HELLO!
I am an award-winning German-English freelance 2D animation director, animator, illustrator and installation artist based in Berlin, specialising in abstract and experimental animation. My work focuses on visualising concepts and ideas through abstract, experimental, hand-drawn and hand-crafted 2D frame-by-frame animation. I create both author-driven films and commissioned animation projects across film, digital media, and cultural contexts.

Heavily influcenced by avant-garde, abstract and modern art movements, I am completely obsessed with geometric shapes, straight lines and perfectly round circles! With a particular focus on philosophical concepts around our perception of time and space, I create dynamic and playful compositions, bursting with rhythm, colourful shapes and visualised sounds. 

Together with 3D animation director Toby Auberg, I am also the co-founder of KINEMUS, a hybrid, interdisciplinary 2D and 3D animation studio in Berlin - a space where we explore all things hybrid, expanded and mixed media animation.  //

© Trang Nguyen

I have been working as a freelance animator and artist for more than ten years and have worked with museums, musicians, independent artists and filmmakers, universities, charities, festivals, start-ups, research centres, news outlets, brands, agencies and studios all across the world and on a multitude of projects - ranging from documentaries, music videos, feature films, explainers, log animations and trailers all the way to space-based installations for events - I just love work on many different projects, media and formats! Finding that right, handmade and tailored visual language through shapes, colours, movement, rhythm and amtosphere for every single project is my happy place. If you need any moving or still imagery, in a digital or physical space - please get in touch!

My films and music videos have screened at many festivals over the last 10 years, including Annecy, Palm Springs, Encounters, Raindance, Uppsala, Guanajuato, Rhode Island and won several awards. My graduation film 'Any Instant Whatever' was longlisted for an Academy Award in 2022. I've worked with independent artists and filmmakers, musicians, museums, universities, festivals, start ups, research centers, charities, news outlets, brands and studios all across the world - on music videos, short films, long films, explainers, logo animations, illustrations or installations for events and all kinds of things in-between. //


TURNING IDEAS INTO DYNAMIC, VISUAL WORLDS. WHAT can i do for you? 

2D Animation // Screen Based and Space Based
Animated Short Films, Music Videos, Animated Sequences for live-action films, Documentaries, Trailers, Explainers, Logo Animations, Ads, Research Animations, Charity Campaigns, Animated Paintings, Social Media Clips, Inbetweening, Colouring, Texture Animations, Rotoscope Animation

Illustration //  Digital and Physical
Editorial Illustrations, Fashion Illustrations, Concept Art, Style Frame Explorations, Animated Illustrations, Backgrounds, Paintings, Murals, Posters

Space-based installations // Animated or Still
Paintings, Murals, Sculptures, Light Art, Animation Installations, Expanded Animation, Kinetic Sculptures, Festival Art

I will happily take you through the whole stage of production - starting with finding the right visual language for your project all the way to creating, animating, sculpting or painting the last detail, considering its presentation and the space it will live in. Get in touch and we can discuss your ideas together!



MAIL@MICHELLEBRANDANIMATION.COM
clients
BBC & BBC News, The New York Times, WHO, Chanel,
Royal Academy, National Gallery, Tate, Imperial College,
Sony, Netflix, Strange Beast, Submarine, BBC Rural Media
and a bunch of super talented artists and directors across the world!


FILMOGRAPHY
Run (2025)
Je Pars (2023)
Any Instant Whatever (2020)
Synchronicity (2018)
Not The Same River. Not The Same Man. (2017)
The Journey Never Starts. The Journey Never Ends. (2016)
A Small Voice (2016)

Awards
Finalist // Shiny Awards 2025
Jury Award Best Music Video // Anifilm 2024
Shortlist Best Craft Animation // Berlin Commercial Awards 2024
Finalist Best Music Video // AEAF Awards 2024
Best Music Video // London International Animation Festival 2024

Best International Video // Animix 2024
Jury Award Best Music Video // Paris International Animation Festival 2024
Best Experimental // Short to the Point 2023
Best Music Video // Animakom 2023

Norman McLaren Award 2023
Longlisted for an Academy Award 2022
Camarthen Bay Film Festival // Best Animation 2022
Winner // Motion Awards 2021
Supertoon Festival // Best Student Film 2021
Florida Animation Festival // Best Frame-by-Frame Animation 2021
PIAFF Paris International Animation Film Festival // Coup De Coeur Prize 2021
Lisbon Animation Festival // Best Short Film 2021
Vimeo Staff Pick 2020
Raindance Film Festival // Best Animation 2020
Rhode Island Film Festival // Best Animation 2020
Rhode Island Film Festival // Best Experimental 2020
GIRAF Festival of Independent Animation // Best Sound Design 2020
Short to the Point // Best Animation 2020
Australian Effects and Animation Awards // Best Student Film 2020
Animation Block Party // Best Student Film 2020
International Exhibition of Animation Art, Phenakistoscope // Best Experimental 2019
German Multimedia Award 2012 & 2016


FESTIVAL JUDGE
Animation Judge & Curator // Festival Animation Berlin 2025
'Best Animation' Judge // Sehsuechte Stunden Film Festival 2024
'Frame-by-Frame' Animation Judge // Florida Animation Festival 2022
'Experimental Animation' Judge // London International Animation Festival 2021


PUBLICATIONS
ASIFA Academic Magazine 2024 Volume1 Issue 1 // Becoming and Being in Animation

ANIMATION LECTURES
How to Structure Non-Narrative Animation // University for the Creative Arts 2021

SOME SELECTED SCREENINGS

Animac 2026
Animafest Gdanks 2025
Dresden International Filmfestival 2024

Guarimba Animation Festival 2024
Fest Anca 2024

Ottawa Animation Festival 2024
Anima 2024
Dresden Filmfest 2024
Anifilm 2020 & 2024
DokLeipzig 2023
Manchester Animation Festival 2023
Camarthen Bay 2022
Annecy 2020
Raindance Film Festival 2020
Palm Springs Shortfest 2020
Animator 2020
Rhode Island International Film Festival 2020
Encounters 2020 & 2018
Guanajuato International Film Festival 2020
Uppsala Short Film Festival 2020
Monstra Animation Festival 2024, 2020 & 2019
Leeds International Film Festival 2020
New Chitose Airport International Animation Festival 2020
International Short Film Festival Berlin 2020
Tricky Women 2019
London International Animation Festival 2025, 2024, 2020, 2016
Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2016

PRESS

Je Pars // Zippy Frames
Je Pars // Directors Notes
Any Instant Whatever  // Directors Notes
Any Instant Whatever  // Motionographer
Any Instant Whatever // Zippy Frames
Any Instant Whatever  // Quickdraw Animation
Any Instant Whatever  // Artribune

CV & THINGS
Here's a CV that keeps outdating, or better check out LinkedIn
//
VAT ID DE336094092
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Michelle Brand
Wilhelminenhofstraße 92, 12459 Berlin