Category: Awards

Glenna Burmer recently won the Best Animation award for her film Yokaitopia at Portland Under the Stars, a film festival in Portland, Oregon, hosted at McMenamins Mission Theater. 

Burmer’s film was one of four animated shorts that opened the in-person festival on Friday, August 14. Awards were announced later that weekend, and award winners from every film category, including Burmer, celebrated on stage under a shower of colorful confetti.

“I was floored by the interactive, friendly, supportive nature of the audience, filmmakers and festival team,” said Burmer. “It felt like belonging to one happy family —  like-minded creators, actors and supporters who all shared a love of original film and story-telling.”

Yokaitopia introduces Western audiences to the mysterious world of Yokai — strange, sometimes terrifying, Japanese spirits that inhabit all living and inanimate objects. The story follows a Japanese boy on a bike ride through a forest when suddenly he encounters a mysterious black cat. He follows the cat to an isolated house where he rescues a group of broken toys trapped by a snow demon. The film’s message of kindness and generosity is brought to life with sumptuous animation, a rich vibrant color palette, and a stirring all-original musical score.

After the screening in Portland, Burmer participated in a live Q&A session where she shared the challenges she faced while makingYokaitopia. “I wanted to make sure I represented the Japanese culture accurately, the nature of Yokai correctly, and stayed true to the atmosphere, culture and feeling of traditional Japan,” she explained. “I did not want the film to engage in cultural appropriation or misrepresent the Shinto themes represented.”

Portland Under the Stars, now in its second year, brings together filmmakers, screenwriters and film aficionados from around the world while staying connected to Portland’s vibrant creative community. “Indie film festivals like Portland Under the Stars are one way to preserve the artistry of original filmmaking in a world inundated with low-quality, AI-generated content,” said Burmer.

A classical composer and award-winning concert and animated-film producer in Seattle, Burmer’s music and original voice create compelling stories that resonate with audiences worldwide. Yokaitopia and her earlier films, Bippy the Little Robot and Nana korobi, Ya oki, were produced in collaboration with the animation studio Deep Sky, including Gaby West (photo, left) shown with Glenna, and Jared Hobbs and Barret Thomson (photo, below).

Burmer is currently working on animated music videos and creating the storyboard for her next animated film.

Glenna Burmer was honored with an award for Best Director of an Animation Film at the Los Angeles Movie & Music Video festival in July for her 2025 film, Yokaitopia.

The online film festival focuses on projects that offer unique storytelling, innovative visual styles and compelling narratives. Its chosen film entrees celebrate diversity, pushing the boundaries of artistic expression.

Yokaitopia introduces Western audiences to the mysterious world of Yokai — strange, sometimes terrifying, Japanese spirits that inhabit all living and inanimate objects. The animated short follows a Japanese boy on a bike ride through a forest when he suddenly encounters a mysterious black cat; within minutes his life changes. As he follows the cat to a remote house deep in the forest, he rescues a group of broken toys trapped by a snow demon. The film’s message of kindness and generosity is brought to life with sumptuous animation, a rich vibrant color palette and stirring all-original musical score.

Portland Under the Stars – August 14-15, 2026

Yokaitopia will also be screened August 14-15 at Portland Under the Stars, a film festival in Portland, Oregon hosted at McMenamins Mission Theater. The in-person festival brings together filmmakers, screenwriters and film aficionados from around the world while remaining deeply connected to Portland’s vibrant and distinctive creative community.

Burmer’s film is one of four animated shorts that will open the Portland festival on Friday, August 14. In all, a total of 45 official film selections will be screened in all genres, from feature-length to documentary to comedy. This is the second year that Portland Under the Stars will be presented. 

In other award news

In other awards news, Yokaitopia won awards this spring for both Best Animation and Best Score from the Little Penguin Festival. This online festival showcases family-friendly films that inspire, encourage and entertain audiences. 

A classical composer and award-winning concert and animated-film producer in Seattle, Glenna Burmer’s music and original voice create compelling stories that resonate with audiences worldwide. Yokaitopia and Bippy the Little Robot, in addition to her first film Nana korobi, Ya oki, were produced by a multi-award-winning collaboration between Glenna Burmer and the animation studio Deep Sky. 

Yokaitopia, the newest animated short film from Glenna Burmer, was selected for two Best Animation awards in June – one from New York Film & Cinematography and the other from the Symbiotic Film Festival. Yokaitopia was also a winner for Best Fantasy film at New York Film and Cinematography.

The New York Film & Cinematography festival focuses on technical design, tone, script, and attention to detail, among other elements. Jurors are producers, filmmakers and entrepreneurs who are passionate about recognizing talent and seeking out the world’s top films for recognition.

Yokaitopia tells the story of a boy who crosses over into the supernatural world of Yokai — mysterious Japanese spirits that inhabit all people, objects and places. In a secluded house at the edge of a forest, he finds broken toys trapped inside by a snow demon. He repairs them and then outwits the demon, breaking the spell and freeing the toys. This act of kindness will have unexpected lifelong ramifications. 

Watch the trailer here.

The animated short is the third film produced by the multi-award-winning collaboration between Glenna Burmer and the animation studio Deep Sky. Unlike most films where the music is composed after filming ends, Burmer’s original music drives the plot. In her creative process, she envisions the storyline, composes the music to relay that narrative, and creates its distinctive characters, then brings it to the animation studio to visually translate the music’s style and atmosphere. 

Deep Sky’s creative team, led by art and animation director Gaby West and creative director Barret Thompson, blended visual effects, lush colors and innovative graphics to provide a visual experience that perfectly captures the supernatural world of Yokai.