Ants, much like humans are creatures of great survival
What do you know about ants? And more specifically, what can they do for you?
Co-directed by Thao Lam and Kjell Boersma, Boat People is a short film detailing the voyage of Lam’s family as they flee from Vietnam and cross the South China Sea. The 10-minute film is selected as part of the 2023 Ottawa International Animation Festival.
Since 1976, the Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) has been one of the world’s major animation festivals. The five-day festival includes screenings, workshops, and entertainment. The event brings together art and industry inviting drawing artists, producers, students, and animation aficionados from all over the world.
The OIAF transforms the ByTowne Cinema, Arts Court, Club SAW, Strathcona Park, the National Arts Centre, Château Laurier, and the Ottawa Art Gallery into the centre of animation from Sept. 20 to 24.
The film is unique in that the narration largely follows the behaviours of ants — Lam described how her mother saved ants from bowls of sugar water as a young girl — and how these ants guided Lam’s family to safety during a brutal attack.
The animation, which is a mixture of 2D, stop-motion multiplane and 3D rendering, might appear toned-down but it provides great emphasis to a majority of the film, which has quite emotional and sensitive parts.
The consistent colour palettes utilized in combination with the somber musical direction makes the burdens Lam’s family went through feel larger than the people themselves.
This all comes to an emotional peak when Lam finally asks her father, who has been dealing with the lost of his mother since their escape, why did her parents leave Vietnam?
“You,” is the response, and suddenly it all makes sense for Lam, who has her own child on the way.
Leaving home, especially one wrought with political turmoil, is difficult for everyone. But many of us can appreciate the sacrifices our families have made to ensure safety and opportunity for their children…with some help from ants.
