By Nick Christophers
Learning an art is never an easy road and it takes determination and a love for a specific discipline. This was the case for Animation Director and VFX Artist Tzuyu Lin whose first stab at filmmaking generated positive feedback to reinforce what career to follow. His vision took shape on the screen about a love story gone wrong that mirrored his own experience.
“I remember when I stepped on the stage during the screening, hearing all the claps and cheers from the audience, I felt very, very alive. I saw the words on the internet saying they felt so touched and grateful to see such a good short film, and as a 17-year-old teenager, I felt alive.”
During his 3rd year of college, he took a class in 3D that offered him the foundation of 3D animation. Based on what he learned from the class it managed to invoke an interest in him to learn more about the subject. He would eventually learn to master the art form when he arrived in the US. Lin decided to take up photography which would help him as a tool in his chosen field. As planned his work began to garner accolades in the industry. He would fuse his cultural upbringing into the art which he saw was fading through time. It was in honor to what his mother taught him as a child.
As he began to gain traction Lin would find himself winning awards on the festival circuit. He won awards at such festivals like New York Shorts International Film Festival, the Canadian Screen Award Qualifying Festival, the New York Animation Film Award, the Dublin International Short Film and Music Festival, and the Waterford International Film Festival. But the one that held the most promise was the New York Shorts International Film Festival. The project that earned the award was his film thesis “Boundless Imagination”. It was nominated for the BFTFA scholarship but did not win but being a nominee is still a big step.
Winning or being nominated earned him much attention as he became a “go to guy” for projects like commercials, acclaimed live-action films, and music videos, thanks to his ability to seamlessly merge animation and visual effects. As of now the business is slowly changing with the emergence of AI technology.
Since he began working in the field, he has noticed the changes that have been taking place. AI impacts many aspects of the industry, such as character design, sound, and even VFX. Big studios like Disney have adapted it as a tool for their show, like the open title sequence of the “Secret Invasion” on Disney+; it is based on the AI-generated image and then refined by the animators.
Currently, Lin is working with award-winning director, Mirta Desir to develop VFX for her new film, “Jean & I”. He is also working on his next story for another 3D animation in 2024 besides being called by many directors as his work keeps being noticed. Lin is growing by leaps and bounds on the international scene and will keep the faith going. For additional information on “Boundless Imagination” and Tzu-Yu Lin’s portfolio, please visit
