I Am a Horse

Chaerin Im

2D, ink on paper, lithography, stop motion

year: 2022

format: DCP, 4K
duration: 7'58"

production: Chaerin Im
distribution: Bonobostudio

Countries of production: South Korea, Denmark

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More About the Film

Where are the girls?

Unable to find girls in the diverse artwork of the Korean artist Lee Jung-seob, Chaerin Im unravels an imaginative tale of women born with half of their bodies being a horse and a tiger. These roaming women are too fierce and free to match their given role as a daughter, wife, and mother in the patriarchal society.

The tale is inspired by the Korean birth dreams, Tae-mong, of her mom when she was pregnant with her twin sister and herself.

Scriptwriter, director, animator, photography, editing: Chaerin Im
Music, sound design, sound mix: Joreng Jung
Compositing: Sorin Kim, Chaerin Im
Producer: Chaerin Im

Chaerin Im (born 1994 in Seoul) is a filmmaker from South Korea with a focus on experimental animation. With the use of craftsmanship and distinctive materials, she explores gender issues and sexual imagery. She graduated from Seoul National University’s Visual Communication Design BFA program (2017) and earned an MFA degree from the CalArts Experimental Animation program (2020). Her films have competed in widely-known festivals such as Annecy, Ann Arbor, Animafest Zagreb, DOK Leipzig, Ottawa, Slamdance, and GLAS. She is the 2021 GLAS grant recipient.

Filmography
I Am a Horse (2022), Eyes and Horns (2021, graduation film), Mate (2019, student film), Flora (2018, student film)

Awards

  • Special Distinction Prize, Bucheon International Animation Festival 2022
  • Backstage Award in Silhouettes Competition, Primanima World Festival of First Animations 2023
  • Special Mention Experimental Short Film, CutOut Fest 2023
  • Highly Commended in Experimental Section, Canberra Short Film Festival 2023
  • Honorable Mention, Stuttgarter Filmwinter 2024
  • Honorable Mention, Onion City Experimental Film Festival 2024

Festivals

Bucheon International Animation Festival (21/10-25/10/2022)
International Film Festival Rotterdam (25/1-5/2/2023)
Creteil Women's International Film Festival (24/3-2/4/2023)
Busan International Short Film Festival (25/4-1/5/2023)
Vox Feminae Festival (5/5-31/5/2023)
ShorTS International Film Festival (1/7-8/7/2023)
Tabor Film Festival (6/7-9/7/2023)
Countryside Animafest Cyprus (9/8-12/8/2023)
NeMaf – Seoul International Alternative Film Festival (10/8-22/8/2023)
Seoul Indie-Anifest (14/9-19/9/2023)
Minikino Film Week (15/9-23/9/2023)
Ottawa International Animation Festival (20/9-24/9/2023) 
Queer Lisboa International Queer Film Festival (22/9-30/9/2023)
Image Forum Festival (30/9-6/10/2023)
Primanima World Festival of First Animations (11/10-14/10/2023) 
Videomedeja International Video Festival (12/10-14/10/2023)
Fredrikstad Animation Festival (19/10-22/10/2023)
Banjaluka International Animated Film Festival (24/10-28/10/2023)
Bitbang International Animation, Videogames and Digital Art Festival (24/10-4/11/2023)
PÖFF Shorts International Short Film and Animation Festival (7/11-15/11/2023)
Aesthetica Short Film Festival (8/11-12/11/2023)
Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival (8/11-19/11/2023)
Spark Animation Festival (9/11-12/11/2023)
Canberra Short Film Festival (10/11-26/11/2023)
Amarcort Film Festival (14/11-19/11/2023)
Future Film Festival (15/11-19/11/2023)
CutOut Fest (16/11-19/11/2023)
London International Animation Festival (24/11-3/12/2023)
​Animateka International Animated Film Festival (27/11-3/12/2023)
Festival Tous Courts (28/11-2/12/2023)
Tindirindis International Animation Film Festival (30/11-3/12/2023)
Interface Video Art Festival (5/12-10/12/2023)
Stuttgarter Filmwinter (17/1-23/1/2024)
Animac International Animation Film Festival of Catalonia (15/2-18/2/2024)
International Encounters Traverse (13/3-17/3/2024)
Onion City Experimental Film Festival (4/4-14/4/2024)
Filmfest Dresden (16/4-21/4/2024) 
In the Palace International Short Film Festival (29/6-6/7/2024)
Hiroshima Animation Season (14/8-18/8/2024)