sunminny

Water Rose is a sapphic fantasy romance-drama  short film about a village woman who falls into the arms of a femme river spirit while seeking respite from her abusive marriage. Water Rose includes themes of sexuality and domestic violence.

Water Rose is a love letter to my Korean heritage and to my younger self, whose continuing passion for her original characters has brought me to where I am today.

Animation and compositing all done by me, sound design by Amanda Sayah.

The first concept for Water Rose was created in November 2020, which originally not drawn with the intention of conceptualizing my undergraduate senior capstone. I simply wanted to see two of my Korean characters in an ancient romantic fantasy setting reminiscent of their cultural background.

When I was assigned to draft my capstone in junior year, I picked the drawing as an idea placeholder before deciding to fully commit.

• Best 2D BFA Story Award recipient in the Best of Pratt DDA Show
• Official selection of qFLIX Philadelphia 2022: The LGBTQ+ Film Festival
• Official selection of NewFest: The New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival
• Official selection of Queer Fear Film Festival
• Official selection of The ASIFA-East Animation Festival