AnimationWorld Magazine — September 18, 2018
TAC Turns 15: A Chat with OIAF Director of Industry Programming Azarin Sohrabkhani
The Ottawa International Animation Festival‘s industry-driven forum, The Animation Conference, kicks off its 15th edition this month, running September 26-28 alongside OIAF 2018. This staple annual animation event offers topical discussions and keynote sessions with industry luminaries as well as networking events and pitching programs, inspiring and creating opportunities for animation producers and creatives alike.
Director of industry programming Azarin Sohrabkhani first joined the Ottawa Festival as an intern in 2004, before quickly moving up to first coordinating, and then running, OIAF’s sponsorship program. In her current role she programs and manages all aspects of TAC, including Indie Talks, Animation Exposé, and the InGenius Jr youth programming. “TAC is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year,” Sohrabkhani comments. “It’s just a teenager, and — like the industry itself — it’s continuing to evolve, so we have a lot of programming that reflects that.”
This year’s edition will see the return of the wildly successful Pitch This! and Fast Track pitching events, in addition to a one-on-one talk with media pioneer Fred Seibert, entitled “Fred Seibert Tells All: Confessions of a Serial Innovator,” and a keynote address delivered by Brent Butt, the comedian and showrunner behind hit Canadian series Corner Gas Animated.