Recently, exciting news arrived from overseas: "The Shyness of Trees," an animated short film created by Shu Bingqing, a 2016 graduate from the School of Animation and Digital Arts at CUC, has been shortlisted for the 96th Academy Awards in the "Best Animated Short Film" category. Making it into the global top 15 and now contending for the final five nomination slots, this marks a significant breakthrough for a young Chinese animator on the world's premier film stage and vividly showcases the international reach of CUC's animation education.
The Oscars, established by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), are regarded as one of the highest honors in the global film industry. The "Best Animated Short Film" category is particularly competitive, aiming to recognize works groundbreaking in both artistic form and technical execution. Being shortlisted signifies that the work has garnered high recognition from professional juries worldwide. The path for "The Shyness of Trees" to this point was not simple. The film first garnered numerous nominations and awards at nearly 50 international animation film festivals, including a nomination for the BAFTA Student Film Award for Best Animated Short and the Children's Jury Special Award at Poland's Animocje International Animated Film Festival, establishing substantial international reputation. On this foundation, the film successfully entered the Oscar selection process, competing against hundreds of the world's top award-winning animations, ultimately securing a place in the top 15. This achievement demonstrates the solid craftsmanship and unique perspective of young Chinese creators.
The animated short The Shyness of Trees : Shortlisted for the 96th Oscars Best Animated Short Film.
With a runtime of approximately ten minutes, "The Shyness of Trees" tells the story of Helen, a woman in her forties, visiting her elderly mother in the French countryside. Her mother seems to have developed a supernatural connection with the plants, insects, and an old oak tree in the garden. The film delicately explores the nuanced themes of the mother-daughter relationship, the passage of life, and the permanence of nature. Its visual style is serene and metaphorical, constructing a narrative space rich with emotional tension between reality and the supernatural. The title itself, "The Shyness of Trees," is a richly evocative metaphor. "Shyness" here does not imply fragility but rather a restrained, introverted, and humble state of being. The film avoids anthropomorphizing nature, instead allowing it to exist in a quiet, continuous manner, serving as a vessel for emotion and memory. This approach not only imbues the work with profound philosophical meaning but also allows it to transcend cultural differences, touching upon shared human emotions across audiences from various countries.
"The Shyness of Trees" is a quintessential product of transnational collaboration. Shu Bingqing began her Master's studies in Character Animation and Animated Filmmaking at Gobelins, l'École de l'Image in France, in 2022, and completed this short film with a team of members from several European countries. Throughout the creative process, the team faced challenges stemming from language, culture, and differing expressive habits, yet they skillfully transformed these very differences into creative assets. The film's themes revolve around "death,""farewell," and "legacy"—universal human emotional experiences. Team members shared personal stories about family, affection, and loss, grounding the creative work in authentic emotion. For instance, regarding the film's conclusion, Asian and European team members initially held opposing views on whether the daughter should directly say, "Mom, I love you." They ultimately reached a consensus through democratic discussion and voting. This open, equitable, and trust-based collaborative model resulted in a work possessing both the depth of personal narrative and the breadth for cross-cultural resonance.
The animated short film "The Shyness of Trees".
Shu Bingqing graduated from CUC's School of Animation and Digital Arts in 2016, with a major in 3D Animation and Special Effects. During her university years, she actively engaged in various creative projects. Her undergraduate graduation work, "Mature," already displayed a keen grasp of family themes and visual storytelling. Reflecting on her time at CUC, she specifically highlighted the creative environment and resources the university provided: "This was the first window through which I truly understood animation creation. I met many idealistic teachers and classmates willing to experiment and express themselves. This environment has been immensely beneficial to me." She believes that the collaborative creation project in her third year and her graduation design were crucial starting points for her career. These comprehensive training experiences in the complete creative process not only enhanced her technical skills but, more importantly, honed her abilities in teamwork and project management, laying a solid foundation for her subsequent international collaborations.
In interviews, Shu Bingqing repeatedly emphasized the core importance of "sincerity" in creation. She believes that while technical skills evolve over time, the core that sustains the completion of a work must always be a genuine emotion or question the creator truly cares about. "Find what you truly care about, not what you think you ‘should' make," is her most earnest advice to aspiring students. She encourages young creators to maintain daily practice and expression—to draw or write regularly. Only by externalizing and materializing ideas can one continuously refine them and integrate them into one's authentic creative voice. One should not fear immature ideas; what matters is maintaining honesty and openness. Upon completing "The Shyness of Trees," her greatest realization was: "When you are honest enough with yourself, your work will find its audience." As for her future creative direction, Shu Bingqing expressed her desire to continue exploring themes related to people—be it family, memory, or identity—while also continually seeking new possibilities in form and style, allowing her mode of expression to evolve alongside her creative experiences.
Design schematics for the animated short film "The Shyness of Trees".
The Oscar journey of "The Shyness of Trees" is not merely a personal honor for one young animator; it is a microcosm of the internationalization of Chinese animation education and the global emergence of its creative talent. From the classrooms of the Communication University of China to the workshops of Gobelins in France, and onto the Oscar shortlist, Shu Bingqing has proven through her work that sincere expression can cross borders, and the power of emotion can connect hearts. We look forward to "The Shyness of Trees" progressing further in the upcoming judging rounds and anticipate more Chinese animators bringing their own stories to the world stage, shining with their unique brilliance.
Editor: Fang Yiran, Ou Chuyao
Managing Editor: Shao Jianyu
Editor-in-chief: Yu Ran, Yang Zhongtian
