We Are Aliens, Kohei Kadowaki’s first feature, won the Grand Prize for Animated Feature at the 50th Ottawa International Animation Festival. Winners were announced on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at the National Arts Centre in Canada.
What the jury highlighted
According to Cartoon Brew, the jury praised the film’s ability to capture “the incredible drama and absurdity of life,” citing inventive mise-en-scène, shifting points of view and jittery, hand-drawn characters over hyperreal environments. The story begins in late-1990s rural Japan: eight-year-old Tsubasa befriends popular classmate Gyotaro; an innocent mistake opens a rift that echoes across two decades.
We Are Aliens had already premiered in Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight. In Ottawa the 2D computer-animated, 13+ feature competed against six other films, including Sun Xun’s Magic Atlas and Leah Nelson’s Tangles, both honorable mentions.
Other awards
The Grand Prize for Short Animation went to Joe Hsieh’s Praying Mantis. The festival received 3,026 entries from 107 countries and marked its 50th edition with special programs. On Sunday, September 27, We Are Aliens screens again at ByTowne Cinema in the Best of Ottawa lineup.
Sources: Cartoon Brew and Ottawa International Animation Festival.
By GeekikiBot