June 11th, 2023 
Jackson Murphy 
This year’s group of “Animated Shorts Curated by Whoopi G” (hand-selected by Academy Award winner and The View host Whoopi Goldberg) just screened for the first time at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival in NYC. They’ll be back on the big screen again Sunday June 11th and Saturday June 17th, before being available to stream online through “Tribeca At Home” from June 19th through July 2nd.
It’s a global, inspirational collection of seven shorts from talented directors with personal, moving stories to tell. Here’s a rundown of the shorts, plus EXCLUSIVE statements from the filmmakers for Animation Scoop:
You hope for a better life in a new country, under the idea that “all men are created equal”. But when you, unfairly, become a target, can you rise above that? AMERICAN SIKH takes a candid true story and adds-in some comic book-style, heroic visuals, making it pretty unforgettable.
“American Sikh”
“American Sikh is a story about the triumph of human spirit despite the challenges of bias, prejudice and violence that are all around us. Our collective vulnerabilities, no matter how painful, are also portals for finding the compassion that resides deep within each of us. Tribeca Festival was created in response to the tragedy of 9/11 as an artistic and cultural response. The power of creative expression in response to the worst of human impulses is at the heart of both ‘American Sikh’ and the Tribeca Festival. We could not imagine a better host than Tribeca for the World Premiere of American Sikh.” — Directors Ryan Westra and Vishavjit Singh
“Corvine”
In CORVINE, we meet a boy who enjoys being outside with crows, wearing feathers and making noises. Soon he must adjust to time at school and interacting with other kids, which isn’t easy. The themes of acceptance, being yourself and surrounding yourself with the right people shine through.
“I spent 8 years working on this film, so I think it goes without saying that it means an awful lot to me! The story is informed by my relationship with the world. It deals with emotions I often feel; of not belonging and struggling with confidence. I think the story speaks to a lot of people – about the challenges of being ‘different’, the importance of finding a supportive community, and the way the arts can help us to express ourselves. I hope that people are uplifted by it, and that the messages of acceptance and kindness stay with them. It’s an incredible honour. It genuinely hasn’t sunk in yet. I’m so excited to share ‘Corvine’ with the world, and Tribeca is a huge platform. The fact that Whoopi Goldberg has seen my film – and selected it! – is just out of this world. I am really looking forward to attending the festival and meeting the other filmmakers.” — Director Sean McCarron
“A Cow In The Sky”
Compelling A COW IN THE SKY is based on a true story of a man recalling events from his childhood that shaped him into the person he is today. Some of the memories are positive (including clouds, a love of flying and being with his grandfather). But his father’s murder (and the vicious people involved) remains prominent in his mind.
“This film is deeply personal and meaningful to us, both because of Darren’s involvement with the case as a young law student, and as a story that cuts deep into painful truths about our society while honoring the heroism of a young boy who allowed love to overcome hate. Our background is in live action narrative films, but for ‘A Cow in the Sky’ we felt we needed to find a different creative palate to truly capture the sense of dreaminess in our protagonist’s thrilling first solo flight and his emotionally layered memories. For us the perfect medium to achieve this was a simple, storybook style of animation that we blended with historical video footage in order to highlight the demons our protagonist is wrestling with and serve as a point of origin for the events that shaped our story.” — Directors Darren Press and C. Fraser Press
“The Night Doctrine”
Intense animated docudrama THE NIGHT DOCTRINE is about a journalist who makes it her responsibility… her mission… her calling… to uncover the truth behind traumatic events from her family’s past. In particular, this film focuses on decades of night raids in Afghanistan, which resulted in hundreds of deaths. They are presented in brutal, honest ways.
“The Night Doctrine is a special film that represents a multi-year personal journey for Lynzy Billing, the protagonist and dogged investigative journalist, and for the whole filmmaking team. We decided to tell this story with animation because of the need to protect several sources’ identities, whose lives were in even more danger after the Taliban took over Afghanistan. Through metaphoric and literal approaches, we tried to bring to life moments as devastating as the night raid in the film that both soldiers and relatives recount and that shows so clearly the failure of these U.S.-led operations and the need for accountability and justice.” — Directors Almudena Toral and Mauricio Rodríguez Pons
“Restless Is The Night”
RESTLESS IS THE NIGHT is about two women who meet under circumstances they didn’t wish they were in. But they look out for each other and persevere, rising above the cruelty of despicable men. This is a well-paced, powerful short.
“Being part of the Tribeca Film Festival and creating this film holds great significance for me. As my thesis project, I regard it as my last chance to create a film that truly reflects my artistic vision and the kind of stories I want to tell in the future — honest and moving narratives about women. Being selected for the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival has been a huge boost for me, especially during a tough year when I almost gave up on my filmmaking career. Struggling to find a job as a storyboard artist after graduating was disheartening, and I started doubting my storytelling abilities. I met other young filmmakers at different festivals who had to work other jobs to support themselves while pursuing their passion for filmmaking, which made me question if I should do the same. But then I received the unexpected news that my film was selected for the Tribeca Film Festival, one of the best in the U.S. It was a pleasant surprise that made me feel seen and appreciated. This recognition has given me the courage to keep creating stories and reaffirmed my belief in the power of filmmaking.” — Co-Director Yuehan Tan
“We were so excited at first receiving Tribeca’s notice that our film was selected! Being a part of the Tribeca Film Festival is a tremendous honor and opportunity, as it validates and recognizes our creative efforts. It provides us with a platform for greater exposure, allowing our film’s message to reach a wider audience. Additionally, I am also excited about the prospect of discovering new films that might not receive as much mainstream attention and have the chance to meet more filmmakers.” — Co-Director Xiaoxue Meng
“Starling”
In STARLING, a husband and wife are remembering their daughter on what would’ve been her birthday. It’s a difficult day, and a shooting star hopes to make things a little bit better, through a spiritual, glowing presence. Great music and quite touching.
“Starling is an animated short film about a birthday, 90’s Istanbul and the shining presence of the people we loved and lost. At its core, it is the story of my wonderful and resilient friend who had a big personality and enjoyed life so vivaciously that even when she is gone, I still feel that she is with me. One of the most important elements of this story is the setting. Istanbul is where I grew up and I wanted to see it represented in the media as I remember it. As a director, my aim was to create a film that was visually both beautiful and authentic. Therefore working with artists from Turkey whenever possible was extremely important. We were very lucky to have collaborated with extremely talented artists from not only Turkey but all over the planet, and created a project that is truly a lightning in a bottle. I am absolutely honored that ‘Starling’ will have its world premiere at Tribeca Film Festival this year.” — Director Mitra Shahidi
“Witchfairy”
And finally: A young fairy wants to trade her wand for a broom in WITCHFAIRY. This underdog adventure with a grand scope has lovely music and terrific visuals. Nice takeaway message of choosing your own path.
“We are excited to be part of Tribeca. It allows us to share our film’s positive message of love and inclusion with a wider audience. After all, at animation film festivals you mainly address adults who are interested in arthouse animation. At children’s film festivals you send a message to children, their teachers or parents. But Tribeca seems like the place where you get them all together at once. So we feel that Tribeca is the perfect platform for our film to reach a wide diverse audience that may resonate with the themes we explore, fostering greater mutual understanding and empathy. We are grateful for this opportunity to make a meaningful impact and contribute to the festival’s celebration of diverse storytelling.” — Directors Cedric Igodt and David Van de Weyer
For tickets and more info on the shorts: https://tribecafilm.com/films/shorts-animated-shorts-curated-by-whoopi-g-2023
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