Kirikko vs Kitsune

Winner — Best Animation Short, Seoul International AI Film Festival 2026 (SIAFF) (South Korea)

Winner — Best Animation Short Film, MEI International Film Festival 2026 (India)

Winner — Best Editor, Thilsri International Film Festival 2026 (India)

Finalist — Athens International Monthly Art Film Festival 2026 (Greece)

Finalist — Stockholm City Film Festival 2026 (Sweden)

Finalist — Luleå International Film Festival 2026 (Sweden)

Official Selection — Tokyo Lift-Off Film Festival 2026 (Japan)

Official Selection — Toronto Lift-Off Film Festival 2026 (Canada)

Official Selection — Indo Dubai International Film Festival 2026 (UAE)

Official Selection — Fescilmar Festival, Poland Session 2026 (Poland)

Official Selection — Short Way International Short Film Festival 2026 (Brazil)

Nominee — Reale Film Festival 2026 (Italy)

Nominee — Calella Shorts Film Fest 2026 (Spain)

Kirikko vs Kitsune is a stylized action short film centered on an emotional confrontation between two ninja sisters. Combining dynamic choreography, cinematic editing, and dramatic music, the film transforms combat into storytelling.

The duel is not only physical, but a clash of identity, memory, and sisterhood.

In a moonlit forest, the wolf ninja warrior Kirikko confronts her fox sister, Kitsune.

What begins as a fierce duel slowly unfolds into a moment of hesitation, where strength, loyalty, and hidden emotions collide.

  • Pai Chen
    Director
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Experimental, Music Video, Short
  • Runtime:
    2 minutes 9 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 15, 2026
  • Production Budget:
    100 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Taiwan
  • Country of Filming:
    Taiwan
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital Animation
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Mei International Film Festival

    India
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Pai Chen

Pai Chen is an independent creator, director, and singer behind Studio Nono, producing experimental animated shorts and music-driven visual stories using AI-assisted tools.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

In “Kirikko vs Kitsune,” I wanted to explore the moment when action begins to break down into emotion.

The film is structured as a confrontation, but not purely as a display of combat. Each movement, strike, and pause is treated as part of an emotional exchange—where rhythm, tension, and hesitation gradually reveal something beneath the surface.

Rather than focusing on choreography alone, I approached the fight as a form of dialogue. The distance between the two characters shifts not only in space, but in feeling—moving from certainty to doubt, from intent to recognition.

Using AI-assisted animation allowed me to shape motion as both physical and expressive, where impact is defined not only by force, but by what is held back.

At its core, the film is less about who wins, and more about what is revealed in the instant before a decisive strike.