UNITED NATIONS #STANDUP4MIGRANTS
A GLOBAL CAMPAIGN FOR INTERNATIONAL MIGRANTS DAy
In 2018, the United Nations Human Rights Office commissioned me as an illustrator for their Migrants Day campaign. #StandUp4Migrants was a global campaign featuring stories and conversations with migrants worldwide. I was responsible for visualizing, art direction, storyboarding, and illustrating the series.
We created 14 animated videos, each telling the personal stories of undocumented people from all walks of life globally.
THE ANIMATED SHORT, TITLED EXILE & BELONGING WENT ON TO BE THE 2018 WINNER OF THE MOONDANCE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL.
It was also the Official Selection for FAFF 2018, Queens World Film Festival 2018, Canada SHORTS 2018, and Annual CPH Film Festival 2018.
Each story was deeply personal, and every struggle was painfully unique. Their stories' complex, graphic, and difficult elements deserved to be told. But they had to be told sensitively, honoring the truth while upholding the dignity of their protagonists.
As the project's illustrator, I did extensive research to ensure that the art accurately depicted these stories. I had to capture the nuances of their physical attributes - ethnicities, clothing, features, hair types and styles, and personal items - as well as their environmental details like architectural details and flora.
See all the videos from the campaign here.