Asians in Animation

Asians in Animation The leading representative organization for Asians in the animation industry.

Asians in Animation is a global non-profit dedicated to advancing the visibility, professional growth, and equitable representation of Asian communities in animation. Founded in 2020, Asians in Animation (AIA) is an international organization dedicated to the celebrAsian and support of the Asian animation community.

​AIA is committed to Education, Inclusivity, and the Celebration of Asian stories, Asian-led work, and the many cultures that span the entire continent of Asia and its diasporas.

Our CG production continues to grow strong! With the story based on Amir Agoora's Yemeni roots, our amazing Story and E...
06/18/2026

Our CG production continues to grow strong!

With the story based on Amir Agoora's Yemeni roots, our amazing Story and Edit teams have officially locked in a fully timed animatic.

Our incredible 2D artists also finished a total of 40 assets, including characters, backgrounds, props and color scripts.

For our next steps, we're moving into production, beginning with our modeling phase! We are also thrilled to welcome our Tech, Music, Animation, and Lighting teams as they kick off research and development.

To read more about our June update, check out our link in the bio!

Art by Dasom Park

From a spark of inspiration at our 2025 Development Lab to the first rough sketches on a screen, the world of FOREST is ...
06/16/2026

From a spark of inspiration at our 2025 Development Lab to the first rough sketches on a screen, the world of FOREST is getting more real by the day.

Inspired by the shifting landscapes of LA’s Little Tokyo, Chinatown, and Historic Filipinotown, Ashley and Sheena sought to craft a story about the "little guy." The story unfolds in a world of grand adventures, seen from the perspective of some of its smallest inhabitants.

Now that our 2D production pipeline is in full swing, our crew is moving past general concepts and diving into the heart of visual storytelling. This month was all about defining how this miniature world actually feels.

Our storyboard team has been unpacking rough pitches together, sharpening the narrative direction, and tackling the big questions: Does this scene land emotionally? Is the staging clear?

We’re also thrilled to welcome our new composers, editor, and animation leads to the growing FOREST crew!

To read more about the 2D Program updates, check out our website! (Link in bio)

Art by Joanna Jiang, Ashley Lam, Andrew Frastaci

🎬 Calling all animation filmmakers!Our friends at and are launching a Short Animation Fellowship and applications open...
06/11/2026

🎬 Calling all animation filmmakers!
Our friends at and are launching a Short Animation Fellowship and applications open on June 22nd!

This program supports animated short filmmakers through a 9-week training phase and a 6-month mentorship phase. It's free, and recipients keep full ownership of their work.

Apply as a duo, teams of 2! The theme: ✨ Myth-making ✨

For any questions, please check out the FAQ section on the program website, and join us on June 30th at 9 am PT for an info session (the recording will be available on the website following the session as well).

Spotlighting five animated works that offer fresh, dynamic takes on Asian American representation!From intimate family g...
06/10/2026

Spotlighting five animated works that offer fresh, dynamic takes on Asian American representation!

From intimate family gatherings and neighborhood corner stores to broader themes of prejudice and grief, these animated works capture unique angles of the diaspora experience
We believe animation is a powerful medium to tell our stories. With the recent surge of Asian-led stories in Western media, we want to celebrate authentic storytelling while uplifting stories that resonate with our community.

Read the full article at: bit.ly/aia-asamstories

Thanks to everyone who worked on this post: Haram Kim, Raphael Cardenas, Sherry Liang, Patty Changkaew, Lawrence Folsom, Kaitlyn Chen, Elisa Lau, Anna Folsom

Make your dreams come true with AIA this summer! With Annecy and the New York Asian Film Festival on the horizon, join A...
06/02/2026

Make your dreams come true with AIA this summer!

With Annecy and the New York Asian Film Festival on the horizon, join AIA to build your own stories and see how productions breathe life into animation behind the scenes.

Take a look at our monthly events:
Storyboard Session:
Tuesday, June 9 @ 7 PM PST | Discord
Explore original storyboards and scripts in Storyboard Session with host Pine Pham.

Portfolio, Art & Work Sessions:
Saturday, June 6 @ 5 PM PST | Discord
Saturday, June 20 @ 11 AM PST | Discord
Join our PAW sessions to work on your portfolio, explore art projects of your interest, and keep your creative goals accounted for.

Want to join AIA and give back to the community?

