Ingrid Pitt: Beyond the Forest, animated by 11-year-old filmmaker and award-winning critic Perry Chen, received the award for Best Animation (age 8-13) at the 17th edition of the International Family Film Fest (IFFF).

Perry, now 11, finished the animation as a fifth grader. Oscar-nominee Bill Plympton provided the storyboard, with Kevin Sean Michaels as director, Holocaust historian Dr. Jud Newborn and Perry’s mother Dr. Zhu Shen as co-producers. The film was made possible by the generous support of Toon Boom Animation and Wacom.

Perry S. Chen is an award-winning child film critic, artist, and animator, currently in 6th grade from San Diego.  He started reviewing movies at age eight in third grade using a kid-friendly starfish rating system, and has been featured in CBS, NBC, CNN, NPR, Variety, The Guardian, and The China Press, among others.  He writes movie reviews for Animation World Network, San Diego Union Tribune, Amazing Kids! Magazine, and his own Perry’s Previews blog. (www.perryspreviews.com)  He won an “Excellence in Journalism Award” from San Diego Press Club in 2010. Ingrid Pitt: Beyond The Forest is Perry’s first film as sole animator. He also animated one scene in Bill Plympton’s award-winning Guard Dog Global Jam.

Perry Chen receiving the award for Best Animation from IFFF Executive
Director Chris Shoemaker & IFFF Program Director Patte Dee McKee