The Light We Carried is a hand-drawn animated short film that follows a young boy’s harrowing escape from post-war Vietnam. A brief introduction to his childhood growing up in the northern countryside reveals an initial sense of innocence despite the hardships faced from poverty and the lingering effects of war. When approached by his older brother with a life-altering decision, he embarks on a perilous journey filled with silent goodbyes and turbulent emotions, leading him across the sea on a boat full of of strangers and forcing him to leave behind the only world he has ever known. The film captures a deeply human narrative of displacement, perseverance, and the fragile light that guides us toward the promise of a new beginning.

The final film was featured in a showreel for Interwoven, the final BA Illustration degree show exhibition at UAL’s Camberwell College of Arts.