MAKE, a creative studio known for impactful animation and original storytelling, has announced the winners of its 2025 Animation Thesis Grant. The annual grant supports senior animation students by providing funding, creative guidance, and industry visibility to help them complete their thesis films at the highest level.
The 2025 grant drew submissions from around the world. Judges selected three winners whose films demonstrated strong artistic vision, technical craft, and emotional depth.
“This year’s submissions did not just raise the bar; they rebuilt it. The creativity, technique, and heart we saw from students around the world show exactly why this grant matters,” said Danny Robashkin, Founder and Creative Director at MAKE. “It is only our second year, but the impact is already real. These films are proof that the future of animation is in bold, imaginative hands.”
Andrew Chesworth, grant judge, added, “The storytelling we saw this year was exceptionally bold. Each film felt alive with intention. These filmmakers are shaping where animation is headed, and it is an honor to help champion their work.”
2025 Grant Winners
1st Place: Stone Lions Don’t Roar
Director: Le Hang Whalen
Set in a stylized 16th-century Vietnam, Stone Lions Don’t Roar follows two orphaned sisters who navigate a countryside under military occupation where emotions manifest as beasts. Jiejie carries her emotional burden as a stone lion caged on her back, while her younger sister Meimei is guided by a flame wisp. After a confrontation that forces Meimei to flee, Jiejie must release her own burden to save her. The film closes with Jiejie breaking the lantern that once contained the wisp, rejecting emotional suppression.
The world is entirely hand painted in 3D, drawing inspiration from The Wild Robot, Blue Eye Samurai, and The Windshield Wiper. The impressionistic style supports the folktale tone.
“My goal with this film was to explore how we carry our emotions, how they weigh on us, and how freeing they can be when we choose to face them,” said Whalen. “Seeing Stone Lions Don’t Roar recognized this way means a lot because it reflects the heart behind the story. I am grateful to MAKE for supporting work that is both culturally personal and creatively ambitious.”
2nd Place: Thiefish
Directors: Madhava Das Kinnicutt and Evelyn Grace Dale
Thiefish follows a thief for hire and a fisherman who team up to steal back a once-powerful ocean spirit that is being exploited as the light source for their city. Their mission is to return the spirit to the sea and restore the balance of nature. The directors created the film as a message about environmental stewardship and the real-world impact of generative AI on natural ecosystems.
3rd Place: Back To Bones
Director: Ryan Koutras
Set in a medieval wasteland, Back To Bones follows a Knight and Squire who are accidentally resurrected into an undead army. Desperate to end their undeath, they try every method possible, only to wake up again in each failed attempt. Their final plan involves a massive cannon that misfires, crushing the Necromancer who raised them. Or so it seems. The film blends cinematic stakes with crude humor, leaning into the charm of a fantasy epic that never takes itself too seriously.
The MAKE Thesis Grant provides both financial backing and industry visibility, designed to elevate student films by removing barriers and amplifying bold creative voices. Winners not only receive direct cash funding, $3,000 for first place, $2,000 for second place, and $1,000 for third place in 2024, but also professional references, optional creative guidance, and ongoing exposure through MAKE’s social channels, blog, and press coverage.
