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Adija, a young girl from the Bronx, finds escape from an unhappy family life through her graffiti art.

One of DigiPen’s most decorated student animations, Adija has been selected by dozens of film festivals, winning several animation competitions in the process, including the coveted CINE Golden Eagle award. This senior capstone project has been seen in cities all over the world, including London, New York, Athens, Adelaide, Seattle, and even 30,000 feet in the air, on select Alaska Airlines flights.

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Awards and Recognition

  • 2018 DRAWTASTIC

    Best Student Animation

  • 2017 Animaze - Montreal International Animation Film Festival

    Finalist, International Student Film Contest

  • 2017 Palm Springs International Animation Festival

    Best 3D Heartwarming Animated Short

  • 2017 TimeLine Film Festival

    Finalist, University Category

  • 2017 Worldfest-Houston International Film and Video Festival

    Silver Remi Award in College Level Productions

  • 2016 Accolade Global Film Competition

    Award for Merit

  • 2016 CINE

    Golden Eagle Award for Student Animation

  • 2016 International Family Film Festival

    Best Animation

  • 2016 Lady Filmmakers Festival

    Best Animation

  • The 2016 Short Film Awards (SOFIES)

    Best Animated Short Film

Official Selections and Screenings

  • 2018 Children’s International Film Festival Seattle
  • 2018 Conscious Cartoons International Film Festival
  • 2018 Milwaukee Public School All-City Arts Festival
  • 2018 Rochester International Children’s Film Festival
  • 2018 Scribe Video Center Street Movies Festival
  • 2017 Adelaide International Youth Film Festival
  • 2017 Animation Dingle Festival
  • 2017 Athens Animfest
  • 2017 Blue Plum Animation Festival
  • 2017 British Animation Film Festival
  • 2017 Burbank International Film Festival
  • 2017 Chicago International Children’s Film Festival
  • 2017 Cinequest Film & VR Festival
  • 2017 Destiny City Film Festival
  • 2017 Kansas International Film Festival
  • 2017 Milwaukee Film Festival
  • 2017 Northwest Animation Festival
  • 2017 Rendezvous Film Festival
  • 2017 Seattle International Film Festival
  • 2016 Alexander Valley Film Festival
  • 2016 Anchorage International Film Festival
  • 2016 Giffoni International Film Festival
  • 2016 Gold Coast International Film Festival
  • 2016 International New York Film Festival
  • 2016 Joy House Film Festival 2016
  • 2016 MIA Animation Conference and Festival
  • 2016 Orlando Film Festival

The Team

  • Evan Alderete

    BA in Music and Sound Design

    Role: Composer

  • Austin Becker

    BFA in Digital Art and Animation

    Role: 2D Character Animator

  • Garrett Cavanaugh

    BFA in Digital Art and Animation

    Role: Lighting Artist, Technical Artist, Concept Artist

  • Grey Davenport

    BA in Music and Sound Design

    Role: Sound Design & Mixing

  • Tai Gordon

    BFA in Digital Art and Animation

    Role: Producer, Environment Artist

  • Evan Pitkin

    BFA in Digital Art and Animation

    Role: 2D Assistance

  • Morgan Rowe

    BFA in Digital Art and Animation

    Role: 3D Assistance

  • Chonlawat Thammawan

    BFA in Digital Art and Animation

    Role: 3D Animation Director, Character Artist

  • Apollonia Thomaier

    BFA in Digital Art and Animation

    Role: Art Director, Story Lead, 2D Effects Animator

  • Joe Vick

    BFA in Digital Art and Animation

    Role: 3D Technical Animator

Animation Stills

  • A brick apartment building in a darkened urban area at night. Two neighboring windows are aglow, one pink, one green.
  • A young girl sits on an apartment fire escape, her head buried in a book, as the silhouettes of two people argue behind her
  • Closeup of a young girl sadly sitting on a fire escape, coloring in a book, and lit from the apartment behind her
  • A young girl cautiously makes her way up a fire escape of an apartment building at night, lit dimly from below
  • A young girl sits sadly against a brick wall covered in graffiti, near cans of spray paint, lit from a single light above
  • A young girl from behind looking at a dimly lit exterior wall covered in colorful graffiti
  • A hand is on a scrapbook containing a photo of a family, with a man kissing a smiling woman and a smiling girl below them
  • A young girl with big brown eyes seen head on. She wears an orange-yellow sweater and has colorful hoops woven into her hair
  • A brick apartment at dawn in an urban area. A girl is seen on the room standing in front of a colorful spray-painted artwork.