OVID Presents Online Animation Festival With GKIDS Films

Everyone knows the major streaming service- international brands such as Netflix, Amazon, Disney and HBO. But while the big names compete against each other, there are also smaller sites that are targeted to more specific audiences.  In the animation world of course that includes several dedicated to anime, but stuff of interest often comes up on other boutique services.

OVID is an independent streaming service promising "films from the independent world". Created by  eight independent US-based distribution companies, the platform aims to offer "access to thousands of documentaries, independent films, and notable works of international cinema, largely unavailable on any other platform."

Animated offerings on the service have been pretty sparse so far, but that's about to change as they have now partnered with the North American animation lover's best friend GKIDS Films. In March, OVID will host their first online animation festival, featuring a selection of 10 of the best independent animation from around the world.

It kicks off on March 11 with the hugely historically significant The Adventures of Prince Achmed from pioneer Lotte Reiniger. Released in 1926, it was possibly the first feature-length animation, although there's still some debate about this. It arrives alongside Tales Of The Night, French animator Michel Ocelot's 2011 homage to Reiniger's work.

There is also more French animation with A Town Called Panic, The Girl Without Hands, Josep, Aya Of Yop City and Adama, while Spain is represented by Wrinkles. This Magnificent Cake from stop-motion animators James Roels and Emma De Swaef( known most recently as directors of the first segment of Netflix's anthology The House) is a French-Belgian-Dutch co-production.

OVID is available to users in the US and Canada for $6.99 a month or $69,99 annually. A free 7-day trial is also available.