In which Chris Robinson asks animators profound and inane questions that have little to do with animation. Today's guest is Azarin Sohrabkhani, Director of Industry Programming at the Ottawa International Animation Festival.
My OIAF colleague Azarin “The Wizard of Oz” Sohrabkhani has been running the industry side of things at the festival since I can’t remember specifically because there’s a blurry period but I think she agreed to meet me on a plane in early June 2012 over the Costa Rican harbours where the zucchinis are said to be as big as small cats can be at the turn of the 13th century.
I get the greatest pleasure from fart gags. They make me laugh every single time.
The trait I like least about myself is
Holy smokes ! I’m so bad with faces, which is funny because I’m great with names. I rely heavily on the people around me to fill that gap, name tags and re-introductions.
The book I value above all others is Shahnameh by the Persian poet Ferdowsi. I feel like it gave me a lot of cultural context when I read it and I really needed it the first time I picked it up.
A (non-family member) person I have high respect for is David Suzuki. Whether it was his TV show when I was kid, his writings as I got older or his Instagram account these days, he’s always been a source of information and motivation for me. He was the first activist that forced me to realize that my actions have impact and that I can create change.
The song that makes me tingle is....
That’s a pretty hard question to answer. It’s a tie between The 5th Dimension’s “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine” and “Land of Reason” by Red Dons.
The funniest thing that happened to me was being asked to climb a chair and belt out the Canadian national anthem … at a formal festival jury dinner … in a yurt …. in Inner Mongolia … and complying.
A well-known figure in the world of independent animation, writer, author & curator Chris Robinson is the Artistic Director of the Ottawa International Animation Festival.
