Saturday February 21st, 2026
5:00 PM EDT Screening, 6:30 PM EDT Mixer
Screening Only Tickets: $20 General Admission, $15 Members and Students with ID
Screening-and-Mixer Tickets: $30 General Admission, $25 Members and Students with ID
Come celebrate the creativity of storytelling with a festival of animated short films and motion design by Asian American and Asian artists—and their friends! The 6th Annual Crazy Talented Asians & Friends (CTAF) Animation Festival for Short Films and Motion Design will showcase the work and talents of animators from across the globe. Join us at 5 PM to see award-winning animations on the big screen and stick around for our mixer at 6:30 PM to meet with the artists, jurors, and professionals from the animation industry!
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This year’s selected work, representing the top 3% of over one thousand submissions, were chosen by a panel of seasoned professionals for their extraordinary storytelling, art direction, animation, production, and sound design. In addition to their creative visuals and soundtracks, these works present a range of stories and experiences as diverse as the APA community itself.
The category winners are:
Bride of the Wind, Winner, is about storming out into the ocean to find a beloved sister, by Lupin Kim.
ADHDesigner, Best Motion Design, by Zepei Zhang.
Brocolopolis, Best VFX, tells the story of a nefarious butterfly hunter ventures into the forest in pursuit of a rare and elusive strawberry butterfly, by Rehan Khan, Charlotte Foster.
Pond Kings, Best Character Animation, is a fast-paced short that parodies martial arts showdowns with humor and heart, by Shijin Wang.
<paradise>, Best Sound Design, about a chicken balloon, by Nuanjing Lin.
TRAIN, Best 2D Art Direction, tells the story of family memories connected like a train, and in the warm light, a child saw his family and love, by Pinru Liu, Jingyu Zhou.
Space Delivery, Best 3D Art Direction, tells the story of a delivery boy who will have to choose between following his heart or his duty, by Desroys du Roure.
ECHOPIPER, Jury Award Winner, tells the story of a girl living underground plays a magic flute, by Hsintze Chen,Yunhsuan Lin, Enhsi Lin.
Craving For, Best Experimental, tells the story of an insatiable longing that leads a fragile soul into a parasitic bond, by Chenyun Xu.
No Inspiration!, Best Mixed Media, is about a creator’s struggles, by Hsin Ling Tsai.
9 Days, Best Narrative, is about a moth embarking on a touching journey of self-discovery and friendship, by Yangzhang Song.
TURBULENCE, Best Professional film, is about a terrified boy on his first flight in total panic, by Christopher Rutledge, Magnus Igland Moller.
Perfect City: The Bravest Kid, Best Professional Stop Motion, chased by his nightmare knife hand, is about the paper boy that has to confront his real fear which supposed to be his hope, by Shengwei Zhou.
Essence, Best Student Stop Motion, animates a rhythm where all boundaries blur into a seamless dance of harmony, by Wan Yu Hong.
Pussy on the Riviera, Best Professional 2D Animation, a comedic reinterpretation of the 60s mystery / jewellery heist genre, inspired by the Pink Panther movies and Agathie Christie’s “Death on the Nile”, by Daniel Stankler.
COLD SODA, Best Student 2D Animation, tells the story that your dog is always thinking about you and wants to get you a cold soda, by Huayi Yu.
Beautify, Best 3D Animation, is about the courage it takes to reclaim your own image, by Elizaveta Makarenko.
FRANKEN STUCK, also Best 3D Animation, is about the Creature's love must set things right, by Boulware Sommar.
In addition to the category winners above, thisyear’s Official Selected Animation Shorts are listed below. The program on February 21st, 2026, will only screen some of the films due to limited time.
“A Fistful of Redos,” Dominic Althoefer
“Batty,” Qinglan Li, Kaiwen, Yu, Xintong Zhang
“<CHASING>,” Chang Liu
“First Winter,” Schantelle Alonzo
“Lunchbox,” Angelina Retodo
“Night Market,” Yingyu Zhu, Chenyi Zhu, Zinyu Sun
“Scorching,” Trevor Hardy
“Second Spring,” Jennifer Y. Sun, Ailla R. Crossman
“Venganza,” Laure Lasserre, Romain Perrier, Justine Prat, Lara Scesa
“Your Last Bloom,” Yingzen Qiu
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This year’s jury is once again led by Gonzalo Janer, founder of Punchy Motion and a character animator and motion designer. He is also on the faculty of the School of Visual Arts. The jury panel also includes:
Jae Bae has over a decade of experience in conceptualizing, designing, creating motion graphics and animated films, Jae specializes in communicating with audiences through creative storytelling. In her current role at Patreon as a lead motion designer, she provides innovative solutions for product design, marketing campaigns, and brand design challenges.
