While I'm Away (2026)
Director: CROWOOZE
"While I’m Away" is a debut animated short from a first-year student. It explores the ache of never truly belonging anywhere—longing for one home while living in another. The story dives into the quiet guilt of leaving your country behind, especially when you’re the first in your family to do so. It captures that endless inner pep talk: telling yourself you’re not making a mistake, even when you’re completely lost navigating the aftermath. Themes of rebirth, alienation, growth, guilt, renewal, and envy pulse through every frame.
More About This Film
While I'm Away is a one-minute animated student short about the uneasy feeling of belonging to more than one place. It explores the experience of moving abroad, being the first generation in a family to do so, and wondering whether leaving home means losing part of yourself.
The film is deliberately compact and personal, using animation as a way to express alienation, guilt, growth, envy, and renewal. Rather than relying on dialogue-heavy storytelling, it compresses an emotional transition into a very short visual form.
- Directed and written by CROWOOZE.
- CROWOOZE also handled animation, sound design, and music.
- Runtime is approximately one minute.
- The film was released on May 7, 2026.
- It was made as a first-year student animated short.
Where to Watch
While I'm Away has no broadly confirmed commercial streaming locations and may circulate through its creator and student-film channels.