When Thai animator Arut Tantasirin was young, he helped an injured sparrow and took care of it until it was able to fend for itself. Due to that experience, Arut felt a connection to birds which inspired him to create Cheez…z, an award-winning short animation as his thesis for his master's in animation at the Academy of Art University in the US.
"As a mischievous boy, I wanted to touch birds, but I could not because they always flew away. One day, I saw an injured sparrow and was able to touch it. It was a feeling that was difficult to explain. Birds used to be animals that I could not pet. I felt sorry to see that sparrow hurt but when it healed and flew away, I felt good. That was how it was supposed to be," Arut said.
