zealand, and Busan.