Chris Colby is an accomplished artist in Manhattan, known for his versatility and creative prowess. With a diverse background in artistry, Chris has consistently delivered outstanding work for a variety of clients. He has honed his craft through collaborations with renowned studios and brands, including Imaginary Forces, Nickelodeon, Fox, Fuse Media, IBM, Google, We Are Shadow, e.l.f., Kate Spade, among others. He has a great passion for animation and film as mediums for storytelling and artistic exploration.
Chun-Yao Chang is a VFX compositor, matte painter, environment artist at Framestore and an Adjunct Instructor at Montclair State University. He has years of experience working in the film and commercial industry. Some of the TV shows he worked on include AMC's "The Walking Dead," Apple TV's "Invasion," Netflix's "The Perfect Couple," Amazon Prime's "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel." and much more. Chang specializes in digitally visualizing fantasy stories through his artistic eyes, CG and compositing skills. He is deeply passionate about exploring diverse environments, cultures, and architectural styles.
Yifei Jin is a technical artist whose practice spans and combines CGI, XR experiences, and experimental publishing, merging digital fabrication with illustration and mixed-media printmaking. She has exhibited at MoMA PS1, IIDRR Gallery, SVA Flatiron Gallery, 808 Gallery, and Mana Contemporary, with additional features through Printed Matter publishing platforms. Jin has contributed to commercial and experiential productions for clients including Katy Perry, Vegas Sphere / XO, FOX Sports, NFL, Red Bull, and more, bridging advanced technical pipelines with narrative-driven visual design. Her work explores hybrid visualization systems and the evolving aesthetics of human–machine interaction.
Brandon Wang is a 2D/3D Motion Designer and Character Animator based in NYC, currently creating motion for the Android XR team at Google. He got his start at Nickelodeon, contributing to the Emmy-nominated NFL Wild Card Game 2025 - a wild, slime-filled broadcast that kicked off his career in animation. Brandon’s work has gone on to receive several international honors, including a Wood Pencil from D&AD and a Silver Cube from the Art Directors Club (ADC).
Chi-Sui Wang is the Executive Curator at Kuandu International Animation Festival, Program Director of Taichung International Animation Festival and the Professor at Taipei National University of the Arts. Ms. Wang graduated with a PhD in Fine Art from the University of Newcastle, UK. Her artistic oeuvre has consistently delved into the examination of visual perception, seeking to elucidate the intricate interplay between images and time, as well as images and memory. Embracing a narrative style characterized by ambiguity and subjectivity, her paintings establish a parenthetical framework around an intermediary space. The representation of “water” in Wang Chi-Sui’s oeuvre offers a unique perspective that disrupts established narratives. She is also a film producer for shorts and programs.
Dino Xu is a motion designer who currently works at Modicum, an agency that produces high-end work for high-profile brands. With a background in illustration and design and a sharp eye for motion rhythm, she focuses on empowering storytelling through moving pixels. Her work spans fashion branding, tech events, and entertainment, helping clients such as Google, Lay’s, Moynat, and Rabbit Inc. elevate their visual identities in a fast-moving world. Dino’s work is driven by a desire to translate emotions into visual language.
Ellie Yao is a UX Motion Designer at Google Search, specializing in the intersection of motion, technology, and user experience. She currently drives the branding and product UX motion design for AI Mode (AIM), a significant evolution of Google's Search experience. Ellie's background includes defining the motion design language for Android XR (Project Moohan) for Google AR, and creating high-impact broadcast content as a freelance Animator at Nickelodeon.
Please join us for an exciting big screen experience and register for the mixer party to meet with the artists, jurors and professionals from the animation industry!
Crazy Talented Asians & Friends is a community-led program series dedicated to works by Asian/Asian Americans and their friends—to showcase the diverse creativity and impact this community has to offer while bringing together families, friends, and audiences from different backgrounds to celebrate their stories.