This past year, alongside our 1800+ members across 48 countries, we were able to host 38 events in the past nine months, started conversations with studios about more Asian representation on screen and behind the scenes, started an extremely dedicated writers group, published a resource guide, celebrated INCREDIBLE Asian-led animated stories, and remembered why we’re pursuing careers in animation.
It has been a wonderful year at AIA and we are grateful to you, our community, for your camaraderie and energy as we welcome another year of the celebr-Asian of more Asian stories, Asian talent, and people like you. So, from the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU for being here. We couldn’t do what we do without you. You inspire us every day! We hope your holidays are filled with joy and love and we look forward to seeing you in 2022! With our most sincere gratitude and appreciation, The Asians in Animation “AnimAsians” Team Brandon Bui • Lexie Chu • Joshua Kwan • Olivia Stark • Mason Tran • Alisha Syed • Kalos Chu • Kingsley Song • Nanami Yokota • Whitney Hii • Saira Umar • Katie Dizon • Alex Yeh • Kristian Bansil • Glory Jo holiday card art by Jamie Chua (https://www.instagram.com/jamiesketch) We’re super excited to announce a Writing Group within Asians in Animation! I’m Saira, Creative Director of the AIA team. Ryan, another volunteer, and I wanted to create this group as emerging writers, to foster a space for other writers to collaborate and grow together!
- What is it? A small group for writers. While details will be finalized based on demand, it will most likely consist of weekly or regular meetings, deadlines and critiques, and is intended for those able to dedicate time and effort into it. - What else is there? For those interested in writing, but not able to participate in the Writing group at this time, can ask others for feedback through our writing server. - We will also continue to have writing events and resources available to all! Questions can be directed to us (Saira Umar (she/her) and Ryan Chu) by emailing info@asiansinanimation.org. To express interest, fill out this form: https://bit.ly/aiawriters Applications are open from now until Friday, November 12! ⭐️ I’m originally from a beautiful beach state called Goa in India. Like most of my peers, I was initially set on working towards becoming an engineer or a doctor after high school. I remember for my biology classes, we had art assignments such as sketching out science diagrams. For my final exam, I spent a lot of time making a model of the digestive system. I carved out and painted every single organ meticulously, and soon realized that I enjoyed creating the model far more than learning what function each organ did. My mom encouraged me to pursue art classes outside of school and took me to a lot of local art competitions.
A movie called Finding Nemo changed my life. I remember seeing the beautiful underwater world designed in that movie, such as the anemone where Marlin lived and the shipwreck where the sharks resided. Although I watched a lot of other animated movies, Finding Nemo was special since I’ve always loved the sea world. The movie impacted me so strongly as a child that I had nightmares about a shark attacking me for a couple of weeks! When I visited the Steinhart Aquarium at the California Academy of Sciences, I saw characters from that movie like Marlin, Nemo, Dory, and Gill in real life and later found out that a lot of Pixar artists visited aquariums like this one for research. I realized animation is actually something that people can do as a career, and that’s when I decided to take a leap of faith and pursue it myself. My earliest memory of storytelling is listening to my grandmother, who was an amazing storyteller. I would point out the prettiest colorful image in the book she would be reading, and I would be captivated by the stories of magic, princesses, and the triumph of good over evil. She would sing catchy songs and rhymes from the stories that would help me remember them far better. I was particularly fascinated by the story of a king and an evil spirit who hangs upside down from a tree. The king is instructed by a sorcerer to bring the evil spirit back from the forest and each time the king tries to capture the spirit, it tells a story that ends with a riddle. Thanks to my grandmother, I started reading books from the magical, fantasy, and adventure genres at a young age. What I love about fantasy is that most stories use magic or other supernatural elements as a main plot element, theme, or setting by using real world folklore and mythology as inspiration. Lord of the Rings, Narnia, and Harry Potter left a strong impact on me. The wizarding world of Harry Potter exists parallel to the real world and contains magical versions of the ordinary elements of everyday life, while the fantasy land of Narnia was an alternate universe and the Lord of the Rings was a mythic past. Harry Potter in particular came across as an intelligently patchworked derivative motif from all sorts of children’s literature. I’m hoping my next project will have some element of magic and mystery that could bring a piece of my childhood back and also cater to the minds of young children. It could be inspired from the stories that I grew up with and continue to be passionate about. At the moment, I’m directing a short film inspired by my journey as an immigrant moving to the United States and trying to fit in as an outsider. I knew that moving to the US and trying to break into a competitive industry would require me to work hard to build a strong portfolio but there were several other challenges that I was unaware of. Early on, I felt like I had to repeat myself constantly because people didn’t seem to understand my accent. Due to this reason, I initially hesitated to participate in group discussions and decided to stick to groups of people from a similar community. Eventually I did realize that since I’ve made a choice to be an expat and live in a different country, I need to make a conscious effort to fit in and embrace a new culture. After spending the last 4.5 years in the US and interacting with people from different countries, I’ve realized that people are similar in a lot of ways despite coming from different cultural backgrounds. And there is something new you can learn from every person you meet if you’re open to it. Being an international, my work visa determines how long I get to stay in this country and I’m determined to learn and grow with every opportunity that comes my way. Because despite all the challenges, the satisfaction of getting through a hurdle is highly rewarding. My short film is a story about a young female elephant who is trying to find her place in a circus and the trials and tribulations she faces are a reflection of my journey in the US as an immigrant. I hope I’m able to tell a story where we can find a way to bring awareness for conservation and environmental science. I want to instill a sense of hope and awareness amongst the youth that can empower people to take steps to save the world from drastic circumstances like climate change or an apocalypse or the pandemic like the one we are currently going through. David Attenborough’s films and work are a huge inspiration for me. I love the enthusiasm and love for wildlife that he has even in his 90s. My stories at the moment are directed towards a niche audience but I hope in a few years, I work and have enough experiences to create a film that would have a broader appeal. I've recently found a fascination for documentaries. My Octopus Teacher in particular was a passion project that made me feel deep empathy towards the main protagonist. I’ve watched several interviews of the filmmaker Craig Foster and was impressed to know that he had been diving every day for 8.5 years and documenting his observations of underwater life. The film which Foster began filming in 2010 was 10 years in the making and deservedly received much love as well as critical acclaim from viewers. I hope my last project is a project of this magnitude made with a lot of love and which will be remembered for years after it has been released. For others on a similar path in animation, here are three things you should know: 1. Never stop learning and be prepared to be a lifelong student. 2. Seek mentorship and guidance from your supervisors and colleagues in the industry. 3. Be willing to give back and help others along the way. It's very important to be remembered as a good person who was talented but also easy to work with.
