10 short filmsBFF Diary, Will You...?, My Turn!, Worth Your Salt, Little Persimmon, Giselle, Mismatch, Lukso ng Dugo, Tangerines in Autumn, Te Seguiré a la, Oscuridad This lively collection of AAPI short films blends animation and comedy to tell stories that are as imaginative as they are entertaining. From playful takes on cultural traditions to clever explorations of everyday life, these shorts showcase fresh voices and vibrant creativity. With humor, heart, and a touch of whimsy, they remind us of the joy and brilliance that comes from seeing the world through a different lens.

A teenager, having fallen into a life of crime, attempts to rob a restaurant, only to find there is more to its Head Chef than meets the eye. Director Peiying Tsai<a href="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/003/165/709/original/a11e4d7d2b-headshot.jpg?1746585308" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/003/165/709/thumb/a11e4d7d2b-headshot.jpg?1746585308" width="256"></a> Peiying Tsai was born in Taiwan and grew up in both Taiwan and California before attending college in Florida.

Worth Your Salt

"Lukso ng Dugo" is a 2D animated short film about Mae, a Filipino girl who takes a stand against the cycles of abuse in her family. As Mae and her mother prepare for dinner, she senses a mysterious presence lingering outside of her home. Tensions rise during dinner when Mae's father lashes out, pushing her to do something she's never done before: stand up to her father. With the unexpected help of a monster inspired by Filipino folklore, Mae and her mother confront their fears and begin a journey towards healing. Director Annika Magbanua<a href="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/003/201/630/original/8c471d178e-headshot.jpg?1747627514" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/003/201/630/thumb/8c471d178e-headshot.jpg?1747627514" width="149"></a> Annika Magbanua is a passionate Filipina-American animator and designer with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Animation &amp; Illustration. She takes pride in her rich background in graphic design, illustration, and fine arts. Annika is driven by her unique perspective, drawing inspiration from her culture, life experiences, and personal interests. She strives to bring positivity and new ideas to the world through meaningful and innovative work. When she’s not designing or animating, Annika enjoys fashion, crafting, and baking.

Lukso ng Dugo

BFF Diary is a 2D animated short film about two inseparable elementary school best friends who exchange a diary documenting their upbringing in the suburbs of Bangalore, India. When one reveals they're moving, their friendship must adapt. Director Keya Thota<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/383120ffa0236f349e4f08f3d2aa55ae.jpg" width="151"> Keya Thota is a Bay Area-based filmmaker and an Animation and Illustration student at San Jose State University. Originally from Bangalore, India, Keya’s storytelling is deeply influenced by a hybrid of her South Asian and Bay Area background, blending cultural design and stories with contemporary narratives. BFF Diary marks her directorial debut, a project that reflects her passion for bringing underrepresented stories to light. As a visual development artist, she specializes in production design and crafting imaginative worlds that convey strong human connections.﻿

BFF Diary

A determined young girl embarks on a heartfelt quest to honor her late grandfather by tracking down his favorite fruit. Along the way, she‚Äôs joined by a few unexpected and extraordinary companions, turning her journey into a magical and unforgettable adventure. Directors Thy Vo, Ivan Gozali, Yusra Shahid, Florence Young, Noël Wiggins, and Tracy Liu<a href="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/881/132/original/57fd9375e2-headshot.jpg?1738175943" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/881/132/thumb/57fd9375e2-headshot.jpg?1738175943" width="266"></a> Thy Vo:Thy is a 2D generalist animator that’s animated for series, commercial, and interactive works. Some clients she’s made work for include Cartoon Network, adult swim, and PBS Kids. Born in Brooklyn, but raised in Lawrenceville, Thy has always loved making videos and art, but really got into animation because it bridged the language gap she had with her family. Currently, some of her favorite subjects revolve around culture, music, fashion, anime, and gaming. Her current obsessions are Dungeon Meshi, Stardew Valley, and Tears of the Kingdom. Outside of art, she enjoys the gym, her pups, and cooking. She loves meeting new people, collaborating, and making something fun everyone will enjoy making and watching. Ivan Gozali:Ivan is a Chinese-Indonesian LA-based filmmaker; a story artist working in the animation industry since 2010. He's worked on a myriad of projects such as Guillermo Del Toro's Tales of Arcadia series, Paul McCartney's High in the Clouds, Lauren Faust's fun spin-off of DC Superhero Girls, with clients such as Disney, DreamWorks, Netflix, Warner Bros., ShadowMachine, Duncan Studios, and others. His passion is great cinema! He's interested in working on features or limited series that are boundary pushing--in stories, styles and genres; and especially in projects with high social impact, exploring humanitarian values, and a belief in making a difference. Yusra Shahid:Yusra is an Indian background and visual development artist for animation. Having grown up in Kuala Lumpur and lived in Melbourne and London, she is now stationed in sunny Los Angeles. Yusra has worked for animated tv shows and feature films for clients like A24, Disney TVA, Nickelodeon, Titmouse, Atomic Cartoons and more. She loves to tell the stories from her own culture and the ones she’s experienced around her while growing up through her art. When not drawing, you can find her making pretty earrings and tiny clay pins. Florence Young:Florence is a Chinese-Canadian artist who works in the video games, film, and animation industries. Having grown up with a Chinese-Cambodian father who enjoys sharing his love of stories and cultures that he grew up with, Flo developed a passion for learning asian history along with their myths and legends. She also loves noodles, anime, and martial arts movies. She now lives in Massachusetts with her partner and bearded dragon. Flo has worked on projects published by Ubisoft, Warner Brothers, Nelvana, Disney XD, Nickelodeon, and Dungeon Masters Guild. She continues to create characters and environments steeped with story and charm taking inspiration from her own heritage. In her spare time, Flo is working on writing and illustrating her own manga as well as developing an indie game. Noël Wiggins:Noël is a comedy writer, animatic editor, voice actor, and voted most likely to wear too many hats. Born a military brat in the Philippines, Noël spent most of his childhood moving from military base to base and living in his imagination rather than making actual friends. Luckily for him, this would foster his creative journey and love of storytelling. He writes comedies about diverse misfits who fight to break away from tradition in order to rewrite their own stories and he has over five years of experience writing, directing, or editing animated web series such as Red vs Blue: Family Shatters, Human Beans, and Paula and Pals. Noël is an avid sneakerhead that can be described as if every wacky ‘90s toy commercial was a person. Tracy Liu:Tracy Liu is a Chinese-American self-taught illustrator specializing in animation and game production. After pursuing degrees in Ecology, Motion Graphics, and Museum Studies, Tracy began her career in museum exhibits and public programming. She honed her skills at a design firm, specializing in interactive exhibits, before transitioning to Nickelodeon, where she became an Associate Producer creating interactive videos as well as an Emmy-nominated series for their preschool app Noggin. Currently, she's taking Warrior Art Camp's 2024 Animated Short Film Making course.Raised in NYC by a history professor mom and composer dad, Tracy's passion for painting, comics, and storytelling is inspired by documentaries, European and Asian animation, and Chinese wuxia dramas. Her favorite subjects are wildlife, mythology, and exploration of nature and the hidden depths of humanity. Beyond art, she enjoys reading epic fantasy novels, horseback riding, birdwatching, wildlife rehabilitation, and playing indie games.

