Ewa Smyk is an animation director based in the UK. Her debut, short animated documentary “The Deal” (2015) screened at numerous film festivals internationally, including DOK Leipzig, Mar del Plata, and Curta Cinema. Her latest animated film, “Homebird” (2021), was shown at over 80 film festivals and won over 20 awards. It was included in BAFTA and Oscar long lists and received the Young Director Award. Ewa is currently developing her short film slate and working commercially as a director and visual artist in music videos and documentaries.

“The core idea for Homebird was inspired by the feeling of homesickness that was at its peak at the beginning of the last year of my MA studies in Directing Animation when I started working on my graduation film. The longing for my family home, which I wasn’t able to visit more than a few days a year, was so overwhelming that it just kept on resurfacing in every story idea I was having, so it became clear that it had to be the core of whatever film I would make. The other key theme in “Homebird” is of an artist searching for their creative voice and falling into pitfalls of self-doubt along the way. As an artist, you need to keep reminding yourself that your unique voice and style are worth not giving up on. I hope the story will resonate with anyone who’s left home to make their mark on the world.”

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