London-based animator Ana Pérez López (Film/Video MFA 18) has been named the recipient of a Young Guns 18 Award for Animation.
Established in 1996 by design and advertising nonprofit The One Club for Creativity, Young Guns is a portfolio-based competition that recognizes creative professionals under the age of 30. López joins the 2020 class of 31 inductees, who represent numerous countries around the globe and various creative disciplines including sound design, film, and graphic design. Check out the full list of Young Guns 18 winners here.
In a recent interview with Young Guns, she describes what makes her artistic style unique:
I am what we call in Spain a “culo inquieto.” I pour my heart, soul, and some health into the task in front of me. Postulating that a “good style” should be an extension of who you are… Mine can’t possibly be consistent. I’m Spanish, but I’ve found myself everywhere: Madrid, Los Angeles, Santa Cruz, Santiago, and London. All of these are places I call home. Each city changed me in a way, and there is a little of each city in the soles of my shoes and the souls of my work.
López’s portfolio works were described by jurors as “original,” “authentic,” and “playful.” Her six Young Gun 18 submissions include Power of Seven: North America, a glimpse into the future of travel; Las Del Diente, a discussion about women’s rights and bodily autonomy; Waltzing with Pride, a celebration of Vienna’s annual Rainbow Ball; Amarillo, a documentary exploring the links between bananas and human history; Kindness, a visualization of Naomi Shihab Nye’s poem of the same name; and A Fourth of a Bicycle, a call to action to end pay inequality.
Las Del Diente, her MFA Experimental Animation thesis film, was featured at the 2019 Slamdance Film Festival. In 2018, A Fourth of a Bicycle was among the three CalArtian short films that premiered at the UN’s HeForShe Impact Summit.