News

September 1st, 2006

Ladyfest Ottawa 2007 does it up phat'n'funny for its 6th birthday bash!
September 20-23

Masia One, Eekwol, Kickers, Catriona Sturton, and Holly Prazoff to headline Maverick's, Barrymore's and Endhits

Ottawa , ON - Ladyfest Ottawa, the capital's premiere women's music and arts festival is thrilled to announce its 6 th year anniversary festival line-up taking place in downtown Ottawa September 20-23 2007

Ladyfest Ottawa 2007 kicks off its four-day celebration on Thursday September 20 at Mavericks with live-wire performances by Toronto's Katie Stelmanis, Ottawa's Hollowtip Hearts and Montreal's Kickers. Friday night spotlights the female face of hip-hop, also at Maverick's, with local slam poet Stargazer, Eekwol, a Native rapper from Saskatoon, hot Toronto emcee Masia One, and a dance party with DJ L'oqenz. On Saturday September 22, Doll and Catriona Sturton rock the afternoon away at an all ages Endhits basement show.

Over at Barrymore's on Saturday evening, Ladyfest Ottawa joins forces with The Ottawa International Animation Festival to present Animated Women and Chicks and Giggles, an evening of female-flavoured animation, featuring shorts by Signe Baumane (NYC), Joanna Quinn (UK), and Janet Perlman (Mtl), followed by the hilarity of Much Music Video on Trial's Holly Prazoff and comedic partner Inessa Frantowski (Toronto).

Ladyfest Ottawa's 2007's (in)famous workshops take place at all day at Jack Purcell Community Centre. Topics include the ever popular I'm Coming! Guide to the Female Orgasm hosted by Venus Envy, Write Here, Write Now: A Guide to Blogs, Zines and Self-Publishing with local writers/bloggers Megan Butcher and Jennifer Whiteford, What the Eff am I Signing?! Clever Girls' Guide to Copyright and Contract Law offered by feminist law firm Galldin Liew, and Cyberselling with Brooklyn-based clothing designer Supayana.

Also on Saturday at Jack Purcell, is our fierce and fabulous Not Your Grandma's Craft Sale , featuring gorgeous goods from crafters from Ottawa, Montreal and nearby!

And to close it out on Sunday September 23, at Capital Music Rehearsal, Ladyfest Ottawa is delighted to present a Rock Camp For Girls, a chance for the next generation to learn to play instruments, as taught by women musicians. Registration for the Rock Camp is required.

Six years on, Ladyfest Ottawa has become a clear leader in showcasing emerging women in the arts.Ladyfest Ottawa is a non-profit, primarily women-organized and volunteer-driven music and arts festival that is open to everyone. Ladyfest Ottawa spotlights the diversity of women's artistic expression through the avenues of music, performance, and film and video among others. Unique to Ottawa's arts festivals, LFO also prides itself on its commitment to sharing skills, talents and knowledge through its' workshops and panels.

For more information, including our full schedule please visit www.ladyfestottawa.com or email us at ladyfestottawa@gmail.com

Ladyfest Ottawa 2007 is happily sponsored by Vrtucar, Shameless Magazine, CHUO, Capital Music Rehearsal, VIARail, punkottawa.com, and MotherTongue Books.

Ladyfest Ottawa gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the City of Ottawa.

*OTTAWA, ONTARIO (September 5, 2007)* – The Ottawa International Animation Festival is putting the spotlight on female animators at this year's event. Highlights will include a screening of the controversial */Persepolis /*co-directed by *Marjane Satrapi*; retrospectives on award-winning *Joanna Quinn *and *Janet Perlman*; a special tribute to the late *Helen Hill*; and in conjunction with Ottawa's Ladyfest, a program on */Women in Animation/* will be screening at Ottawa's famed Barrymore's nightclub.

The Festival Kicks off with Satrapi's '/Persepolis'/, which is among the finalists in the OIAF's Animated Feature competition. It's an autobiographical tale of a spirited Iranian girl who's coming of age intersects with the oppressive Islamic revolution of 1979. The film caused a slew of controversy when it screened at the Cannes festival due to protests from the Iranian government.

