Sam Chou is a Toronto-based animation director and series creator known for cinematic, emotionally charged storytelling. His breakout project Crime: The Animated Series premiered at Sundance and TIFF, winning Best Series for Adults at the Ottawa International Animation Festival. His recent short The Death of James won the Audience Award for Animated Short at the Austin Film Festival and has screened at VIFF, SCAD Savannah, TAAFI, and more.
Sam’s holiday thriller In The Heat premiered at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and screened at the Ottawa International Animation Festival, while his horror short VRDLK: Family of Vurdulak won Best Animated Short at FilmQuest and is now streaming on Amazon Prime and Tubi. In 2023, Sam received the Kaj Pindal Award for his outstanding contributions to Canadian animation, and in 2025, he served as a jury member for the Satoshi Kon Award for Excellence in Animation at Fantasia International Film Festival.