Sheila M. Sofian. Invitada 2007

www.sheilasofian.com

Sheila M. Sofian's films are a hybrid of documentary and animation. She has received grants from the Guggenheim Foundation, Re:New Media, Roy W. Dean Film Grant, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the Women in Film Foundation, the Pew Fellowships in the Arts, and the MacDowell Colony.

Sofian has produced six independent animated films. Awards include Best Animated Film and Grand Jury Prize, New Orleans Film Festival (2002), Best Animated Film, Humboldt International Short Film Festival (2002), Best Animated Film, Ojai Film Festival (2002), First Prize, World Animation Celebration (1998), First prize, Animation, Central Florida Film & Video Festival (1998), a CINE Golden Eagle Award (1998), Grand Prize, International Festival of Non-Professional Cinema, France (1992), a Student Academy Award (1986), and Best of Show Award, New England Film Festival (1986).

In addition, Sofian’s films have exhibited internationally, including MoMA. Annecy Animation Festival, Hiroshima International Animation Festival, Zagreb Animation Festival, and CaixaForum in Barcelona, Spain. Her films are distributed educationally and in home video markets. Collections include Harvard University, the California Institute of the Arts, and the Walker Arts Center, among others.

Professionally, Sofian’s freelance work includes animation for the feature film "Closetland", titles for the feature film "10 Things I Hate About You", “The Strip”, and MTV. She has also worked as staff animator for Metapa, Inc.

Sofian was head of the Animation Program at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia from 1992-1997. She chaired the Animation Program at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita from 2001-2006. Sofian is currently Visiting Associate Professor at the University of Southern California.

Sheila Sofian studied at The United World College of South East Asia in Singapore and Old Dominion University in Virginia before receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in Film and Animation at the Rhode Island School of Design and her Master of Fine Arts from the California Institute of the Arts.