Two leading women animators will be the focus of retrospectives this year. Joanna Quinn and Janet Perlman have both made a name for themselves as independent and commercial animators. Although Quinn received an Academy Award nomination for /Famous Fred/ in 1998, she is best known for her sassy working class character named Beryl who has been the star of Quinn's acclaimed films: /Dreams and Desires/ (the OIAF 2006 Grand Prix winner), /Body Beautiful/ and /Girls Night Out/. Joanna Quinn, who will also serve as a member of the OIAF's International Jury, will be in attendance at this year's festival. Perlman, a well-known Canadian filmmaker and author has produced a quirky and always-hilarious body of work highlighted by her ode to the kitsch /My Favourite Things that I love /(winner of the Best Bad Taste award at OIAF 1994). Perlman is perhaps most famous for her love (obsession?) of penguins. The programme will feature her Oscar nominated /The Tender Tale of Cinderella Penguin/ and her women's prison films parody, /P/enguins/// Behind Bars/.

The animation world lost many people in 2007, but none has been more tragic than the death of Helen Hill. In January, Hill 's life was tragically cut short by a random act of violence in New Orleans. The OIAF will celebrate her work by presenting a screening of one of Hill's films before every competition screening.

The OIAF is excited to collaborate this year with Ottawa's Ladyfest to present the *Women of Animation*. Animators Signe Baumane (whose film /Teat Beat of Sex/ is in this year's competition), Joanna Quinn, Janet Perlman, Ruth Lingford (a member of the OIAF's international jury) and Ottawa's own Jessica Borutski will be on hand at Barrymore's Nightclub to introduce and present their films. The screening will be followed by a line-up of female comics.

*Wednesday, September 19th*
Feature Competition Persepolis: 7pm (Bytowne Cinema)//

*Thursday, September 20th***
Joanna Quinn Retrospective: 11am /(National Gallery of Canada)/

*Saturday, September 22nd *
Joanna Quinn Retrospective: 1pm at the National Arts Centre (NAC)**
Janet Perlman Retrospective: 3pm (Bytowne Cinema)
Feature Competition Persepolis: 7pm (Empire Theatre)
Women in Animation: 7pm (Barrymores)

*Sunday, September 23^rd *
Joanna Quinn Master class: 9am workshop (NAC Fourth Stage)
Janet Perlman Retrospective: 3pm (National Arts Centre)

OIAF 07 will be held September 19 – 23, 2007 in Ottawa. Events at the OIAF include screenings, panels, workshops parties and the television animation conference. We are a leading competitive animation film festival featuring cutting edge programming, catering to industry executives, trend setting artists, students and animation fans. For more information about the OIAF and this year's selections, please visit www.animationfestival.ca.

Ladyfest Ottawa, North America’s longest running, consecutive Ladyfest is excited to announce its 5th year anniversary festival line-up taking place in downtown Ottawa September 27-October 1st and 3rd.

The six-day music and arts festival featuring performers Julie Doiron, Lesbians on Esctasy, Kickers, Barmitzvah Brothers, Catriona Sturton and the Screaming Elks, Hexes and Ohs, Nicky Click and Captain Foxy performing live at Club SAW, Mavericks and End Hits. Local performers Bleeding Heart, Ennuie, Les Alumettes, Sarah Hallman, Kelsey McNulty and Mackensie McBride will be featured. Out of town talent (ladies from Moncton, Montreal, San Francisco, Olympia, Toronto and Austin, Texas) will include Oen Sujet, Librarian’s Touch, Snowblink, Bad Flirt, Nicky Click and Spacecan.

Ladyfest Ottawa’s renowned workshops will be held all day Saturday September 30th and Sunday October 1st of the festival. Workshops include Howdy Harmonica: The Basics of Harmonic Technique, Rock the Needle: Knitting for Boys, It Cuts Both Ways: Understanding Body Modification and many more.

Thursday September 29 of the festival features a film screening of I Was a Teenage Feminist directed by Therese Shechter. Armed with a video camera, an inquiring mind, and an irreverent sense of humor, filmmaker Therese Shechter crisscrosses both the continent and her own psyche in the hope of reconnecting to the power and sense of purpose that feminism gave her as a teenager in the 1970s. Local shorts by Ariel Lightningchild, Pixie Cram and others will also be screened.

