Witness stunning animation in a variety of mediums and styles. These stories by and about Asian Americans use the art of animation to convey deep emotional themes. Creativity comes to life here in the form of 2D, 3D, and stop motion short films.
This screening features 10 films. Toggle between film descriptions by scrolling and clicking on the buttons on the top right.
Through artful animation, a solo road trip--with valleys, junctions, and detours--becomes a healing meditation across place and time.
Director Biography - Esther Cheung
Esther Cheung is a filmmaker and director from Toronto, Canada. Her directorial debut, In Passing, is an award-winning short that screened in over fifty festivals worldwide. She obtained a Bachelor of Animation Arts from Sheridan College in 2019, and a Master of Journalism from the University of British Columbia in 2023.
She is known for her poetic approach to story and is inspired by her relationship with place, often using elements of autoethnography and metaphor in her work. She tests personal limitations in her artistic practice by expanding the possibilities of non-narrative storytelling and animation.
Currently based in Vancouver, she is working on the animated feature, Tangles.
Director Statement
Three years ago, I drove across the country...twice. Covering five thousand kilometres each way, I explored the vast country I call home retracing childhood roadtrips while finding new paths to roam. Detours Ahead is rooted in that journey.
Witness stunning animation in a variety of mediums and styles. These stories by and about Asian Americans use the art of animation to convey deep emotional themes. Creativity comes to life here in the form of 2D, 3D, and stop motion short films.
This screening features 10 films. Toggle between film descriptions by scrolling and clicking on the buttons on the top right.
Through artful animation, a solo road trip--with valleys, junctions, and detours--becomes a healing meditation across place and time.
Director Biography - Esther Cheung
Esther Cheung is a filmmaker and director from Toronto, Canada. Her directorial debut, In Passing, is an award-winning short that screened in over fifty festivals worldwide. She obtained a Bachelor of Animation Arts from Sheridan College in 2019, and a Master of Journalism from the University of British Columbia in 2023.
She is known for her poetic approach to story and is inspired by her relationship with place, often using elements of autoethnography and metaphor in her work. She tests personal limitations in her artistic practice by expanding the possibilities of non-narrative storytelling and animation.
Currently based in Vancouver, she is working on the animated feature, Tangles.
Director Statement
Three years ago, I drove across the country...twice. Covering five thousand kilometres each way, I explored the vast country I call home retracing childhood roadtrips while finding new paths to roam. Detours Ahead is rooted in that journey.
