I’m writing on behalf of GIRAF Animation Festival, a super awesome grassroots festival run by Quickdraw Animation Society (a local Artist-Run Center). This is our 8th year as a Festival, and we’re presenting an event that we think is awesome – hopefully you will too!

We love retro Canadiana and nostalgic community bonding! In that spirit, GIRAF is pleased to present the return of Calgary’s most fun plaid-themed party of all time: The Log Drivers Waltz Gala! Based on the NFB short from 1979:

The Log Drivers Waltz Gala is a family-friendly event featuring GIANT retro-animations on the side of the Jubilee (5-storeys tall!), fire-pits, hot chocolate, animation workshops, DJs, honky-tonk bands, food trucks, and so much more. Prepare to laugh, learn, and re-discover your love of early NFB films, as played on CBC television in the 1960s. Audiences are invited to wear their plaid and bring their toques – animated fun awaits, snow or shine!

The Log Drivers Waltz Gala is all about nostalgia and community. Do you remember “The Sweater”? What about “The Cat Came Back”? Many Canadians don’t realize it, but Canada is celebrated internationally for our amazing animations, and a lot of that has to do with the National Film Board. We want to create an excuse for families and friends to huddle together over a burn barrel, roast marshmallows, and watch nearly-forgotten animations from a Canada-past. The Log Drivers Waltz Gala is the perfect opportunity to create awesomeness for so many people – and $1000 from The Awesome Foundation would help us do just that!

One of GIRAF’s primary goals is to make our festival accessible to audiences in all income brackets. The Log Drivers Waltz Gala is probably the cheapest event you will ever attend at the Jubilee Auditorium (outdoor events are FREE, indoor events cost $5). That being said, we don’t think inexpensive events should be cheap – not to toot our own horn, but we throw a hell of a party for the price of admission!

$1,000 from the Awesome Foundation would help us pay for the huge projector we’re renting in order to show giant animations on the side of the Jubilee. This projector is approximately the size of a smart car, and requires its own box-truck and generator to power. I’m not going to tell you how much it costs to rent, but you can imagine…

GIRAF Animation Festival is a non-profit festival run by an Artist Run Center. Our budget is unbelievably small, but we’ve never let our lack of money keep us from dreaming big. $1,000 would help us create an amazing event for a diverse community of Calgarians – and we think that’s pretty awesome!