Private Project

TRƯNG SISTERS: THE WARRIOR QUEENS

An Anime Short Film

"They conquered our land, but not our hearts."

In 40 CE, Vietnam had fallen under Han rule, and its people lived under foreign control.

Two sisters, Trưng Trắc and Trưng Nhị, watch in anguish as their homeland bends beneath Chinese occupation. Traditional Vietnamese culture suffocates under Han dynasty laws. When Trưng Trắc's husband, Thi Sách, is executed without trial for speaking truth to power, grief ignites something fiercer than sorrow—revolution.

The Trưng Sisters refuse to accept this injustice.

Trưng Trắc's strategic mind calculates every move, while Trưng Nhị's fierce heart inspires the oppressed. Together, they forge an army of 80,000—including 36 female generals—liberating 65 Han strongholds in a cascade of coordinated strikes. For three golden years, Vietnam belongs to the Vietnamese once more.

"We chose to fight for what we believed, no matter the cost."

When 20,000 imperial troops arrive to crush their rebellion, the sisters face an impossible choice. Rather than surrender and watch their people return to chains, they choose sacrifice over submission—walking hand in hand into the Hát River, transforming from earthly queens into eternal symbols of unbroken will.

Two thousand years later, their voices still echo in every Vietnamese heart that refuses to bend.

"Freedom is not given. It is remembered."

This is the story of two sisters who proved that the most powerful weapon against oppression is the courage to die free rather than live enslaved.

  • Cherrelyn Joy Moreno
    Screenwriter
  • Abednego Setiawan
    Concept Artist
  • Abednego Setiawan
    Storyboard Artist
  • Abednego Setiawan
    Art Director
  • Abednego Setiawan
    Lead Animators
  • Cherrelyn Joy Moreno
    Lead Animators
  • Cherrelyn Joy Moreno
    Animation Director
  • Cherrelyn Joy Moreno
    Film Editor
  • Abednego Setiawan
    Graphic Designer
  • Cherrelyn Joy Moreno
    Composer
  • Cherrelyn Joy Moreno
    Creative Director
  • Young Park
    Executive Producer
  • A+ Heroes
    Studio
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Short
  • Runtime:
    3 minutes 4 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 30, 2025
  • 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
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • AI Film and Art Festival
    Phoenix, Arizona
    United States
    AMC Arizona Center 24
    Official Selection
  • Miami Art Tech Summit
    Miami, Florida
    United States
    December 4, 2025
    Silverspot Cinema - Downtown Miami
    Official Selection
Director Biography

A+ Heroes is the world's first anime anthology collective dedicated to cultural reclamation for over 4 billion people. Led by Creative Director Cherrelyn Joy Moreno and Art Director Abednego Setiawan, the team unites CalArts-trained animators—BFA candidate Jeon Geun and MFA candidate Terri Lam—with heritage-rooted creators responsible for generating 100M+ monthly YouTube views. This is more than entertainment—it's the restoration of legends that shaped civilizations yet never received the anime they deserve.

Executive Producer Young Park brings over 20 years of expertise in animation and technology, with major studio collaborations including Samsung and Cartoon Network Asia. Under Moreno's creative vision and Setiawan's art direction, the collective blends traditional animation mastery with cutting-edge AI-enhanced workflows. Jeon Geun brings authentic cultural perspective to historical narratives, while Terri Lam infuses CalArts experimental animation techniques into character performance.

A+ Heroes uses advanced AI tools—neural network animation interpolation, custom-trained cultural aesthetic models, and procedural environment generation—not as a replacement for artistry, but as a powerful amplifier of authentic cultural narratives. Every technical choice serves one mission: proving diverse cultural stories can rival any major studio through innovative workflows that honor heritage while embracing the future of creative technology.

We don't invent legends—we restore them, transforming forgotten heroes into accessible, truly inspiring narratives for global audiences.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

"TRƯNG SISTERS: THE WARRIOR QUEENS" transforms the legendary revolt of Trưng Trắc and Trưng Nhị into a cinematic celebration of courage, defiance, and timeless empowerment. This story embodies A+ Heroes’ mission to bring creator-driven, culturally authentic narratives to life—showing that true leadership, courage, and dignity are timeless values.

Guided by A+ Heroes’ creator-driven philosophy, every frame resonates with historical authenticity and emotional depth. Abednego Setiawan, as Concept Artist, Storyboard Artist, and Art Director, crafts immersive Lạc-inspired landscapes and cinematic sequences. Cherrelyn Joy Moreno and Setiawan, as Lead Animators, bring the sisters’ nuanced movements and unbreakable bond to life, with Moreno also directing animation and shaping their intimate narrative voices.

Post-production, editing, music, and graphics fuse into a cohesive vision, guided by Moreno, Setiawan, and Executive Producer Young Park. Hyper-real anime artistry, grounded in meticulous historical research and enhanced by AI tools, amplifies authenticity rather than replacing it.

Every creative choice honors the Trưng Sisters’ transformative legacy, inspiring audiences to recognize that courage, dignity, and leadership live in every Vietnamese heart. Through this work, A+ Heroes demonstrates that when cutting-edge technology serves cultural reverence, storytelling becomes not just entertainment but a lasting testament to those who fight for freedom.