Julia Morizawa's Animated Short DRAGONFLY to Compete at Dances With Films

Julia Morizawa's compelling animated short film DRAGONFLY will screen at Dances with Films on Monday, June 26th at 4:45 PM in Hollywood as part of the Perspectives Program, Group 2.

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's spirit.

The script was awarded Best Short Screenplay by Scriptation Showcase and Screenwriting Master in 2019. It was also a semifinalist or quarterfinalist in several other competitions, including the Austin Film Festival, Slamdance, and WeScreenplay Diverse Voices.

The movie is inspired by the story of Morizawa's maternal grandparents. While exploring her family heritage, her mother offered scant information about their life during WWII, except that they lived in Tokyo until a fire forced them back to the family farm in Komoro. It wasn't until Julia began researching fires in Tokyo during the 1940s that she learned about the firebombing and the immensity of the attack. Like many she meets today, she had never heard of it before since it is little-known compared to other events that happened during the war. In addition to honoring the grandparents she never met, Morizawa's intention with DRAGONFLY is to raise awareness about the event and make sure those who were lost are never forgotten.

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 Judas Kiss, Scandal, SEAL Team, Masha No Home, Without Annette, Galactic Galaxy, and Star Trek: Odyssey. She is best known for playing the titular Dr. Bright on the hit podcast The Bright Sessions for five seasons and two spin-offs.

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.

DRAGONFLY screens on Monday, June 26th, at 4:45 PM at the TCL Chinese 6, Hollywood, CA 90028. Tickets can be purchased at: https://danceswithfilms.com/dragonfly/

DANCES WITH FILMS

Moving into its 26th year(!), DANCES WITH FILMS (DWF: LA) is an original on the festival circuit (and the largest indie film festival in Los Angeles), hailed by Indiewire as "widely recognized as the premiere showcase of innovative independent cinema, presenting amazing undiscovered talent to an industry audience in Hollywood," "the future of Independent Film," by Huffington Post and as "An innovator and leader in positioning raw and new talented directors," by CNN and voted one of Moviemaker Magazine's Top 25 Coolest Film Festivals on the planet (and the only one in Los Angeles to make the list in the only year filmmakers across the globe actually voted on it), Dances With Films presents more than 250 films each year to the LA Filmmaking and Film-going community.

Mission:

Dedicated to giving opportunities to creative talents who may not be considered 'Names,' DWF stands out from the crowd with not only the community we've built but by the success of our alumni and the shared loyalty of DWF relationships.

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