And finally, our fabulous “one of a kind” Not Your Grandma’s Craft Sale, featuring local knitters, bakers, sewers and silk-screeners will take place over TWO days; Saturday September 30 and Sunday October 1.

Check out our schedule for a more comprehensive look at the festival.

Ladyfest Ottawa 2006 is happily sponsored by Venus Envy, Xpress, CHUO, punkottawa.com, CKCU, Capital Xtra, MotherTongue Books, Ottawa School of Art and Fabricawakuwaku.

Ladyfest Ottawa gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the City of Ottawa.

September 7th 2006

For Immediate Release: Chicks and Giggles!

Trailblazers Ladyfest Ottawa present their first ever comedy night “Chicks and Giggles” featuring the talents of Rebecca Kohler, bringing the laughs from the Big Smoke, and locals Kamal Pandya, Wendi Reed and Carrie Gaetz. The fun takes place Friday, September 15, 2006, 9 p.m. at Shanghai Restaurant with the fabulous China Doll as mistress of ceremonies.

Comedy, like many art forms, tends to be a male-dominated field...but chicks dig it too! Ladyfest Ottawa continues to make feminism fun by breaking down barriers for women artists. We’re bringing together four funny comedians, who just happen to be female, for an evening of fun to put an end to the debate and to bring on the laughs.

Ladyfest Ottawa is part of a tradition of grassroots-organized festivals showcasing the talents of female artists. Since 2001, Ladyfest Ottawa has strived to build relationships and collaborations with local artists and businesses, in order to provide women with a venue for artistic expression that is open to everyone. More info on Ladyfest Ottawa and the Chicks and Giggles comedy night can be found at www.ladyfestottawa.com.

Comedian Bios:

Rebecca Kohler (Toronto)– Born the daughter of a Canadian Diplomat, Rebecca Kohler has lived in many places. From Brazil to Thailand, Rebecca learned that the one thing that tied people together was their love of laughter -- and pointing at her. After moving to Montreal she took the stage for the first time and was met with great success. The laughter remained, but the pointing stopped. Her credits include: the Just For Laughs Homegrown Competition, The Broad Appeal Show, The Young Guns of Stand Up Comedy, and The New Voices of Comedy. Rebecca takes her experiences of different lands and her own skewed point of view to create a hilarious show that’s not to be missed.

Kamal Pandya (Ottawa)– Kamal Pandya is a proud lifeguard and swim coach for the City of Ottawa. She's performed stand-up comedy around town and appears regularly at Yuk Yuk's comedy cabaret. She's from Winnipeg, Manitoba, and that's why she's so funny.

Wendi Reed (Ottawa)– Wendi's a veteran of the Women of Comedy show, and is a gifted comedienne/comedian? (Oh, shit, what's non-gender specific proper usage these days?) on the rise and a good friend of Ottawa comics and comedy. She is a close personal friend of Tracey MacDonald, and many others, but not Tom Green.

Carrie Gaetz (Ottawa) – Carrie was destined to be a comedienne—and that becomes very clear the moment she steps on stage. A style not lacking in confidence, Carrie spins her tales of everyday life into the comedic fabric that surrounds you with laughter. A matter-of-fact approach, whipped up along with a side order of take-no-prisoners—Carrie does not disappoint.

September 6th 2006

News is the news!

This will be updated more often. The news is, we've got the details of this year's festival all up on the site, so check it out. The festival is going to be a five day extravaganza filled with film/video, crafts, art, music and workshops. Hooray!

March 23rd 2006

Ladyfest Ottawa sends a kid to camp!

Ten Oaks Project held their 2nd Annual Camp Bowl-A-Thon and through Ladyfest organizers participation, enough money was raised through pledges to send a kid to camp! In all, the event raised just under $14,000.00 and pledges are still coming in.

The Ten Oaks Project is a not-for-profit, charitable organization based in the Ottawa-Gatineau region intended to develop, promote, provide and support programming for the children of LGBTQ and/or non-traditional families, youth who are themselves LGBTQ, and their allies. T o learn more about Ten Oaks, please visit their website.

We basically love Ten Oaks! You should too!!

Look at the picture!