Sheila M. Sofian

Sheila M. Sofian is a narrative filmmaker with a special interest in documentary animation. Her films investigate social issues utilizing a unique hybrid of animation and documentary. She has produced, directed, and animated seven independent animated films. Sofian has received grants from the Guggenheim Foundation, Rockefeller Media Arts Fellowship, and the Pew Fellowships in the Arts, among others. Her award-winning films have been exhibited internationally and are distributed educationally as well as in home video markets. She recently produced, directed, and animated a one-hour documentary on wrongful conviction, "Truth Has Fallen." Professor Sofian has taught painting-on-glass and documentary animation workshops internationally at several institutions including the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, Colombia, the Central Academy Of Fine Art in Beijing, China, the University Of Buffalo and the Kansas City Art Institute. She developed curriculum and designed coursework for Documentary Animation Production and has written on the subject. Ms. Sofian is an Associate Professor at the University of Southern California, where she teaches animation production courses. In addition, she has designed and teaches Documentary Animation Production and Story Art Development courses. Previously Sofian headed the animation program at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA (1992-97) and chaired the Animation Program at College of the Canyons in Valencia, CA (2001-06.) She holds a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and an MFA in from the California Institute of the Arts.