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Award-winning, neurodivergent animation filmmaker Shira Avni holds an MFA in Film/Video/New Media from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2003). She has been creating animated shorts at the National Film Board of Canada since 1997, directing four films and assisting on numerous projects. Her research has been supported by the National Film Board of Canada, Canada Council for the Arts, and Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec, among others. Avni's films have garnered over 30 grants and awards, including the prestigious DOK Leipzig Golden Dove and NHK Japan Prize, and have been screened at over 120 festivals worldwide, including on networks like CBC and PBS. Her recent film has won 20 international awards and 15 nominations to date, showcasing her innovative approach to documentary animation and her commitment to exploring themes of neurodiversity, identity, and social justice through her luminous clay-on-glass animation style. Avni teaches courses in Camera Animation, Animated Documentary, and Advanced Animation Filmmaking at Concordia University, where she also gained the 2020 Distinguished Teaching Award.
Concordia University • Montreal, QC
Teaches courses in Advanced Animation, Animated Documentary, and Camera Animation, co-supervises MFA students, and serves on their committees.
Administered by the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema; focuses on cinematic arts practice and research-creation.