Footprints in the Sand

Ejun Mary Hong (born 2002 in Edmonton, Canada) is a storyteller who brings life to her dreams and lost stories of the world through her animations. Her love for animation began when she struggled with blurred vision due to multiple eye surgeries. Most of her childhood was spent in hospitals, where her dreams felt lost in darkness. Her only escape was the theater, where she discovered vibrant animated worlds painted by artists and their imaginations. Animation gave her hope—a way to bring her dreams out of the dark and onto a limitless canvas.

Since then, she has created four animated films that tell deeply personal yet universal stories: A Broken Star (2019), a 2D computer animation about rediscovering beauty through her eye disorder; Mother (2019), a tribute to her grandfather’s journey from losing his mother to building a loving family; 38th Parallel (2021), a hand-drawn animation sharing the sorrow of separated Korean families; and Echoing, it doesn’t stop (2023), a stop-motion puppet and sand animation based on a Ukrainian poem that reflects the resilience of war victims.

These films have earned 13 awards, over 40 official selections—including three Academy Award and BAFTA-qualifying festivals—and recognition through ASIFA-Hollywood 2024 and Women in Animation’s 2022–23 Scholarships. Her work has also been featured on live TV, radio, and in the international press.

For her capstone film project, she created Footprints in the Sand (2025), a mixed-media stop-motion documentary sharing the stories of four South Korean lymphoma patients—inspired by her family member, who, despite her own cancer, anonymously supports others by translating medical research from English to Korean. Six students she mentors through an after-school animation program she founded in an under-resourced West Philadelphia high school are contributing as visual development artists, creating a space where storytelling and care come together through animation.

Animation, once her escape from reality, has become the light that brings life to her dreams and the lost stories of the world. Each animation she created has shaped her identity, instilling resilience, empathy, and a commitment to the greater good. As a storyteller, she aims to continue to transcend personal and shared pain, transforming these experiences into something universal and beautiful—where individual struggles reflect the broader human condition, offering connection, meaning, and potential for healing.