SET 5: SHELTER

Jung Myung Kim, a photographer who has dedicated over 40 years to capturing wildflowers in Korea, shares his story of pursuing his passion for capturing flowers. Kim finds meaning and happiness in reflecting on his body of work, and his desire to take more pictures keeps him going as he battles an illness. 

Yoo Lee is a Korean-American writer/ director/animator residing in Los Angeles. She has written and directed 5 stop motion animated shorts in 4 years before obtaining her MFA at USC in animation and digital design. She is a Film Independent Laika Animation Fellow and a Fox Fellow, and her work have been distributed through the New Yorker Screening Room and HBOMAX. Her latest project is a proof of concept documentary, A Man Who Takes Pictures of Flowers, made possible by Proof of Concept and incubated by Dirty Films, Netflix, and USC Annenberg. 

i am gathering things for my detained friends, who were protesting against the war – books, plush toys, food. once, twice. now the list never ends, and i am gathering my own things.  

Ekaterina Zhuzhleva is an animation director, activist and researcher from Russia, currently living in Finland. She has a Master degree in Animation from Re:Anima EMJM, and had worked as an independent audiovisual artist and teacher since 2018. Currently, her main focus is on art-based research and autoethnography. Her animated films are taking/took part in such festivals as Tampere Film Festival, ANIMA Brussels, Fest Anča, Animakom, Festa Mundial da Animação, Insomnia, Kino Otok, Slovenian Film Festival, and more. 

Dan has a gaping hole in his neck that won't heal. Why? He can't remember, nor talk about it. Back in the sinister arena of his childhood, he must find the part of himself he once left behind that prevents him, now an adult, from being whole.  

Jean-Sébastien Hamel and Alexandra Myotte are a writer-director duo based in Montreal. Their award-winning animated short films have been showcased at hundreds of festivals around the world. Un trou dans la poitrine (A Crab in the Pool) has won over 30 awards, including at SXSW and the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, and was shortlisted for the 2025 Academy Awards. 

After being embarrassed by a vicious teacher in front of his classmates and secret crush, a young third grader discovers a hungry tiger in his school bathroom. Written by Stephen King, Directed by Kate Siegel, Designed and Animated by Pete Scalzitti.  

Kate Siegel IAFFA BioKate Siegel recently directed the 7th installment of Shudder’s series “V/H/S/Beyond,” which earned a 2024 Critics Choice Award Nomination (Best Movie Made for Television). Siegel is best known for starring in Netflix’s “The Fall of the House of Usher,” “The Haunting of Hill House,” along with films “Oculus” and “Hush,” the latter she co-wrote with Mike Flanagan. She’s an advocate for strong female representation in horror and embraces the genre’s capacity to explore themes of fear and resilience. 

Pete Scalzitti is an American filmmaker and accordionist. He recently animated the characterSnackatron in Hulu’s “Pizza Movie,” (2026), and co-directed/animated “The Scariest Skeleton” short with Mali Elfman (2024). He toured with Ukrainian refugees to create documentary featurettes for the Met Opera's PBSprogram “The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra at the Kennedy Center,” (2022). Pete taught Daniel Radcliffe to play accordion for his portrayal of Weird Al in “Weird: The AlYankovich Story,” (2022).  

An old postman goes through his last tour of deliveries in the archipelago that he worked in his whole life, gliding on water with his old bike. He finds himself confronted to the reality of his coming retirement. As his retirement approaches closer and closer with each delivery, Ben’s emotions surface, dragging him into a melancholic exploration of his memories. Helped by the kindness of the residents, Ben realizes that the end of this cycle only sublimates his experiences and prepares for a new beginning.  

Six Gobelins graduating students, united by a common passion for foosball, came together around the original pitch to co-direct this film, all wanting to create a poetic, sensitive and visually striking film with a subtle narrative, each bringing something different to the team so that the whole is more than the sum of its parts. 

She was 8 when she went missing. The investigation revealed her family's involvement. Narin saw something she shouldn't have. Everyone in the village knew, but no one dared to speak out.  