We'll be there alongside Rise Up Animation, Black N Animated, Latinx in Animation, and Animation Club talking about Advocating for Diversity in Animation! To learn about the latest in the animation industry, join our own Lexie Chu (Founder and President, Asians in Animation) and our friends Way Singleton (Co-Founder, Black N’ Animated), Monica Lago-Kaytis (Co-Founder, Rise Up Animation), Magdiela Hermida Duhamel (Founder and Director, LXiA), and Onyi Udeh (Founder, Animation Club). We are so grateful for the opportunity to have joined our gracious hosts Elizabeth Garcia of Wacom and LatinX in Animation. Watch the panel live on Saturday, September 11 at 11 AM - or catch the panel anytime until the end of the expo on September 12! Meanwhile, be sure to look out for some of our amazing and immensely talented community members. Meet Kha Anh Le, Laura Yan, Sonya Han, Jessie Chang, Tammy Wang, and Karla Circe below - and find them at the Artist Alley! A big thank you to our own Laura Yan for creating and pioneering the most intense version of Asians in Animation's mascot for our Lightbox Expo graphic beyond our wildest dreams.
For tickets to Lightbox, head to https://lightboxexpo.com/. We'll see you there! We are overjoyed to announce our partnership with Women in Animation. Women in Animation advocates for a world where all women, nonbinary and transgender people share equally in the creation, production and rewards of animation, and provide resources and connections to make it happen. WIA is committed to making the animation industry an inclusive and supportive environment that welcomes, champions, and celebrates the unique contributions that come from individuals who bring a diversity of backgrounds, perspective, and experiences to the field.
Through our partnership, Asians in Animation members will be able to apply to WIA's Mentorship Program with a waived membership fee. We are grateful for WIA's dedication to elevating more voices through the animation industry! To find out more, head to WIA's Mentor Circle Program Website. We LOVE new voices and perspectives. Basically, we mean you!
We're looking for Asian voices to feature on our social media. If you have a topic you're passionate about or have an exciting new project, let's talk animation! We'd love to hear from you. By Alexander "Alex" Yeh, Asians in Animation Team Positive masculinity or healthy masculinity is the antithesis of toxic masculinity. It is the rejection of the cultural pressure put on men to behave a certain way, such as the expectation of men to be tough and to downplay or hide their emotions. When you think of positive Asian masculinity, what characters come to mind? Here’s what came to mind for our team member, Alex Yeh. Sources:
Di Martino, Michael, and Bryan Konietzko. Avatar: The Last Airbender. Netflix, Nickelodeon Animation, 2005, www.netflix.com/search?q=avatar&jbv=70142405. Ehaz, Aaron. The Dragon Prince. Netflix, 2005, https://www.netflix.com/search?q=the%20dragon%20&jbv=80212245. Nagasaki, Kenji, Yuki Hayashi, and Kōhei Horikoshi. My Hero Academia: Season Two, Part One. , 2018. Levant, Ronald F, and Gini Kopecky. Masculinity Reconstructed: Changing the Rules of Manhood at Work, in Relationships and in Family Life. New York N.Y: Dutton, 1995. Print. Meet our friend, former DreamWorks production intern, and founder of Asian Queens in Animation, Maansi Sunkara. Her passion for helping more Asians break into the animation industry knows no bounds, but it all started with one short film by Sanjay Patel.
Thanks for writing a guest column with us, Maansi! We love you and all you do! We are overjoyed to announce our partnership with Women in Animation. Through our partnership, Asians in Animation members will be able to apply to WIA's Mentorship Program with a waived membership fee. We are grateful for WIA's dedication to elevating more voices through the animation industry! Learn more at WIA's Mentor Circle Program Website.
|