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Aftershock

In the Hanshin region of Japan, a loving mother named Hanae enjoys a calm morning with her 5-year-old daughter Koharu while her husband Hitoshi rushes away to work. When an earthquake hits, the Kawakami’s face a new and difficult reality, leaving Hanae with an increasingly difficult decision to make.

  • Sophia Midori Almaraz
    Director
  • Sophia Midori Almaraz
    Producer
  • Vanessa E Rodriguez Correa
    Producer
  • Qing Roger Chen
    Art Director
  • Yuanlin Jing
    Head of Story
  • Sophia Midori Almaraz
    Storyboard Artists
  • Yuanlin Jing
    Storyboard Artists
  • Maylynn Tsai
    Storyboard Artists
  • Vanessa E Rodriguez Correa
    Modeling Lead
  • Vanessa E Rodriguez
    Modelers
  • Patrick Chrisyanto
    Modelers
  • Shayna Reyes
    Modelers
  • Sophia Midori Almaraz
    Modelers
  • Yuanlin Jing
    Modelers
  • Saya Makhmud
    Modelers
  • Qing Roger Chen
    Concept Designers
  • Andrew Davis
    Concept Designers
  • Megan Wong
    Concept Designers
  • Bella He
    Concept Designers
  • Connie Wen
    Concept Designers
  • Neko Tashiro Ohnsman
    Concept Designers
  • Sophia Midori Almaraz
    Line and Colorists
  • Qing Roger Chen
    Line and Colorists
  • Lara Anıl
    Line and Colorists
  • Lucy Belon Murphy
    Line and Colorists
  • Jay Kim
    Line and Colorists
  • Gina Zhu
    Line and Colorists
  • Andrew Davis
    Line and Colorists
  • Ryan Kuzumaki
    Line and Colorists
  • Jennifer Vasquez
    Line and Colorists
  • Koco Wang
    Line and Colorists
  • Kris Garcia
    Line and Colorists
  • Emelie Gardanier
    Line and Colorists
  • Freya Zhao
    Line and Colorists
  • Ethan Brovender
    Node Editor
  • Ethan Brovender
    Texture and Lighting Artists
  • Yuanlin Jing
    Texture and Lighting Artists
  • Sophia Midori Almaraz
    Animators
  • Qing Roger Chen
    Animators
  • Andrew Davis
    Animators
  • Angela Chan
    Animators
  • Emelie Gardanier
    Animators
  • Haruto Ryan Kuzumaki
    Animators
  • Jay Kim
    Animators
  • Emily Chao
    Animators
  • Beth Orrick-Arno
    Animators
  • Gina Zhu
    Animators
  • Jennifer Vasquez
    Animators
  • Jody Zhou
    Animators
  • Kris Garcia
    Animators
  • Koco Wang
    Animators
  • Bella He
    Animators
  • Petunia Qin
    Animators
  • Amy Wang
    Animators
  • Camille Agurto
    Animators
  • Maylynn Tsai
    Animators
  • Tony Danilchenko
    Animators
  • Freya Zhao
    Animators
  • Elina Huang
    Animators
  • Yuanlin Jing
    Layout Artist
  • Connie Wen
    Background Painters
  • Megan Wong
    Background Painters
  • Ashley Song
    Background Painters
  • Qing Roger Chen
    Background Painters
  • Sophia Midori Almaraz
    Compositor
  • Yuanlin Jing
    Compositor
  • Shayna Reyes
    Compositor
  • Ethan Brovender
    Compositor
  • Nera Hamzah
    Title Designer
  • Aimee Midori Yamanaka Yamada
    Taiko Composer and Performer
  • Sagita Alisya
    Classical Score Composer
  • Sandie Hanae
    Key Cast
    "Hanae Kawakami"
  • Muyan Chen
    Key Cast
    "Koharu Kawakami"
  • Rikki Kahn-Yee
    Pianist
  • James Fall
    Recording and Mixing Engineer
  • Sophia Midori Almaraz
    Sound Designer
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Drama, Ghost, Natural Disaster, Disaster, Family, Fantasy, Action
  • Runtime:
    4 minutes 1 second
  • Completion Date:
    January 7, 2024
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Art Center College of Design
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Art Center College of Design Animation Showcase
    Pasadena, CA
    United States
    December 15, 2023
    Art Center College of Design Animation Showcase
    Official Selection
  • ArtCenter Student Film Festival
    Pasadena, CA
    United States
    April 19, 2024
    ArtCenter Student Film Festival
    Official Selection
  • First-Time Filmmaker Sessions May 2024

    United States
    April 22, 2024
    Official Selection
  • New York Tri-State International Film Festival
    New York
    United States
    June 21, 2024
    Online
    Official Selection
  • Fine Cut Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    Semi Finalist
  • Asian Film Festival, Hollywood Los Angeles
    Los Angeles
    United States
    December 18, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Moscow Asian Film Festival
    Moscow
    Russian Federation
    April 15, 2025
    Best Asian Animated Short
  • The Movie Screeners Club
    Gardena, CA
    United States
    March 20, 2025
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Sophia Midori Almaraz

Sophia Midori Almaraz is a Japanese-Mexican American from Los Angeles who has studied film-animation from ArtCenter College of Design; she is most engaged in the intersections of western and eastern design sensibilities and forms of storytelling, as well as the mixture of 2D animation and CG forms.

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Director Statement

My hope is to share a film with a soft, emotional catharsis for anyone experiencing a situation out of their control, whether that be natural disaster or another difficult reality.