Experiencing Interruptions?

Handwritten

After discovering old diaries and notebooks, artist Jaime Sunwoo examines her shapeshifting penmanship and wonders why she's never had a consistent style. Through playful paper puppetry and animation, she reflects on what handwriting means to her personally, its significance throughout history, and its relevance in our computerized world.

  • Jaime Sunwoo
    Director
    Equality Tea
  • Jaime Sunwoo
    Writer
    Equality Tea
  • Heather Henson
    Executive Producer
  • Alex Griffin
    Producer
  • Jessica Simon
    Producer
  • Jaime Sunwoo
    Producer
  • Jaime Sunwoo
    Key Cast
    Equality Tea
  • Jaime Sunwoo
    Puppeteers
    Equality Tea
  • Sean Devare
    Puppeteers
  • Hye Young Chyun
    Puppeteers
  • Jaime Sunwoo
    Storyboard Artists
    Equality Tea
  • Nadia Kim
    Storyboard Artists
  • Jaime Sunwoo
    Puppet Designers
    Equality Tea
  • Nadia Kim
    Puppet Designers
  • Jaime Sunwoo
    Illustrators
    Equality Tea
  • Sean Devare
    Illustrators
  • Matt Chilton
    Music and Sound Composer
    Equality Tea
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Documentary, Short
  • Genres:
    Documentary, Puppetry, Personal, Autobiographical
  • Runtime:
    8 minutes 48 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 1, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    5,000 USD
  • 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:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Distribution Information
  • Green Feather Foundation
    Distributor
    Country: United States
    Rights: Internet, Video on Demand
Director Biography - Jaime Sunwoo

Jaime Sunwoo is a multidisciplinary artist from New York City who creates film, theater, and art under her production company Free Rein Projects. Her works connect personal narratives to global histories through surreal storytelling. She studied art at Yale University and was a fellow at Ping Chong and Company and The Laundromat Project. Her work has been presented at Park Avenue Armory, Abrons Art Center, Flux Factory, and Westbeth Gallery. She has done workshops, lectures, and panel discussions at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Food and Drink, Yale University, and New York University.

Her animated short documentary Equality Tea was featured in Vogue and Whetstone Magazine and was awarded Best Short Documentary at DisOrient Film Festival and Indy Film Festival.

Handwritten premiered at Lincoln Center for New York Asian Film Festival, and won Best Short Documentary at American Pavilion at Cannes Film Festival, USA Film Festival, and Indy Film Festival, and nominated Best Short Documentary at Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I created this film because I was curious as to why I've never had a consistent handwriting style. After digging through old writings, I reminisced about how I used to write by hand much more often and could even recall how my childhood friends wrote. Now, I wouldn't recognize writing from any of my friends. I hope viewers become curious about their own relationship to writing and think about how evolving communication styles impact our lives.

I developed Handwritten as part of Heather Henson’s Handmade Puppet Dreams film series by Ibex Puppetry, which supports and showcases the work of independent puppet artists and filmmakers.