Ayce Kartal graduated from the Animation Department of Fine Arts at Anadolu University in Eskisehir in 2010. In 2018, with his short film WICKED GIRL, he became the first director to win the Grand Prize in Clermont-Ferrand festival with an animated film, before winning the César for Best Animated Short Film in 2019. Ayce is currently developing his first feature film, All the softness in the world. 

Acid City is a documentary about a fictional city in the middle of a great acidic ocean. The film follows a film crew over the course of one day, as they interview and document what life is like in the isolated city. Acid City is composed of real interviews conducted across NYC, ranging from regular people on the street, to water scientists and emergency responders, as well as invented characters. The film is an exploration of the city's resilient and self-sufficient nature, as well as its relationship to water and extreme heat through both a practical and spiritual lens.  

Jack Wedge is an award winning filmmaker and animator from New York. His work focuses on environmental storytelling and worldbuilding, seeking to portray environments as not just a setting, but a living character. Jack has been making animated films since a young age. Jack studied at the NYU Kanbar Institute of Film & Television, graduating in 2019. In 2020 he created a 6 episode web series for Adult Swim called "Domo Dreams". In 2021, Jack co-founded Laser Days Studio. He has created short films, music videos, and installations which have screened around the world.  

Will Freudenheim is a game designer and researcher based in New York. His work focuses on creating experimental games and virtual environments that bring together human, artificial, and biological participants. Drawing from both game design and experimental music composition, Will brings forms of interaction and play into the process of producing digital animation, creating experiences that blur boundaries between various media forms. His projects cultivate shared digital worlds as experimental spaces for play, collaboration, and knowledge production. Currently, Will is developing "Biotopy," a biodigital project that connects a physical bioreactor with Unreal Engine to create a living Tamagotchi-like interface. His work as a game designer has enabled Laser Days to create interactive live performances, digital puppets, and physical installations. Will holds a Master's degree in Media Studies from MIT and is the editor of Interplay, a newly published book on game engines, machine creativity, and inter-species collaborative design. He has shared work at game festivals, exhibited in art galleries, and spoken at film festivals and universities around the world. 

A fair-haired knight, craving for another victory, delves into a mysterious maze. The deeper he ventures, the more he discovers the meaninglessness of his quest. In the depths, the hero gets involved in an absurd fight losing sight of the real danger. To triumph, he must rid himself of everything that has defined him so far.  

Mateusz Jarmulski is a director and writer of animated films and an animator. He graduated from the Film School in Łódź with a degree in animation. He is also the author of music videos and concert visuals. His films have been broadcast on television and screened and awarded at festivals including Stuttgart, Seoul and Hiroshima. His previous short films “The Hunt” and “The Visit” went to more than 40 festivals around the world. He seeks variety in various 2d forms and is interested in the possibilities of the animation language. 

I first met Jay at Kanaal40, a bar located in the heart of Amsterdam's Warmoesstraat. I worked behind the bar, Jay worked as a security guard at the door. Through their bold remarks and warm, personal approach, Jay gradually cultivated a close-knit community in the smoking area while I watched from behind the bar. At the threshold of the club, Jay found a sense of security: a space to express themselves and explore who they want to be. Even after the bar closed its doors, the experience continued to shape Jay’s life in deeply personal ways.  

Born in Lisbon, PT, Miguel Domingues (he/him) is a visual artist and animator currently based in Amsterdam, NL. Having studied graphic design at Escola Artística António Arroio in Lisbon and at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam, his work explores the intersection of graphic design, illustration and animation, drawing inspiration from the community around him. Miguel specializes in combining different styles of illustration and animation through thought-provoking narratives that are raw yet accessible. Through an intuitive practice of layering, juxtaposing, cutting, and assembling, he explores innovative ways of documenting and communicating that transcend the limitations of conventional methodologies. His graduation work “I can see Jay there” was showcased as an installation at Dutch Design Week, shared on an intimate club night at Garage Noord and selected for Kaboom Animation Festival 2026. Currently he works as a freelancer and is open for collaborations.