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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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Zhu Shen
Co-Producer

Dr. Zhu Shen's love for the movies started when she was a young girl, growing up in China during the Cultural Revolution where watching movies was the only entertainment available to the masses. Her journey to become a filmmaker took a convoluted path. She studied medicine at Peking Union Medical College before coming to the US and earning a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Colorado, and then an MBA from Cornell University's Johnson School.

Guiding and encouraging her son Perry Chen to write movie reviews was initially a fun hobby for Shen as she learned about Perry's advanced reading level and decided to challenge him. She then created Perry's Previews website with Perry, and the site has become a valuable resource for family-friendly entertainment featuring Perry's reviews and adventures in his creative endeavors. Shen learned web design, photography, editing, and video production along the way.

When Perry was chosen as the animator for Ingrid Pitt: Beyond The Forest, Shen became a film producer for the first time, and learned to use the animation software with Perry. During pre-production and post-production, she obtained corporate sponsorship, publicity, marketing, and distribution for the film. She is also a producer of the upcoming documentary feature Average Joe on the Raw, about a journey into raw food and health. Dr. Shen is also an award-winning biotech executive, author, speaker, and China business expert featured on national and trade media including CBS, Fox, Business Week, Pharmaceutical Executive, and more.