Little Persimmon

In this adaptation of the ballet Giselle, our titular character wakes up dead, with no memories of her life or death. Director Mina Chacko Mina Chacko is a character designer based in California. She loves slice of life stories, ballet, spending time with family and watching movies with friends

Giselle

A seemingly ordinary matchstick, repeatedly dismissed and denied recognition as a military veteran, slowly ignites with emotion‚Äîuntil it finally flames up, revealing the true weight of the micro aggressions it endured. Director Luna Lee<a href="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/003/266/594/original/005db3bfb1-headshot.jpg?1751436246" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/003/266/594/original/005db3bfb1-headshot.jpg?1751436246" width="207"></a> Luna Lee is an animator currently studying at UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television as MFA student. Luna is also an artist who studied at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA before her MFA study. Luna’s first short animation, MISMATCH was written and directed from Luna’s personal experience as a female Asian US Army Veteran.

MISMATCH

Set in 2005, a driven high school student obsessively studies Spanish all year so she can test up a level into her crush’s class. Director Nicholas Luciano<a href="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/816/482/original/03b37378fe-headshot.jpg?1746471146" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/816/482/thumb/03b37378fe-headshot.jpg?1746471146" width="149"></a> Nicholas is a Los Angeles based indie filmmaker from Allentown, PA. He received a B.A. in Film Production at Penn State University and has directed music videos for artist Guice Mann and rapper Lamar Woods. His comedy short Lunch Tattoo written with Kimia Behpoornia screened at Dances With Films and at festivals in 2023. Nick and his 70 year-old father have made comedy shorts that were featured in GQ, Mashable, Huffington Post and NowThis News. Nick also volunteers as a Head Mentor for the non-profit Young Storytellers

Te Seguiré a la Oscuridad

Justin Bruce Lee proposes to his partner Brianna with a heartfelt 2D animated short film made only on procreate, capturing the memories of when they first met and fell in love. Director Justin Bruce Lee<a href="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/909/093/original/64ad41ff17-headshot.jpg?1744173623" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/909/093/thumb/64ad41ff17-headshot.jpg?1744173623" width="143"></a> Justin Bruce Lee is a storyboard artist at Lucasfilm Animation, where he has contributed to acclaimed series including Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi, and Star Wars: Tales of the Empire. In addition to his work in animation, Justin is an emerging filmmaker. His short film First Born was selected by multiple film festivals and garnered several accolades, showcasing his storytelling voice behind the camera as well as on the storyboard.

Will You ..?

Tangerines in Autumn

One sunny morning in Jakarta, Indonesia, Beth and her younger sister Liz become fierce rivals in their race to the bathroom. Beth regrets unintentionally hurting her little sister during the scuffle, and they both realize how much they care about each other.This short film embraces the charm of 2D animation, paying homage to the classic styles of Saturday morning cartoons. At its core, My Turn! is about the childhood experiences of director Isabelle Tumboimbela growing up with her younger sister. This film hopes to provide Southeast Asian representation to the animation medium.Produced in San Jose, California, USA at San Jose State University in association with the Shrunkenheadman Club Director Isabelle Maria Tumboimbela and Daisha Lin Sherman<a href="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/808/785/original/012f51e801-headshot.jpg?1718852621" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/808/785/thumb/012f51e801-headshot.jpg?1718852621"></a> Born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia, Isabelle is an emerging filmmaker with a passion for animation. She recently graduated from San Jose State University's Animation/ Illustration program and is ready to start her career in games or film.In addition to her work as a director, Isabelle also has skills in 2D and 3D animation, lighting, compositing, storyboarding, and illustration. With this multitude of skills across departments, Isabelle is ready to tackle every project she undertakes.As Isabelle continues her animation journey, she hopes to explore the communities and experiences that lack representation in media and of course while having fun with it. Daisha Sherman is an enthusiastic 2D animator, painter, and illustrator who has recently graduated from San Jose State University with a BFA in Animation/Illustration. She’s incredibly passionate about art in all forms, particularly the magic and life that’s found in 2D animation. Her experience in visual development and storytelling has her excited to embrace all opportunities and journeys that await in the future!

My Turn!

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