FRIDAY, AUGUST 21st 2026 6pm
At MOSMA HQ
NAYELLI OJEDA
Shaping Yugen: Mexican Ceramics Meets Stop-Motion
Join us for a behind-the-scenes evening on Yugen, a handmade stop motion short made with traditional Mexican ceramics and inspired by the natural world. Eight years in the making, the film had its world premiere at the Manchester Film Festival, a BAFTA-qualifying festival, where it won Best Animated Short. It is now in competition at the Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation & Technology (PFCAT), with nominations for Best Stop Motion Short and Best Fantasy Animated Short.
For this special evening, animator, director and producer Nayelli Ojeda will pull back the curtain on the making of Yugen, from concept art, sculpting and mould-making to character fabrication, set building and the painstaking, frame-by-frame work of filming. Nayelli will bring photos and video from the process and share the story behind each material and creative decision, plus guests will get the rare chance to meet the puppets in person. The evening will close with an open conversation, giving the audience a chance to ask questions and connect directly with her process.
About the artist: Nayelli Ojeda is a Mexican stop-motion filmmaker whose vision explores Latin American identity and cultural symbolism through handcrafted cinematic universes. Founder of Wisdom House Films, she was selected as an animation director for Talents Guadalajara, the Berlinale's talent development program, and her short film Yugen was selected for ANIMARKT Poland. Supported by the Mexican Film Institute (IMCINE), Yugen was made over eight years with hand-built ceramic and tree bark puppets, won Best Animated Short at the Manchester Film Festival (BAFTA-qualifying) and was invited to the Short Film Corner at Cannes 2026. Currently on its festival run, Yugen has screened at Oscar-qualifying festivals across England, the United States, Spain, Italy, Chile and Argentina.
MOSMA, the Museum of Stop Motion Animation presents a stop-motion showcase. The collection of short films include the work of animators from Portland, Los Angeles, Canada and Russia. These shorts exemplify the diverse range that stop-motion animation has as an art form. Utilizing a myriad of mediums and techniques, these masters of animation demonstrate the impactful potential of stop-motion animation to express ideas and tell stories.
Please join us after the films for a Q&A with the animators!
Local legend, David Daniels (Peter Gabriel Big Time, Pee Wee’s Playhouse, Freaked) will screen Buzz Box Re-mix. The studio, Screen Novelties (SpongeBob, ELF: Buddy’s Musical Christmas) from Los Angeles presents Old Man and the Goblins, an early short made by founders Mark Caballero and Seamus Walsh. Director and production designer, Kyle Arneson (Robot Chicken, Mary Shelly’s Frankenhole) will show Meevil the Weevil: Breakfast of Champions. Max Winston (Ratbat Studios) presents us with the first official Looney Tunes episode entirely created in stop-motion, Daffy in Wackyland. Sihanouk Mariona (Robot Chicken,The Tiny Chef) brings us his short film, They Crawl Amongst Us!. Polina Kutukina (Wildwood) from Russia, presents her short Pchela (Welcome). Michael Granberry (Severance, Guillermo del Toro’s: Pinocchio) presents his award-winning short Les Betes. Director/Animator/Collage Artist, Winston Hacking (Erodium Thunk, Andy Shauf, Flying Lotus) from Canada presents a recent experimental piece entitled, Action Bog.
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