Biography
Jelena Sinik is a Lecturer in Professional Animation at UNSW. She is an award-winning artist, animation director and filmmaker specialising in 2D & stop-motion animation, multiscreen filmmaking, screencraft, visual narrative, illustration and design. Over the years, Jelena's artwork for Vivid Sydney has been projected across iconic Sydney architectural gems including Customs House in Circular Quay, the sails of the Sydney Opera House and the...view more
Jelena Sinik is a Lecturer in Professional Animation at UNSW. She is an award-winning artist, animation director and filmmaker specialising in 2D & stop-motion animation, multiscreen filmmaking, screencraft, visual narrative, illustration and design. Over the years, Jelena's artwork for Vivid Sydney has been projected across iconic Sydney architectural gems including Customs House in Circular Quay, the sails of the Sydney Opera House and the pylons of Sydney Harbour Bridge. She continues to be active in industry, working as a freelancer with a wide array of high profile clients.
Jelena's creative practice innovates at the intersection of emerging and analogue technologies as a means of reimagining the 'screen', exploring hybrid approaches to animation and challenging conventional modes of storytelling. These award-winning solo and collaborative works have been displayed in galleries and festivals around the world.
My Awards
Awards, Industry
2024. Gold Winner, Best Olympic Programme, Channel 9 Paris Olympics Broadcast, Olympic Golden Rings, IOC.
2023. Gold Award, Live Event Installations & Projections, AEAF Awards, AUS.
2021. Winner, Storm FX Animation Design Award,10th Australian Production Design Guild Awards (APDG Awards).
2018. Silver Award, Best Live Event, Australian Effects & Animation Festival Awards (AEAF).
2018. Winner, Best Design Animated Short Film, Australian Production Design Guild Award (APDG Awards).
2016. Winner, UNSWtv, Excellence in Professional Services Awards, UNSW Staff Excellence Awards.
Awards, Creative Practice
2026. Finalist, Gosford Art Prize, Australia.
2026. Finalist, Northern Beaches Environmental Art & Design Prize, Australia
2024. Best Animation, SydFest Independent Film Festival, Australia.
2023. Best Experimental Film, Caps Experimental, Capricorn Film Festival, Australia.
2023. Runner-up Award, Short Film Showcase, Inner West Film Festival, Australia.
2022. Best Experimental Film, National Award Winner, Canberra Short Film Festival, Australia.
2022. First Prize Winner, Digital Works, The 47th Rio Tinto & QAL Martin Hanson Memorial Art Awards, QLD, Australia.
2021. First Place Winner, Gosford Art Prize, Australia.
2020. Mayor's Award, Kadoma International Film Festival, Japan.
2020. Best Animation, Wales International Film Festival, United Kingdom.
2020. Best Australian Film, Sydney World Film Festival, Australia.
2020. Best Animated Film, Atomium Film Awards, Brussels Independent Film Festival, Belgium.
2020. Best Animated Film, Super Shorts London Film Festival, United Kingdom.
2020. Highly Commended, Film Art Media Award for Best Film by a Female Director, Setting Sun Short Film Festival, Australia.
2019. Special AIT Animation Award, Short+Sweet Film Festival Sydney, Australia.
2019. Audience Choice Award, Illawarra Film Festival, Australia.
2018. Best Tertiary Animation, ATOM Awards, Australia.
2018. Best Sound Design, Freshflix Film Festival, Australia.
2016. Best Animation, Willoughby Shorts Film Festival, Australia.
2016. Special Merit Award - Student Category, Animation & Effects Awards Festival (AEAF), Australia.
2016. Best Animation, Freshflix Film Festival, Australia.
2016. Best Animated Short Film, Toronto Arthouse Film Festival, Canada.
2016. Audience Choice Award, Unlesbarkeit Festival 2016, Europe.
2012. First Place in Australia, (18-under 25 Category), Australian Government Youth Volunteering Video Competition.
Other Award Nominations
2024. Nomination, Collaboration for Impact Professional Staff Award, University of Sydney Business School Staff Awards, Australia.
2023. Finalist, Shorts in Paradise (SIPFEST), Gold Coast Film Festival, Australia.
2023. Finalist, Best Animation, Vision Feast Film Festival, New Zealand.
2022. Finalist, Best Experimental Film, ATOM Awards, Australia.
2022. Finalist, Best Animation, ATOM Awards, Australia.
2022. Finalist, Gosford Art Prize, Australia.
2022. Finalist, Best Achievement in Design, Australian Event Awards, Australia.
2022. Finalist, Incinerator Art Award: Art for Social Change, Australia.
2022. Finalist, Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize, Australia.
2021. Finalist, Education & Infographics, Australian Effects & Animation Festival Awards (AEAF), Australia.
2021. Finalist, frankie magazine Good Stuff Awards, Australia.
2021. Finalist, Member's Art Challenge, Art Gallery of NSW, Australia.
2021. Finalist, Northern Beaches Environmental Art & Design Prize, Australia.
2021. Finalist, Remagine Art Prize, Hornsby Shire Council, Australia.
2021. Finalist, WSSF WHIP Top Sheet Design Competition, Canada.
2020. Finalist, Best Emerging Filmmaker, Setting Sun Short Film Festival, Australia.
2020. Finalist, Film Art Media Award, Setting Sun Short Film Festival, Australia.
2020. Finalist, Best Student Film, Screen It! International Film Festival, Australia.
2020. Finalist, Best Microshort Film, Birmingham Film Festival, United Kingdom.
2019. Audience Choice Finalist, Short+Sweet Film Festival Sydney, Australia.
2019. Nomination, Best Animated Short, Winchester Film Festival, United Kingdom.
2019. Nomination, Golden Bluey Award, Blue Heeler Film Festival, Australia.
2018. Top 10 Finalist, Young Australian Filmmaker of the Year Award, Byron Bay International Film Festival, Australia.
2016. Nomination, Weimar Poetry Film Prize, Backup_festival Germany.
2016. Finalist, Best Tertiary Animation Award, SAE Atom Awards, Australia.
2016. Finalist, Best Experimental Film, The Vision Feast, New Zealand.
2016. Nomination, Best Animated Film, Wimbledon International Short Fim Festival, United Kingdom.
2016. Nomination, Best Student Film, Wimbledon International Short Fim Festival, United Kingdom.
2016. Nomination, Glocal Purpose Competition, Seoul International NewMedia Festival, South Korea.
2014. Finalist, Best Tertiary Animation Award, IP Awareness ATOM Awards, Australia.
2014. Nomination, Best Animation, RATMA International Film Festival, United Kingdom.
2014. Nomination, Best Animation, Carmarthen Bay Film Festival, United Kingdom.
My Teaching
Hybrid Animation
Interactive Media Production