Student

Autumn Leaves

Alyssa Shanholtz | US

Run time: 4:07 min.

Synopsis: A story that addresses the struggle of grief and losing a loved one. An idea for a playable game turned into an animation to develop the concept further.

Beauty & Fear

Seth Nardo | US

Run time: 6:06 min.

Synopsis: Fear and beauty are everywhere you look, it is my job to differentiate them as a filmmaker.

Bridge

妤真 魏 | Taiwan

Run time: 5:22 min.

Synopsis: Taking the same marriage law as the starting point, tell a seemingly daily but somewhat extraordinary story.

Bio: I am 21 years old. I am a graduate of Taipei Business University. I have participated in the elite training program in 2021.

Instagram

Caroline's Creative Corner - Season 1 - Episode 5

Caroline Murphy | US

Run time: 4:45 min.

Synopsis: This short film delves into the topic of identity through the vessel of self-portraiture. When I have been asked in the past to create something based on identity or to create a self-portrait, I always feel such a disconnect between how I view myself internally versus how other people view me externally. I try to explore that idea here.

Coil

Brett Callahan | US

Run time: 12:31 min.

Synopsis: This prototype references the story of the serial killer, Edward Gein, using the dismembered property of puppets combined with the murderer's addiction to disguising and collecting corpse parts, showing the suspenseful and thrilling murder process behind the killing of the same kind of puppets to satisfy their desires.

Dapper Skeleton

Helena Harman | US

Run time: 1:00 min.

Synopsis: A dapper skeleton goes on a walk.

Deduce from Genjipai

Yuzuki Tachibana | Japan

Run time: 3:27 min.

Synopsis: An egg detective infers a murder case. A Japanese pastry, Genji Pie, is found at the murder scene. The suspect, an apple, denies the detective's inference.

Bio: Tchibana studies filmmaking at Seian University of Art and Design in Otsu, Japan.

Dummies

Yen-Chen Liao | Taiwan

Run time: 3:55 min.

Synopsis: This prototype references the story of the serial killer, Edward Gein, using the dismembered property of puppets combined with the murderer's addiction to disguising and collecting corpse parts, showing the suspenseful and thrilling murder process behind the killing of the same kind of puppets to satisfy their desires.

Instagram

Goodbye Bilo

Nicole Yanakiev | US

Runtime: 3:04 min.

Synopsis: A teenage boy helps his little brother say goodbye to their childhood friend, Bilo the Balloon.

Bio: Nico Yanakiev is a Richmond, Virginia-based filmmaker. She is a full-time Cinema and Business student at Virginia Commonwealth University, who strives to elevate films that spotlight traditionally underrepresented stories. Her Bulgarian background, paired with her Central Maryland upbringing, instilled in her a passion for sharing diverse, human stories. Last year, Nico made her directorial debut with her short film, “Goodbye Bilo.” She plans to use her creative talents in writing, directing, and producing to not only create her own projects but also leverage her talents to support her peers moving forward.

Hands

Lauren Cook | US

Runtime: 5:55 min.

Synopsis: This is an electronic media project I created in Spring of 2021. It is a mashup of found footage centering around the subject of hands, and it serves to demonstrate that hands are just as capable as faces are at expressing emotion and propelling a narrative.

If Not Now Then When?

Nebiyu Alemayehu | US

Runtime: 5:04 min.

Synopsis: This film depicts a college student who tries drugs for the first time and is hooked. After being introduced to the drugs he meets a girl named Molly, and this relationship would change his life forever. This project is dedicated to friends and family lost due to drug/opioid addiction, and hopefully will raise awareness on the topic.

Manjadikaalam

Padmasree Murali | India

Runtime: 7:21 min.

Synopsis: Manjadikaalam is a journey of a girl back to her childhood memories, where she used to collect 'Manjadi', the red seeds. She carried happy seeds of memory with her but kept unpleasant ones concealed in old glass jars. Years of metamorphosis left feelings of grief and loss in her. What remains with her is not anger nor dejection but lots of questions to self and to the world.

Bio: Padmasree Murali is a storyteller, Animator, and Designer from Kerala, India. She completed post-graduation in Master of Design in Animation Design from IDC School of Design, IIT Bombay and graduated in 2021. Her works are inspired by the magic and beauty of how humans communicate and connect. She loves to tell stories from memories and those of children and women.

Mediums

William Irwin | US

Runtime: 0:52 min.

Synopsis: This film is an abstract yet upfront exploration and expression of my identity as a bisexual, transgender woman in the form of a stop motion animation. Through the use of artistic mediums, such as construction paper and photographs, a story of gender exploration, oppression, struggle, euphoria, and dysphoria are all present throughout the short film. Color holds a deeper meaning, ranging from the boyish blue, powerful red, and feminine pink.

