Sony Pictures Animation
Sony Pictures Animation and Sony Pictures Imageworks will release a brand new original short film titled ‘The Spider Within’.
Set in the world of the upcoming release ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’, the animated short will debut exclusively at the Annecy International Animation Festival in June.
In short, Miles Morales struggles to balance his responsibilities as a teenager, friend, and student while acting as Brooklyn’s friendly neighborhood superhero. After a particularly difficult day living with these pressures, Miles experiences a panic attack that forces him to confront the manifestations of his anxiety and learn that asking for help can be just as brave as protecting his town from evil .
“The Spider Within” is part of Sony Pictures Animation and Sony Pictures Imageworks’ new LENS (Leading and Empowering New Storytellers) mentoring program. The new program, launched internally last year, aims to provide high-potential candidates from underrepresented groups with the opportunity to gain valuable leadership experience.
Under the LENS program, four candidates will be selected from both inside and outside of their existing studios and will be given creative leadership positions such as director, writer, VFX supervisor and animation supervisor. Led by show creators and producers Michelle Raimo Kouyate (“Puss In Boots,” “Silver Linings Playbook”) and David Schulenburg (“Spider-Ham: Caught in a Ham”), they will team up to produce a short cartoon movie. .
Kouyate and Schulenburg said, “We are honored and privileged to have been given the opportunity to shape the inaugural launch of the LENS program. We’re incredibly proud of how the hard work of all four filmmakers — Jarelle Dampier, Khaila Amazan, Clara Chan and Joe Darko — paid off. They far exceeded all expectations as they stepped into their lead roles and created a remarkable short. We are very grateful to be part of a studio that does meaningful work to give voice to diverse groups and to the studio leadership — Kristine Belson, Michelle Grady, Pam Marsden and Paul Martin — who have led this program and supported us every step of the way. course.”
LENS directors Jarelle Dampier, Khaila Amazan, Clara Chan and Joe Darko who participated in the inaugural in-house program said: “The LENS Program has been life-changing for all of us – it has allowed us to achieve a goal that we thought was too far away. . Seeing diverse representation in leadership roles really makes a difference because it shows the next generation of filmmakers that barriers are being broken down. Animation is the most collaborative art form there is, and it takes a special place to open its doors and nurture creatives who have the potential to tell great stories, but haven’t been given a chance to shine. We are so grateful for this experience and the opportunity to create something meaningful, and we look forward to sharing it with the world.”
Sony Pictures Animation and Sony Pictures Imageworks will soon prepare for the second cycle of the program. Participants will have the opportunity to create a short set in the world of the upcoming “K-Pop: Demon Hunters.”
LENS is supported by Sony Pictures’ global, multifaceted racial justice and inclusion strategy, Sony Pictures Action.
