An important part of Kindling Group’s internship program is supporting our interns in their pursuit of independent projects, both fiction and documentary. This year our No Small Matter post-production intern, Ji Jinglu, a senior at Columbia College, developed and shot her own short film blending animation and live action to tell the story of memories and discarded waste. During the last week of her Kindling Group internship, Ji presented her film for feedback from staff and other interns, an important part of the internship experience. 

“The project I am working on is a hybrid animation and live-action short," Ji says about her independent work, “Gloomy Glory.” "It tells the story about a frustrated artist, M, whose failed waste art pieces become lively origami cranes, traveling along M’s memories. While M’s giving up on doing art, these origami cranes eventually become the subject of a famous art show. M’s waste works reveal their value, magically, all by themselves.”

Here is a behind-the-scenes look at "Gloomy Glory."

Saying goodbye to our spring interns is bittersweet, but we are excited about Ji’s project and know she will go very far in her film career. Congrats Ji!