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Established in 2024, the new New York Short Animation Festival (NYSAF) celebrates creativity and innovation in animation. The festival showcase features works from students, teens, and professionals, believing that every animated project — from classroom projects to professional productions — deserves recognition. The program was founded to provide a platform for animators at various stages of their careers to share their work with audiences and gain visibility.
NYSAF offers categories for Stop Motion, 2D Animation, 3D Animation, and AI Animation. Younger animators (pre-school & elementary) can submit for free to encourage emerging talent from an early age. To ensure fairness, individual and group submissions are limited to college and professional animators. The festival’s goal is to inspire a vibrant community of animators and provide opportunities for their work to be seen and appreciated.
The festival is the brainchild of digital artist and 3D animator Wallis Liu, whose first animated short Unconditional Love, won 56 international awards and was screened at festivals in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Greece and Singapore. “I bring a unique perspective from my pro basketball days, focusing on social issues I’ve observed and incorporating meaningful messages into each project,” he says. “I am the executive director and judge for the New York Short Animation Festival (NYSAF), a judge for Cultural Animation Film Festival (CAFF), and a Digital Artist for iBrain. I am currently working on a musical for iBrain and two personal short animated projects. I hope viewers gain something meaningful from my animated work.”
The 2024 edition of NYSAF is currently ongoing. “We have four seasonal deadlines throughout the year, with online screenings for each round,” explains Liu. “Our annual winners also get an in-person screening event in New York City. This season, we’ve featured many exciting works, with standout titles from a diverse range of animators. We’ll be announcing award recipients at the annual event.”
Liu hopes to plan the New York Short Animation Festival as a well-known animation festival for showcasing emerging animators and helping them get recognized. “What makes NYSAF different is the frequent screening opportunities we provide, which keep animators motivated to keep creating,” he notes. “We also make sure to introduce each submitter’s work on our social media because we believe every animator’s effort deserves recognition. I also aim to complete my two short animated projects, with the goal of inspiring and leaving a positive impact on audiences.”
To enter the festival, all shorts must be no longer than 15 minutes (including credits). Student filmmakers must provide proof of student status at the time of production, either through a valid student ID or relevant documentation, and student films must be submitted within one year of the filmmaker’s graduation date. All submissions must be provided in a digital format, with a minimum resolution of 1080p HD. Physical copies will not be accepted. In addition, submitted films must be the original work of the participant(s). By submitting, the entrant guarantees that they hold all necessary rights to the content, including music, sound, and footage. Films containing unlicensed or copyrighted material without permission will be disqualified.
The next deadline for the festival is Dec. 1. The winter early-bird deadline is January 15, and the regular deadline is March 1. Shorts can be submitted through FilmFreeway.
To learn more about the festival, visit nyshortanimationfest.com