Bio: William Irwin is a Landscape Architecture and Multidisciplinary Studies major at West Virginia University. Within Multidisciplinary Studies, they are pursuing Electronic Media. William has begun their journey as a transgender woman, and they have found the creative arts to be a fulfilling outlet to express the emotions and experiences with their identity as a queer individual.

Pirate Lesson

Sofia Azpe | US

Runtime: 6:03 min.

Synopsis: Pirate Lesson is an action-packed comedy-adventure short film that initially follows the story of a fierce captain commanding his ship forward into battle with a trusty bird crew. However, in reality, this captain is a loving father who thinks the battle is a perfect opportunity for a driving lesson for his son, Mr. Meatball the Third. The uninformed bird crew turns to shambles as they must put their fate in the hands of an empty-headed child learning the ropes. Together they must survive the chaos of the world around them and even more dangerously, survive the patience of a loving father to their son.

Director Bio: Hi, my name is Sofia Azpe! I'm from Plano, Texas and a recent graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design with a BFA in Animation. I strive to focus on 3D Character Animation and visual development as I enjoy both the process of designing a character's personality and look to then show that through their mannerisms.

Production Team:
Sofia Azpe - Director, 3D Animation Lead, Visual Development
Dara Insixiengmay - Producer, Rigger, Look Development
Madelin Ahren - Co-Art Director, 3D Animator, Visual Development
Hailey "Aech" Akre - Lighting Lead, Modeler, Texture Artist
Jonathan Ip - Lead Character Modeler, Texture Artist, Lighter
Brandon Kolaczewski - 3D Animator, Rigger, Compositing
Hallie "Hal" Kujawski - 3D Animator, 2D Effects Artist, Modeler
PoHsuan Lin - Technical Director, Rigger, Lighter
Risa Suzuki - Lead Environmental Modeler, Texture Artist, Lighter
Tailah Williams - 3D Animator, Lead Character Modeler, Compositing

Voice Actors: Rhett Jones as The Father, Dara Insixiengmay as The Son, Alex Wang as The Birds.
Sound & Music: Tyler Grow - Music Composer, Zoltan Monari - Sound Designer & Editor, Alex Wang - Sound Supervisor & Foley Artist, Brett Francois - Voice Over Mixer, Eunseo "Bella" So - Foley Recordist & Editor
Additional Help: Baylee Buschmann, Rachel Clinton, David Gelfand, Leonardo Guerrero, Heidi Husband
Mason Matutina, Aly O'Neal, Ashley Ortega, Amanda Richardson, Alex Robertson, Jia Ruan, Stanley Soendoro, Adam Toutoungi, Aja Weary.

Prom Night

Carolin Harvey | US

Runtime: 4:59 min.

Synopsis: A high school girl gets ready for prom, but discovers something is off about her friend and mother.

Bio: Carolin Harvey is an Electronic Media & film student at Towson University. She is set to graduate in the spring of 2023. "Prom Night" is her first major project made in her time at TU. From a very young age, Carolin had a proclivity for writing short stories. Those stories turned into short films, which she made with the neighborhood children who were willing it act in them. In her high school years, she placed 3rd in her county's local student film festival in 2018 and was a finalist the following year. Carolin is looking forward to taking all the advanced film production/writing classes Towson has to offer.

Ruby

Gwendoline Laurent | France

Runtime: 4:50 min.

Synopsis: Ruby wakes up in a place unknown to her. She hums a rhyme without sounding realize, she doesn't remember where she learned it but the tune she hums reassures her. This rhyme is also hummed by a stranger, whom Ruby will try to find. Her instinct tells her that she is the key to understanding where she is.

Bio: Gwendoline Laurent âgée de 23 ans et ayant toujours vécu à st malo est une jeune scénariste et réalisatrice passionnée de cinéma depuis le plus jeune âge. Après des études à l’étranger et notamment une année préparatoire à Oxford elle termine actuellement sa formation à l’Esra Bretagne.

Facebook

Arden Minor | US

Runtime: 1:22 min.

Synopsis: ”Running Late(?)” is a short film about getting home after a long day and laying down to take a nap. Suddenly, you're jolted awake by a feeling and look at the clock. 7:00. Crap, you must've slept through your alarm. Class starts at 7:30 AM and you're going to be late.

Bio: Arden Minor is a Interactive Design for Media student at West Virginia University set to graduate in the spring of 2023. Since changing her major in 2020, Arden has found her passion in producing and editing videos. “Running Late(?)” was created as an experiment in rhythmic montage for her electronic media class.

Something 2000's

Aaron Garcia | US

Runtime: 1:03 min.

