Watch: Animated Short Doc ‘My Parent, Neal’ – A Heartfelt Conversation

by Alex Billington
March 17, 2024
Source: Vimeo

“I really wish I had done this sooner… As I get older, I’m a little more braver.” This wholesome and honest short film features a heartfelt conversation turned into beautiful animation. My Parent, Neal is a 8-min short doc created by filmmaker Hannah Saidiner as a CalArts thesis project. It premiered in late 2021 / early 2022 and is available online now. Created for The New Yorker (here’s the article), the film is about Hannah’s conversation with her father – discussing his late-in-life transition to become who they really are. For most of his life, Neal, a man with a beard and tattoos now, was known as Nina, a schoolteacher and self-described ‘mama’ to two kids. Hannah explains: “Beginning on our shared birthday, my dad has always been a big and wonderful presence in my life – I’m so happy I get to share him, his story, and our relationship with the world through this film.” I would like to see this doc with the real footage, but I like how intimate & personal it is, and all the animation also feels very personal as well. These stories are so important to share.

My Parent, Neal Short Film

Thanks to Vimeo Staff Picks for the tip on this. Brief intro to the film via Vimeo: “In the short documentary My Parent, Neal, the director Hannah Saidiner and her parent have a heartfelt conversation about the latter’s decision to transition later in life.” My Parent, Neal is a film animated and directed by the designer / animation filmmaker based in Los Angeles named Hannah Saidiner – you can view more of her work on her Vimeo page or visit her official website or follow her on IG @hannahmator. It’s produced for The New Yorker by Melissa Fajardo, exec produced by Soo-Jeong Kang. With sound design & editing by Judy Kim, and music by Max Sarkowsky. Made at CalArts as a thesis project. It first premiered at the 2022 Slamdance Film Festival & played at many others. “I’m really grateful for the amazing festival run this film has had, and was honored to receive awards from Slamdance and an Oscar-Qualifying win at Athens.” For more info, visit Vimeo or the New Yorker article and this interview on CreativeFuture. To discover more shorts, click here.