ANIMATION SPEAK/EASY

Momoko Seto was born in Tokyo, Japan. She studied art at the École supérieure des beaux-arts in Marseille and later at Le Fresnoy – Studio national des arts contemporains. She works as a director at CNRS, where she makes scientific films in collaboration with researchers in the humanities and social sciences. In 2021, she received the CNRS Cristal, the highest distinction for a scientific filmmaker. 
The short films in her PLANET series have been showcased at numerous festivals and art events worldwide. PLANET Σ received the Audi Short Film Award at the Berlinale Shorts in 2015 and is part of the prestigious Mori Art Museum collection in Tokyo. PLANET A is included in the Cinémathèque Française collection. Seto has also directed several films, some shot in Japan, which have been broadcast on France TV. Her new fiction film, Dandelion’s Odyssey premiered at the Critic’s Week at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival where it was awarded by Prix FIPRESCI and it went on to win the Prix Paul Grimault at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. 

https://lallianceny.org

Sylwia Szkiłądź is a director of short animated films. She was born in 1987 in Podlaskie (in Poland), which she left at the age of 8 with her parents to live in Brussels. However, Podlaskie was and remains one of her most important artistic inspirations. Her film productions include: Limaçon et caricoles (2012) co-directed with Nim Gamboa, La Soupe aux fraises (2014) and Le Renard minuscule (2015) co-directed with Aline Quertain. She works freelance on various forms of animation: video clips co-directed with Jessica Poon including The Skeleton Band and The Midnight Secret Socks Party, as well as animations created with Marion Sellenet for the series Les Chroniques végétales.
She shares her knowledge and experience of animation with children and adults by organizing workshops in community centers and schools. She currently lives and works in Belgium, France and Poland.

https://vimeo.com/sylwiaszkiladz and https://lallianceny.org

Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski (Clyde Henry Productions) are award-winning writers, directors and animators. Their first film, Madame Tutli-Putli (NFB), was recognized with an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Short (2007).

Lavis and Szczerbowski went on to adapt Maurice Sendak’s Higglety Pigglety Pop! (NFB, Warner Brothers) and direct Meryl Streep in the film. In 2016, the duo was recognized with a nomination for Best Art Direction at the Canadian Screen Awards for their work on Guy Maddin’s feature The Forbidden Room. In 2017, 20 years of artistic creation was celebrated with retrospectives at the Cinémathèque Québécoise (Montreal) and the Annecy International Animation Festival in France. In 2019, they created the VR film Gymnasia, a unique blend of virtual reality and stop-motion animation, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and went on to win numerous awards, including a Canadian Screen Award for Best Immersive Experience.

https://vimeo.com/clydehenry and https://lallianceny.org