Synopsis: Finding an old camcorder in his basement, Roach relives his childhood memories growing up in the early 2000's.

THE CORPSES WE CARRY

Taylor Nice | US

Runtime: 4:04 min.

Synopsis: We can carry the memory of those we have lost without being haunted by them.

Bio: Taylor Nice is a non-binary multimedia artist creating work out of the Appalachian mountains in Tazewell, VA.

The Crown

Keersyn Robbins | US

Runtime: 0:52 sec.

Synopsis: The interdiction of a new queen.

The Forward Elevator

Emily Walter | US

Runtime: 2:52 min.

Synopsis: Khal Assad, an outgoing senior, shares five years of memories and hot takes on Morgantown's iconic PRT system.

THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA

Eylül Yarkın | Turkey

Runtime: 2:56 min.

Synopsis: The central character is an old fisherman named Santiago, who has not caught a fish for 84 days. Santiago takes his skiff far out into the deep waters of the Gulf Stream, where he soon hooks a giant marlin. With all his great experience and strength, he struggles with the fish for three days, admiring its strength, dignity, and faithfulness to its identity; its destiny is as true as Santiago’s as a fisherman. He finally reels the marlin in and lashes it to his boat. However, Santiago’s exhausting effort goes for naught. Sharks are drawn to the tethered marlin, and, although Santiago manages to kill a few, the sharks eat the fish, leaving behind only its skeleton.

Bio: Eylül Yarkın was born on 26th August 1998, in Turkey, İstanbul. She studied Stage and Costume Design and just graduated from the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University.

Radheya Jegatheva | Australia

Runtime: 10:00 min.

Synopsis: When an astronaut ponders on the quietude of space, he comes upon a startling self-realization.

The truth is written in the stars, but what will he uncover?

Bio: Radheya Jegatheva is an Oscar qualified and AACTA nominated filmmaker based in Perth, Australia, and born in Johor, Malaysia to parents of South Korean, Japanese, Indian, and Malaysian ancestry. He is a Bachelor of Commerce and Arts graduate from Curtin University (2021) in Western Australia. Radheya's films have been selected for 28 Academy Award Qualifying Festivals.

Radheya's films which collectively have more than 1,570 official selections and 540 awards worldwide have been played in all the world’s 7 continents including Antarctica at the Davis Research Station.

The Reunion

Kyungmin Cho | South Korea

Runtime: 11:43 min.

Synopsis: Gaon and Eunhee, old friends from high school, meet each other again after a long time. However, the reunion goes wrong as Eunhee treats Gaon to a generous meal.

Bio: Currently attending Sogang University in South Korea

Directed web drama series <Let's Runaway>
Co-directed and wrote a short film <End of the summer>

Zuzanna Michalska | Poland

Runtime: 4:47 min.

Synopsis: Saxophone, Double Bass, Drums. Three little stories are said through the medium of movement. Hand-made animation made to the jazz music of Kwaśny Deszcz, using oil pastels and oil paint.

Bio: Student of Animation at University of Arts in Poznań. Interested in experimental and abstract animation

Toddlers & Tater Tots: Competitive Eating Edition

Bailey McCord | US

Runtime: 5:18 min.

Synopsis: A mother and daughter prepare for the child's competitive eating circuit.

Trevor

Jonathan Merchant | US

Runtime: 0:10 sec.

Synopsis: There is no Synopsis worthy of Trevor's greatness.

Unruhigen

Elisha Rush | US

Runtime: 1:36 sec.

Synopsis: Unruhigen- from the German adjective unruhig: meaning troubled, anxious, restless

Welcome

Anna Forrás | Hungary

Runtime: 9:55 min.

Synopsis: A young gay woman flees from locals’ homophobia.
Inspired by the Ramzan Kadyrov's acts against the LGBTQ+ community on Chechen lands.

Bio: Studies The University of Theatre and Film Arts Budapest is now FreeSzfe

2am

Madison Mills | US

Runtime: 1:23 min.

Synopsis: This is a montage inspired by how lonely yet comforting 2am can feel.

10 seconds

Evgenia Taneva | Bulgaria

Runtime: 5:49 min.

Synopsis: During a boxing match, Alexandra is knocked down. To return to the match, she must first overcome her past and present. Vision and words intertwine in Alexandra's mind where the real battle takes place.

Bio: Currently Evgenia Taneva is а student in the National Academy for Theater and Film Arts “Krastyo Sarafov”, Sofia, Bulgaria with the specialty “Film and TV Directing”. Before that, she studied for two years "Drama Theatre Acting". In 2017 she finished a one-year educational and training program in the field of contemporary dance developed by Derida Dance Company in Sofia.