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The Year in the Wind

As the wind sweeps across the swaying grass and clouds drift low, The Year in the Wind captures the diverse rhythms of human existence within the relentless flow of time. Through the fluid and ethereal medium of watercolor animation, the film eschews dramatic climaxes in favor of the quiet power of changing seasons. It portrays individuals moving at their own pace—accelerating with the gusts, pausing against the gales, growing, stumbling, and eventually letting go. This is a sensory meditation on the shared experience of life: an endless journey where there is no destination, only the wind carrying us forward through the currents of history and memory.

  • Chih Hao Shen
    Director
  • Chih Hao Shen
    Writer
  • MFX Films
    Producer
  • LI HUNG WANG
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Short
  • Genres:
    Watercolor Animation
  • Runtime:
    8 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    January 23, 2026
  • Country of Origin:
    Taiwan
  • Country of Filming:
    Taiwan
  • Language:
    No Dialogue
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    4:3
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • VAFI & RAFI - International Children and Youth Animation Film Festival
    Varaždin
    Croatia
    Award Winner
  • Asolo Art Film Festival (AAFF)
    Asolo
    Italy
    Official Selection
  • SCINEMA International Science Film Festival
    Australia
    Australia
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Chih Hao Shen

Chih Hao Shen is an animation and documentary filmmaker whose work explores human existence, memory, and time through restrained visual storytelling.

His debut work received recognition from Rhode Island IFF. His short film 10 Seconds was selected by In The Palace, Fantasporto, and Asolo Art Film Festival (2026). His documentary YinYang Sea won the Grand Prix at Asolo Art Film Festival (2026).

His projects have been presented in international industry contexts, including Clermont-Ferrand, Visions du Réel, Cannes Short Film Corner, Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, and Oberhausen.

Beyond filmmaking, he has worked in visual design and digital product development, including licensed merchandise design for The Lord of the Rings franchise in the Chinese-language market, visual work at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, and founded and leads a software development company developing animation and visual effects tools within the Apple ecosystem.

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Director Statement

This animation explores the diversity of human experience, depicting individuals moving through the currents of time.
There are no climaxes, no dramatic events—only wind, grass, clouds, and the passing seasons.
I hope viewers can feel the shared experiences of life: moments of acceleration and pause, moving with or against the wind, growing, losing, and letting go.
The wind carries them—and carries us—all along our own journeys.