CTAF 6th Animation Festival for Short Films and Motion Design
Feb 21, 2026 - 5:00 PM
DATE: Saturday, February 21, 2026
TIME: 5 PM Screening; 6:30 PM 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!
NOMINEES
To be announced! Stay tuned.
ABOUT THE JUDGES
This year’s jury is once again led by Gonzalo Janer, founder of Punchy Motion, as well as a character animator, motion designer, and SVA faculty member. The jury panel also includes:
Jae Bae has over a decade of experience in conceptualizing, designing, creating motion graphics and animated films, specializing 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 artist in Manhattan, known for his versatility and creative prowess. Colby 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. Wang’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. 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, Xu 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. Xu’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.
ABOUT CTAF
Crazy Talented Asians & Friends (CTAF) is a community-led program series dedicated to works by Asian and Asian Americans that showcases the diverse creativity and impact this community has to offer while bringing together families, friends, and audiences from different backgrounds to celebrate their stories.
| Date | Performance Times | |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 21, 2026 | 5:00 PM | Buy Tickets |
DATE: Saturday, February 21, 2026
TIME: 5 PM Screening; 6:30 PM 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!
NOMINEES
To be announced! Stay tuned.
ABOUT THE JUDGES
This year’s jury is once again led by Gonzalo Janer, founder of Punchy Motion, as well as a character animator, motion designer, and SVA faculty member. The jury panel also includes:
Jae Bae has over a decade of experience in conceptualizing, designing, creating motion graphics and animated films, specializing 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 artist in Manhattan, known for his versatility and creative prowess. Colby 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. Wang’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. 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, Xu 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. Xu’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.
ABOUT CTAF
Crazy Talented Asians & Friends (CTAF) is a community-led program series dedicated to works by Asian and Asian Americans that showcases the diverse creativity and impact this community has to offer while bringing together families, friends, and audiences from different backgrounds to celebrate their stories.
| Date | Performance Times | |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 21, 2026 | 5:00 PM | Buy Tickets |
