Until the Rain Stops

Official Selection — Marin County Fair International Festival of Short Film & Video 2026 (USA)

Official Selection — Los Angeles Short Film Awards 2026 (USA)

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

Honorable Mention (Top 3) — Athens International Monthly Art Film Festival 2026 (Greece)

Honorable Mention — Milano Indie Movie Awards 2026 (Italy)

Honorable Mention — Reale Film Festival 2026 (Italy)

Until the Rains Stops is a poetic animated short film about loneliness, memory, and the quiet companionship that helps people continue moving forward.

On a rainy night, a young girl encounters a small cat in an empty city street.
As moments of loss, farewell, and memory quietly unfold, the presence of the cats begins to guide her through the darkness.

Blending watercolor-inspired visuals, cinematic atmosphere, and the gentle tones of “Murasaki Song,” the film explores how even the smallest companionship can become a light in someone’s life.

A short emotional journey told almost entirely through images, silence, rain, and light.

  • Pai Chen
    Director
  • Magi Chen
    Writer
  • Pai Chen
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Short
  • Runtime:
    5 minutes 12 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 9, 2026
  • Production Budget:
    100 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Taiwan
  • Country of Filming:
    Taiwan
  • Language:
    No Dialogue
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital Animation
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Pai Chen

Pai Chen is an independent animation director and multimedia creator from Taiwan, and the founder of Studio Nono.

Combining animation, music, AI-assisted visual storytelling, and emotional cinematic direction, his works focus on memory, loneliness, companionship, and fragile human emotions.

His recent projects explore a new form of independent filmmaking where a small creator-driven team can produce deeply personal animated stories through hybrid digital workflows.

“Until the Rain Stops” represents one of his most intimate and emotionally focused works to date.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

“Until the Rain Stops” began from a simple emotional image:
a lonely child walking through the rain beside a cat.

While creating this film, I wanted to explore how small acts of companionship can quietly save someone from disappearing into loneliness.

The film was built almost like a moving picture book — using silence, rain, light, music, and small gestures instead of dialogue.

Rather than telling a dramatic story, I hoped to create a gentle emotional space where viewers could project their own memories, losses, and moments of comfort.

For me, this work is ultimately about staying beside someone until the rain stops.