Nostril
Directed by Michael Dondero & Shengnan Dong
Runtime: 4:30
Country of Origin: United States
Nostril is a stop-motion animated short film about Lala, a sleep-deprived woman kept awake by her husband’s obnoxious snoring. When the sound becomes so powerful that it quite literally sucks her into his nose, Lala finds herself in a terrifying battle against the boogery germ creatures that dwell within. Blending comedy and horror, Nostril looks at the things we put up with for love, highlighting relationship struggles with a light-hearted tone.
Director Biography
Michael Dondero is an Emmy-award winning filmmaker, animator and writer based in Brooklyn, New York. As a storyteller, Michael embraces a variety of techniques including live-action video, stop-motion animation, audio-dramas, and photography. His work explores comfort through discomfort, finding humor and liberation in silly moments where embarrassment and self-seriousness collide.
With over ten years experience in the film and television industry, Michael’s background includes working behind the scenes on independent documentaries for PBS, and studio and network TV shows, such as Ray Donovan, Mr. Robot and High Maintenance. Michael graduated from Penn State University with a degree in English and Spanish, and later obtained his MFA in Computer Arts from the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York. In addition to filmmaking, he is also a short fiction author and the co-creator of the audio drama series The Lost Signal Society. He enjoys horror films, hiking and spending time at the Jersey Shore.
Shengnan Dong is an artist based in New York who mainly focuses on creating 3D character design and fabrication using illustrations, modeling, and sculpting techniques. She aims to build an exciting world filled with amusing and adorable characters for her audience to enjoy. Since she was a kid, she has loved to experiment with all kinds of media and learn new things that could expand her world of art creation.
She grew up with exposure to animations and cartoons from various countries and cultural backgrounds, which inspired her work to become stylized, cartoony, and full of color. She graduated from the University of California at Santa Cruz with a dual degree in game design and fine art and now is obtained her master’s degree at SVA (School of the Visual Arts) in computer arts.