Sabar

You're looking at Sabar, a 3D animated short I co-directed about a girl named Amina who gets swept into the magical world of the Senegalese fae folk, the Yumbo, and learns to embrace self-expression. It’s a whimsical, culturally-rooted story that we brought to life in just 9 weeks despite losing a full week to hurricane delays.

As co-director, I helped shape the story, led team communication, and even did the motion capture performance for Amina. One of our biggest challenges was rigging. We unfortunately had a volunteer drop out mid-way, which could’ve thrown off our entire pipeline, but we acted fast, brought in a backup rigger from another cohort, and kept things moving. We also hit rendering issues at the end (classic), but strong early planning and a team willing to go the extra mile helped us finish on time.

Honestly, the best part was how collaborative it all felt. PJ (my co-director), Stacey (our producer), and I made it a point to ensure everyone felt heard and had something meaningful to contribute. That team energy is what really made the project special.

I walked away knowing this is exactly the kind of work I want to keep doing; storytelling that blends cultural depth with fantasy, and teamwork that feels like community.