Animation is a visual language full of imagination, innovation and immersion. Filmmakers around the world use the medium as a tool to bring the impossible to life, and to create unique stories that couldn’t be told through live action. Here in the nation’s capital, DCIFF works hard to support the vision of animators and protect an industry faced with its own set of challenges. 

DCIFF nurtures and encourages the potential of young  animators, and now provides a Summer Intensive Animation Course for Teens. 

This year, at our Y-CAM Film Festival, Ally Cao, a student based in New Jersey, won Best Animation for her animated short Clean Slate (2024). Cao is a self taught animator who found her passion for the form while painting at a local art studio. Her film expressed the stress of experiencing periods of creative block as an artist. 

“The flow of the story mixes a lot and I was definitely thinking about which climax to emphasize…and when the animation is done I move on to After Effects or Procreate Dreams and other editing softwares” she said. 

Student Max Farahnakin also showcased his animated short The Frame King at the Y-CAM Film Festival and spoke about the lengthy and detailed process of animating even in a project’s rough draft.

“I did it all traditionally with one ballpoint pen and used a fountain pen for shading. It was about five hundred pieces of paper and took me a month and a half” Farahnakin said.  

DCIFF fosters animation talent through a summer animation course for teens: A five week experience created to introduce middle and high school students to software and techniques including ZBrush. During this time, students get the opportunity to collaborate with their peers, learn from experienced teachers and meet industry professionals. 

Our 2024-2025 teacher is Miranda Curras, a filmmaker from Mexico City and animation student at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Curras’ artistic background includes work in illustration, stop motion, and ceramics.

Curras is well aware of the intensity involved in animating. She provides her students with a variety of resources while also emphasizing the importance of allowing them to gain independence by learning through trial and error, especially when studying complex skills like creating keyframes or editing sound.

“When you are a teacher you are not only giving students information but you are also giving them advice and guiding them in the ways that you wish you were guided in the moments when you were learning” Curras said. “That leniency and that support also helps them bring their ideas to life and not get frustrated with the medium.” The animation course structure is simple. At the beginning of each week, Curras introduces a new technique such as paper animation or character design which students practice through small exercises. On Wednesdays, students get assigned a project using that technique and present their work on Fridays. Some of the exercises include merged animation, where two students exchange drawings and build upon each other’s illustrations, or crafting paper puppets to be used in a stop-motion retelling of fables. During the course’s last two weeks, students work on their final project, which they have to pitch and present drafts for. 

Last year, “there were a few students that were really good with animation, like impressive. There were twelve-year-olds and fifteen-year-olds and when I was that age I couldn’t do that” said Curras. 

It can be jarring for an animator to find a place of community that can help them develop their skills. DCIFF is working to create that community, beginning in the DMV area and focusing on young people in the animation course.

“[DCIFF] got tripods for them and iPads and Apple Pencils, so the fact that they had the materials, resources and software was just insane, insane in a good way,” Curras said. “They were not only learning how to animate for fun but also learning what’s the industry standard. I’m so happy that DCIFF is supporting this and giving kids the type of resources that I know not everyone can have.”