OPEN ROLES

Communications:
Ambassador Manager
Assoc. Director of Marketing

Membership:
Co-Director (NY)
Co-Director (India)

Partnerships:
Partnerships Assistant

Overhead:
Video Editor
Awards Production Manager

Learn more about our open roles at: https://bit.ly/AIAOpenRole (Link in bio)
For questions, reach out to: [email protected]

Special thanks to everyone who worked on this post:
• Contributors: Kellie Nguyen, Charis Moon
• Media Production: Lawrence Folsom, Kelly Dizon, Kaitlyn Chen, Shivani Devi Gobalakichenin
• Channel Management: Olivia Hall, Raphael Cardenas, Jade Tu
• Comms Leadership: Anna Folsom, Elisa Lau

As we concluded our AIA En Plein Air Challenge, we want to share some memorable moments and incredible artwork our commu...
05/30/2026

As we concluded our AIA En Plein Air Challenge, we want to share some memorable moments and incredible artwork our community created together. 🌿🎨✨

From plein air studies capturing different places to artists gathering in person at our NYC meetup, this challenge became a shared experience in observation, storytelling, and connection.

Want to learn more about the inspiration behind this challenge? Read Andrew Frastaci’s blog post and explore how his plein air journey through Little Tokyo reflects the power of on-site sketching. Blog: https://bit.ly/3RDeFoh

✨ Swipe through to see more artwork highlights, meetup moments, and more.✨

Step into the world of folklore, mythology, and visual storytelling with this Community Voice feature: Munaum Bilal ✨Mun...
05/29/2026

Step into the world of folklore, mythology, and visual storytelling with this Community Voice feature: Munaum Bilal ✨

Munaum Bilal is a Pakistani storyboard artist whose work draws inspiration from Middle Eastern and South Asian culture, folklore, and mythology. A graduate of Marshall University’s Bachelor of Arts program, he has worked with Moonshot Animations as a Storyboard Artist and SOC Films as a Graphic Designer Intern.
Through his personal work, Munaum explores the power of storytelling to preserve culture, identity, and imagination across generations.

In this feature, he shares more about his creative journey, artistic inspirations, and why culturally rooted stories matter in animation today.

Discover more about Munaum’s creative journey at https://bit.ly/4eaTMtq

🎬 Small Starts & Big Wins Panelist Spotlight: Lourchielle Hael — Director of SIGNAL PENDINGKnown online as Chiise, Lourc...
05/29/2026

🎬 Small Starts & Big Wins Panelist Spotlight: Lourchielle Hael — Director of SIGNAL PENDING

Known online as Chiise, Lourchielle is a 3rd-year multimedia arts student specializing in animation at the University of Makati's Institute of Arts and Design. They direct SIGNAL PENDING under Endscener Production — a film that began as a class project and was pitched and selected for SINE KABATAAN 2025.

Through their work, they bring local history and culture into stories of romance and magic — a perspective Filipino indie animation needs more of.

At Small Starts & Big Wins, Lourchielle will share how a class assignment became a real production, how to pitch as an undergrad, and how to root your storytelling in Filipino culture without flattening it.

📅 Saturday, May 30 · 10:00 AM PHT on Zoom
👉 Register: https://AIA_indie_filipino_directors.eventbrite.com

🎬 Small Starts & Big Wins Panelist Spotlight: Sofia Bianca Chua — Co-Director of UnravelledUnravelled began as a group t...
05/28/2026

🎬 Small Starts & Big Wins Panelist Spotlight: Sofia Bianca Chua — Co-Director of Unravelled

Unravelled began as a group thesis at iACADEMY's VISION program and has grown into one of the most decorated Filipino student animations of the year:

🏆 Grand Prize, Student Division — Animahenasyon 2025 (the Philippines' largest animation festival)

🏆 Best International Short Film — Prisma Q***r Film Festival (Ireland)

At Small Starts & Big Wins, Sofia will share how her team turned a school project into international festival material, the realities of co-directing, and how to find your film's audience beyond the classroom.

📅 Saturday, May 30 · 10:00 AM PHT on Zoom
👉 Register: https://AIA_indie_filipino_directors.eventbrite.com

🎬 Small Starts & Big Wins Panelist Spotlight: Leon Lopez — Producer & Co-Director of Wheel LoveLeon is a Quezon City–bas...
05/27/2026

🎬 Small Starts & Big Wins Panelist Spotlight: Leon Lopez — Producer & Co-Director of Wheel Love

Leon is a Quezon City–based Creative Project Manager whose work spans Megan Thee Stallion's animated documentary and the award-winning short film Time Flies. He's also a frequent workshop facilitator and pitching event adjudicator at CIIT Lightbox, with a clear passion for helping young Filipinos build their own IP.

Wheel Love is his current indie animation project — a Filipino-led collaboration with an international team.
At Small Starts & Big Wins, Leon will share how to keep a cross-border animation team running, what producers wish first-time directors knew, and how to think about your project as IP from day one.

📅 Saturday, May 30 · 10:00 AM PHT on Zoom
👉 Register: https://AIA_indie_filipino_directors.eventbrite.com

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