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Yiwei Chen / 陈艺唯

_{陈艺唯 / Yiwei Chen}_{Yiwei Chen is an animation director and artist born in Hunan, China. She studied at the China Academy of Art from 2017, before completing her Master of Arts at the Royal College of Art in 2023. Yiwei works as a freelance animator, specializing in hand-drawn animations that express deep emotions and self-reflection. Her films have been selected for over 25 international festivals, including Annecy International Animation Festival, Kaboom Animation Festival, and ZINEBI.

EDUCATION

MA Animation, Royal College of Art, UK 2021-2023

BA Visual Communication, China Academy of Art, China 2017-2021

ARTIST STATEMENT

My work is rooted in a personal exploration of psychology, memory, and the emotional echoes of childhood. I'm drawn to the quiet tension that exists within intimate, often unspoken experiences—especially those shaped by family and the subconscious. Much of my inspiration comes from dreams, which I actively record and reflect on. These dream fragments often become the foundation for my visual scripts, allowing intuition and spontaneity to lead the creative process. I work primarily with hand-drawn 2D animation, using soft and oil pastels, colored pencils, and sometimes stop-motion or mixed media. I'm drawn to the unpredictability of real materials. I gravitate toward darker, surreal tones and textures that reflect inner emotional landscapes and blurred realities. In my creative process, I follow intuition closely: when a visual idea strikes, I immediately begin writing or drawing. The scenes emerge naturally, without deliberate structure. I enjoy this sense of mental drift—not knowing where I'm headed, just letting the work lead me deeper into the unconscious.}

FILMOGRAPHY
Cocoon 4'30" / Director, Writer, Animator 2024
Let's Talk About TEAR 3'40" / Director, Animator 2022
Xiao Ying / Animator, Visual Designer In Production

_{AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Special Jury Award - Animakom FEST, Bilbao, Spain 2024
Best Student Animation Nominee - Bolton International Film Festival, Bolton, UK 2024
Special Jury Award - Beijing Film Animation Academy Award, Beijing, China 2024}

SCREENING/EXHIBITION
Annecy International Animation Festival, Annecy, France 2025
Tricky Women Tricky Realities, Vienna, Austria 2025
Kaboom Animation Festival, Amsterdam, Netherlands 2025
Monstra - Lisbon Animation Festival, Lisbon, Portugal 2025

ZINEBI, Bilbao, Spain 2024
Animest International Animation Film Festival, Romania 2024
London International Animation Festival, London, United Kinfdom 2024
Insomnia International Open Air Animation Film Festival, Moscow, Russia 2024
FIRST International Film Festival, Qinghai, China 2024
SUPERTOON International Animation and Comics Festival, Sibenik, Croatia 2024
Minikino Film Week - Bali International Short Film Festivel, Bali,, Indonesia 2024
Chaniartoon - International Comic & Animation Festival, Chania, Greece 2024
Bolton International Film Festival, Bolton, United Kinfdom 2024
Image Forum Festival, Tokyo, Japan 2024
Chania Film Festival , Chania, Greece 2024
Kerry International Film Festival, Kerry, Ireland 2024
Tohorror Fantastic Film Festival, Turin, Italy 2024
Pumpkin Fantasy Film Festival, Beijing, China 2024
MIAF - International Animation Day, Melbourne, Australia 2024
Beijing Film Academy Animation School Award, Beijing, China 2024
FIA - Festival Internacional de Animaci6n, Montevideo, Uruguay 2024
Piccolo Festival dell'Animazione, Pordenone, Italy Plum!, Tucuman, Argentina 2024
Kinoproba - International Film Schools Festival Russia 2024
Animateka International Animated Film Festival, Slovenia 2024
Animakom FEST, Bilbao, Spain 2024
Cartoon Club, Rimini, Italy 2024