Julia Morizawa’s Animated Short DRAGONFLY to Stream On Omeleto
Julia Morizawa’s captivating Oscar-qualified animated short film DRAGONFLY will stream on the prestigious Omeleto platform starting on March 30th.
DRAGONFLY tells the story of a young girl who learns of her mother’s survival of the Tokyo Firebombing on March 9-10, 1945 through the eyes of her brother.
The film is inspired by the little-known lives of Morizawa’s maternal grandparents, whom she never met. In addition to increasing awareness about a tragic time in history that many adults today do not know about, Morizawa hopes that the film inspires audiences to go home and talk to their parents and grandparents. The invaluable importance of learning one’s family history is often realized far too late when the sources are no longer around. She also hopes this experience will remind her to communicate with her own children as they grow up.
The film premiered at the Oscar-qualifying Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival in 2023. It was awarded Best Animation at the Maryland Int’l Film Festival, Best AAPI-Directed Film at the Phoenix Film Festival, the Audience Award for Best Animation at DisOrient, the Jury Award for Creative Achievement at the Arizona Int’l Film Festival, Best Short Film at Japan Film Festival Los Angeles, and the Gold Award for Best Short Film at the Hillsboro Film Festival in 2024
Julia Morizawa
Julia Morizawa is a writer/producer/actress whose work spans all media. Her improvised feature film, JesusCat (or How I Accidentally Joined a Cult), won Best Comedy Feature at the Asians On Film Festival in 2014 and the Movie Heroes Rising Star Award at the Action On Film Festival in 2013. She earned a Best Female Filmmaker nomination at the Action On Film Festival in 2007 for her short, Sin & Lyle. Her play Twenty-Two premiered in Los Angeles in 2010, and her audio drama American Comedy Horror Story: Orphanage, is available worldwide on most podcast apps. Her acting career highlights include Scandal, SEAL Team, Judas Kiss, Masha No Home, Tiger Style! and recent SXSW-winner Wishful Thinking. She is best known for playing the titular Dr. Bright on the hit podcast The Bright Sessions for five seasons and two spin-offs.
Morizawa’s upcoming projects include the documentary film SILENCED, which follows U.S. internment camp survivor Joni Kimoto as she journeys across continents to document untold stories of Japanese-American and Japanese WWII survivors, unraveling the impact of silence on their identities and bridging generational scars. And the narrative feature SOMETHING ABOUT THE TIDE, about a 30-something recovering addict who learns that her Japanese mother gave up a previous child for adoption, she must bring home her newfound half-brother to fulfill her mom’s dying wish. But there’s one problem — he’s the perfect child she should have been. Both films are currently seeking financing.
Creative team
DRAGONFLY is written, produced, and directed by Morizawa. Executive Producers are Brian Sturges, James Babbin, John Titchenal, Lucas A. Ferrara, Derek Kolterman, and Christopher Luk. Maria Marta Linero was the Animation Director, with Eva Benitez as Lead Animator. The music is composed by Aiko Fukushima and the Sound Design by Giorgia Garcia-Moreno. Morizawa, Erika Ishii, Miya Kodama, and Thomas Isao Morinaka lend their voices.
Omeleto
Omeleto is the home of the next generation of great filmmakers: Sundance winners, Oscar noms and critically-acclaimed filmmakers from every genre. With over 5 million subscribers across YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, and tens of millions of viewers each month, Omeleto reaches the most film enthusiasts around the world. Their viewers are broad and diverse — and so are their tastes — but they’ve come to rely on Omeleto for the best, emotionally-engaging storytelling, no matter what the genre.
*Information courtesy LA Media Consultants. Check out their website LAMediaConsultants.com
