Helmed by director Mitra Shahidi and produced through Pixar’s co-op program, the Tribeca Film Fest Best Animated Short winner and 2024 Oscar contender, created by a global team of 70+ artists from 14 countries, tells the story of a mischievous star spirit that travels home to Istanbul to celebrate her birthday with family one last time.
Winner of the Best Animated Short prize at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, Starling, written and directed by Mitra Shahidi, tells the story of a mischievous star spirit who travels home to Istanbul to celebrate her birthday with her family one last time. After being blown off course, she must maneuver through the city before time runs out.
Shahidi has just shared exclusively with AWN the first episode of a five-part behind-the-scenes Starling “Making Of” series, which you can enjoy watching below. The remaining episodes will be released weekly on YouTube.
Starling was made remotely by a global community of 70+ diverse artists and animators from 14 different countries and produced through Pixar’s co-op program, which allows employees to leverage equipment available at the studio to further their own creative pursuits in their free time. The film will contend for Best Animated Short at the 2024 Oscars.
“The idea for Starling emerged after the passing of my dear childhood friend,” shared Shahidi. “As I began to process my emotions through this film, her memory and my personality merged into one with the development of the Starling character.”
“In essence, the film has become a heartfelt tribute to our shared childhood and to those we've loved and lost along the way,” she continued. “It was particularly important to me to involve artists from Turkey in the filmmaking process as the story takes place in Istanbul. I wanted to keep the tone playful to honor my friend’s shining personality and presence.”
Enjoy this first-look: “Starling Behind the Scenes - Episode 1: Introduction:”
Starling "Making Of" Series Episode Breakdown:
- Episode 1: “Introduction,” with director Mitra Shahidi and producer Jessica Heidt
- Episode 2: “Production Design & Animation,” The look, feel, and movement of the film’s characters with production designer Celine You and animation supervisor Holger Leihe
- Episode 3: “Story & Edit: Crafting the story of Starling,” with director Mitra Shahidi and editor Ayse Arkali
- Episode 4: “Camera, Lighting & Visual Effects: How the world of Starling was made,” with director of photography Andrew Jimenez and VFX supervisor Kristoffer Landes
- Episode 5: “Music & Sound Design: The Sounds of Starling,” with composer Andrew Jimenez and sound designer Justin Pearson
Shahidi is a story artist, director, and screenwriter born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey. After graduating from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, she worked as an art director and story artist in games, film, and advertising until she joined Pixar Animation Studios as a story artist in 2017. Since joining Pixar, she has worked on several films, including the Academy Award-nominated Luca and the upcoming animated feature, Elio. Shahidi currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and newborn daughter, Mona. Starling is her first film.
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
