On Tuesday, May 5, the School of Film/Video’s Showcase week began in earnest with the screening of 18 films from the Character Animation Program during the annual Producers’ Show. Student filmmakers, surrounded by their families, friends, classmates, and industry representatives, watched their films screen at the Directors Guild of America (DGA) theater complex in Hollywood.
The night kicked off with a fun video welcome from President Ravi Rajan, Provost Mike Bryant, and School of Film/Video Dean Ranu Mukherjee, but all three were outdone by the four-legged scene-stealer, Mandy (Mukherjee’s dog).
Maija Burnett, director of the Character Animation Program, took to the stage to thank the students, faculty, teaching assistants, and staff for their hard work to make the night a reality.
Burnett then introduced CalArts alum and guest of honor Daniel Chong (Film/Video 04), who directed Pixar’s critically acclaimed and box office hit Hoppers. He joked with the audience about some of his early films and pitches, but noted that the Character Animation students who finished a film this year—regardless if they were screening at the DGA—should relish the accomplishment of completing a film, which is no easy feat.
Chong helped present the three awards of the evening:
- Ben Knight earned the faculty-juried award, The Walter and Gracie Lantz Animation Prize for Excellence in Animation, for the film Double Click.
- Zechen Wang won the 2026 Procreate Award for Creativity in Animated Filmmaking for the film Last Flight. The prize was presented by Procreate’s Events and Partnerships Manager Andrew Johnstone who flew from Australia to be at the Producers’ Show.
- Chun Kit Fong received the 2026 Peers’ Pick Award for the film Drive On, Mr Otter!
Following the awards, the lights dimmed to an opening credits sequence produced by Veda Lee, and co-directed by Lee and Sofia Kondrasheva, who are both members of the class of 2026.
The Producers’ Show screened 18 varied films, which now can be viewed on Character Animation’s YouTube channel (or view below), along with all films created during the 2025-26 academic year.
After the screening, the end credits rolled to music composed by CalArts alum Hil Jaeger (Music BFA 15), thanking the many sponsors and industry partners who’ve supported the Character and Experimental Animation programs and made the animation showcases possible.
All guests and sponsors also received the 2026 Virtual Gift Bag, digital wallpaper art for mobile phones, tablets, and Zoom backgrounds.
