A Trace

A 3D Animated Shortfilm in which a young girl learns to shed her guilt about her absent father.
This student shortfilm features an experimental flat character in a 3D environment with a toony rendered look.

  • Julietta Zamora Lam
    Director
  • Julietta Zamora Lam
    Producer
  • Mak Archer
    Producer
  • Charles Mesa Cayobit
    Producer
  • Mak Archer
    Art Director
  • Charles Mesa Cayobit
    Rigging & Technical Lead
  • Marco Perez
    Animation Lead
  • Mak Archer
    Visual Development
  • Ian Mahoney
    Visual Development
  • Sara Kubo
    Visual Development
  • Nick Johnson
    Visual Development
  • Allison Nguyen
    Visual Development
  • Mak Archer
    3D Modeling
  • Heather Lai
    3D Modeling
  • Kimi Kawai
    3D Modeling
  • Ian Mahoney
    3D Modeling
  • Sneha Krishnan
    3D Modeling
  • Nicole Padilla
    3D Modeling
  • Charles Mesa Cayobit
    Rigging
  • Heather Lai
    Rigging
  • Marco Perez
    3D Animation
  • Julietta Zamora Lam
    3D Animation
  • Charles Mesa Cayobit
    3D Animation
  • Marissa Burckhardt
    3D Animation
  • Vy Nguyen
    3D Animation
  • Steven Chao
    3D Animation
  • Kevin Nguyen
    3D Animation
  • Cassie Tang
    3D Animation
  • Timn Lam
    3D Animation
  • Ethan Grey
    3D Animation
  • Adali Fuentes
    3D Animation
  • Alex Ramelb
    3D Animation
  • Hara Anderson
    3D Animation
  • Shirley Mach
    3D Animation
  • Anna Frias
    3D Animation
  • Josh Santiago
    3D Animation
  • Satong Huynh
    3D Animation
  • Jessica Wong
    3D Animation
  • Isabelle Tumboimbela
    3D Animation
  • Jillian Stephenson
    Key Cast
    "Violeta"
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Family
  • Runtime:
    5 minutes 24 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 23, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    3,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Language:
    English, Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - San Jose State University
Director Biography - Julietta Zamora Lam

Julietta Zamora Lam is a Mexican-American based in California. She is a first-generation University graduate. Julietta has a passion for Animation and Storytelling, hoping to pursue a career in 3D Animation.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

This film is a student-made senior thesis project created by Animation/Illustration students at San Jose State University.

This film is based on my personal experiences growing up with an absent father. At the age of 3, my biological father left. Throughout my life, I had a lot of conflicting feelings. I felt very self-concious and guilty about my father not being present. I also felt a lot of anger towards my father for leaving. Despite these negative feelings, I often longed for my father to be in my life. With this film, I hope to address the emotional impact that an absent parent can have on a child. I hope to send a message of self-love, healing, and letting go.