Paying attention to every detail, these animations, though whimsical and even fantastical, position themselves as a deeper inquiry into the world we live in.
PORTRAIT OF A LADY
Kenny Leoncito • Canada • 2019 • 6:12 • English Titles • Canadian or Toronto Premiere • Animation / Drama
Andrés navigates memories of his deceased mother through his father’s paintings.
Kenny Leoncito is a Toronto-based Filipino Canadian designer, art-maker and recent graduate from Sheridan college. He makes background art for the animation industry and is passionate about representative media and Asian Canadian visibility.
I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW
Kevin Feng • Canada, Taiwan • 2019 • 6:10 • English Titles • Canadian Premiere • Animation / Drama
A letter written to the director’s mother, this tender and haunting animation shares the process of working through the grief of losing someone you love.
Kevin Feng* was born in Taipei, Taiwan. He is an animation and creative writing student at OCAD University. Motivated by his life experiences, Feng’s work deals with themes of grief, loss and death, finding the multifaceted nature of mourning beautiful and magical.
* In attendance
ANOTHER WORLD (世外)
Ng Kai Chung • Hong Kong • 2019 • 14:01 • Cantonese with English Subtitles • Toronto Premiere • Animation / Drama
Little Ghost seems to be aimless until he encounters a little girl who is trying to find her baby brother. Together they search for him, only to uncover the dark past of what might best be forgotten.
Ng Kai Chung* graduated from the School of Creative Media in Hong Kong City University. Ng has directed several award-winning animation shorts, earning acclaim as an emerging animation director in Hong Kong and works selected in international animation festivals. He has worked on commercials including Assassin’s Creed and Nike Air Max.
* In attendance
IN PASSING
Esther Cheung • Canada • 2019 • 4:08 • Cantonese with English Subtitles • Other • Animation / Slice of Life
A snapshot of Hong Kong in the 70s as the director’s parents remember it.
Esther Cheung is an artist based in Toronto and a recent Sheridan Animation grad with a great appreciation for art and cinema. Animation being the perfect marriage of the two, she hopes to create animated films that explore her cultural identity and heritage.
THE ZOO
Julia Kwan • Canada • 2019 • 11:39 • English • Other • Animation / Drama
Tuk and a baby polar bear’s life seem entwined as they both witness the gradual changes in their living environment.
Julia Kwan is a Vancouver-based filmmaker who studied film at Ryerson University and was director resident at the CFC where she made her award-winning short, Three Sisters on Moon Lake. Kwan’s feature film debut with Eve and the Firehorse (‘05) premiered at TIFF and won the Special Jury Prize for World Cinema at Sundance.
NOT YOUR PANDA
Tigris Alt Sakda • Canada • 2018 • 5:19 • English, Chinese and English Subtitles • Other • Animation / Experimental
Who doesn’t love pandas? Think again with this experimental film that offers an insight into the critical and alternate history of this charismatic animal.
Tigris Alt Sakda, blue banner Manchu, was born in Beijing and moved to Canada as a teen. She first studied biology and anthropology, later found herself graduating in film animation. She lives and works in Montreal.
YOLK
Renee Liang • Canada • 2019 • 2:45 • Other • Animation / Experimental / Supernatural
Ever wonder what an egg experiences? This wacky animation follows the life-cycle of one particular egg.
Renee Liang* loves to eat eggs. They were her go-to student meal, and now she’s pleased to ruin it for everybody else. She still loves eggs though. She hopes to keep making experimental film of different mediums and genres.
* In attendance
WEST QUESTION EAST ANSWER
Dal Park • United Kingdom • 2018 • 6:26 • English, German and Korean with English Subtitles • Canadian Premiere • Animation / Experimental / Documentary
A documentary that explores the historical and cultural communication gaps between a Korean grandmother and her granddaughter who grew up in Germany.
Dal Park is an animation artist based in Berlin with an MA in Animation from the Royal College of Art. She enjoys combining a naive visual style with playful movements, camera transitions, exaggerated and metaphorical imagery to capture and evoke deep emotions.
GRANDPA
Zozo Jhen, Tena Galović, Marine Varguy, Liu Yen-Chen & Ellis Kayin Chan • France • 2018 • 5:00 • Mandarin with English Subtitles • Canadian Premiere • Animation / Drama
A 7-year-old boy processes the death of his grandfather during a traditional Taiwanese funeral procession.
Zozo Jhen is a visual artist and illustrator from Taipei, currently based in Paris, France.
Born 1995 in Zagreb, Tena Galovic is currently an MA animation student in GOBELINS, in Paris, France.
Marine Varguy is a student in Animation Cinema in GOBELINS.
Liu Yen-Chen is a visual artist born in Taiwan and based in Paris. He is currently studing animation at Gobelins, l’école de l’image.
Ellis Kayin Chan is an animator, animation director from Hong Kong, based in Barcelona.
WHERE I WAS BORN
Jungmin Cha • USA • 2018 • 4:26 • Other • Animation / Experimental
A playful inquiry into the various societal issues that exist in South Korea.
Jungmin Cha is a filmmaker and animator from Seoul. She received her BA degree in Television & Film from Ewha Womans University and currently an MFA student in the Experimental Animation program at the California Institute of the Arts, Los Angeles.
THE LEVERS
Boyoung Kim • South Korea • 2018 • 9:24 • Korean with English Subtitles • Toronto Premiere • Animation / Thriller
What would you do for money? A man is given an opportunity too convenient to turn down.
Boyoung Kim is a Korean animator, graphic designer and independent filmmaker. She is the creator of Replacement, Impersonation and Prey. She is currently working on a new animation with the working title, A Guitar in a Bucket.