About

Manisa Hope is an award-winning Canadian-Iranian animation filmmaker and children’s author. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film Animation from the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema at Concordia University in 2017 and completed a Master of Fine Arts in Film Production at Concordia University in 2023.

She also holds a prior bachelor’s degree in computer software programming and brings over two decades of experience in acrylic and oil painting, as well as intricate colored-pencil drawing. Her award-winning animated films have been screened at festivals around the world.

FILM FESTIVAL NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS

Short Animated Films

The Town of Dead Dreams (2023)

– Recipient of the Best Sound Design Award

Watersprite Film Festival, Cambridge, UK, March 2025

– Recipient of the Phenomenal Attainment Award in the category of the Best Producer

AniFest A’GJIRO 2024 International Film Festival, GJIROKASTRA, Albania, September 2024

– Recipient of the Best Student Animated Film

XXVII International Festival of Animation Films «Animaevka-2024», The Republic of Belarus, September 2024

– Recipient of the Best Animated Film award

F3: Queen City Film Festival, Film Curation, & Film Awards, United States, April 2024

The Hoopoe and The Owls (2017)

– Recipient of the Emerging Artist Award

NDG Off the Wall festival, art week, Montreal, 2019

– Recipient of the Best Animated Film

Big Shoulders International Student Film Festival, Chicago, 2019

– Recipient of the Special price Nad school award

Les Sommets du cinéma d’animation Film Festival, Montreal, QC, 2017

– Recipient of the CUAA Fine Arts Prize

The Graduating Student Arts Exhibition at the VAV Gallery

Concordia University, Montreal, QC, 2017

– Recipient of the Best Graduate Animated

Film Concordia Film Festival, CFF, Montreal, QC, 2017

I Ran and Ran (2016)

– Nominated for The Best Film

TOFUZI Film Festival, Batumi, Georgia, 2016

– Nominated for The Best Animated Film

Concordia Film Festival, Montreal, QC, 2016

– Nominated for The Best Hand-drawn Animated Film

Concordia Film Festival, Montreal, QC, 2016