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About the short film

Memories from the Holocaust have been portrayed in almost every medium, but rarely animation -- and never before by a child animator. Animated short film "INGRID PITT: BEYOND THE FOREST" is a cross-generational collaboration between a world-class animation master, two-time Academy Award-nominated Bill Plympton, and a first-time animator, 11-year-old artist Perry Chen. It is narrated by Ingrid Pitt herself.

Starting with Ingrid Pitt's poignant narration and Bill Plympton's 23 traditional pencil sketches as storyboard, award-winning artist and film critic Perry Chen brings this moving story and its contemporary implications alive. Read more

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Perry Chen, Animator

Perry Chen is the youngest award-winning film/entertainment critic and animator, artist, speaker, and entertainment personality. His interest in films started at age three when he watched Tom and Jerry for the first time and couldn't stop laughing. He started writing movie reviews at age eight using a kid-friendly starfish rating system, under the guidance of his mom Dr. Zhu Shen and his third grade teacher Ms. Harris. Perry's debut on the CBS Evening News in 2009 made him a national sensation. He has been featured extensively on local, national, and international media, including NPR, Fox, CNN, NBC, The Guardian, The China Press, and many more. He has interviewed prominent filmmakers at film festivals, red carpet premieres, and press junkets from such movies as Up, Toy Story 3, How to Train Your Dragon, The Princess and the Frog, and The Secret of Kells. He won a prestigious "Excellence in Journalism Award" at the San Diego Press Club in 2010 as its youngest member. Perry currently writes movie reviews for the Animation World Network, San Diego Union Tribune, Amazing Kids! Magazine, and his own Perry's Previews website with a combined readership of over two million worldwide.

Perry started drawing at three and never stopped. His love for art, storytelling, and animation led him to become an animator at age ten. He was personally selected by Oscar-nominated animator/filmmaker Bill Plympton and director Kevin Sean Michaels to be the sole animator for their next animated short, Ingrid Pitt: Beyond The Forest. Chen also animated a scene for Plympton's Guard Dog Global Jam.

Perry is also a sought-after speaker, whose speech "For the Love of Movies" was a hit at a TEDx conference organized by kids, for kids. He has spoken at university youth programs and school fundraisers to inspire children and adults alike to pursue their dreams and passion, no matter how young or old they are. He was a presenter at the Annie Awards for Animation in 2010. Perry also stars in an upcoming documentary feature Average Joe on the Raw, about a journey into raw food and health.