Mike Mingqi Yang

An animator from China, currently based in London, UK. My journey in animation began with a fascination for how moving images can translate complex ideas into emotional stories. My work is driven by a desire to challenge perceptions, inspire change, and question how we understand our place within rapidly evolving technological and ecological systems. I am particularly interested in the relationships between humans, technology, and the natural environment, and how these forces shape one another over time. I work across both 2D and 3D software, making short films that draw inspiration from experimental animation, philosophical writing, and both contemporary and historical Chinese and Western culture. These influences guide my approach to research, image-making, and narrative structure that combine symbolic and metaphorical elements. Over time, my practice has evolved to a more research-led and conceptually driven approach. I have developed narrative and experimental short films that explore themes of the human condition and technological dependence, and memory, such as Another Foggy Day; and aim to bring awareness to ecological issues, such as Meltdown. In these projects, by integrating research-based methods, animation and storytelling, I seek to create work that invites critical reflection and a way of thinking through urgent questions, i.e. about how we live with technology and the environment. I am excited to continue developing long-form projects, collaborate across disciplines, and explore new ways of combining 2D/3D approaches with documentary and interactive formats. Ultimately, my work aims to heighten a sense of connection, curiosity, and responsibility toward the world we share.

Film Information:

· Genre: Drama I Family I Animation

· Production Year: 2025

· Country of Production: United Kingdom

· LogLine : Doris is lost in the fog of Alzheimer's. Her daughter, Sarah gently attempts to help her mother recall happy memories from the past.

· Synopsis : Doris, a once-vibrant cardiologist, struggles with Alzheimer’s, her world increasingly clouded with memory-loss. With her daughter’s care and an AI voiced assistant, Doris regains brief clarity.  A park visit sparks cherished memories, only to be lost again, leaving Sarah to navigate the bittersweet reality of her mother's fading mind.

· Twitter Blurb: 

Another Foggy Day is a 3D animated short inspired by the director’s grandmother, a former cardiologist now living with Alzheimer’s. With soft visuals and nostalgic music, it captures fleeting moments of clarity and love. The film highlights the roles of family, tech, and society in care - reminding us that even as memories fade, humanity remains. #AlzheimersAwareness #AnimatedShort

· Facebook Blurb

Another Foggy Day is a 3D animated short film that gently portrays the experience of living with Alzheimer’s. Inspired by the director’s grandmother - a former cardiologist now facing the disease - the film uses soft visuals, warm tones, and nostalgic music to show how moments of beauty and connection can still emerge through the fog of memory loss. It raises awareness of Alzheimer’s while exploring the vital roles that family, technology, and society play in patient care. The director hopes the film will deepen empathy, spark conversation, and remind viewers of the humanity that endures, even as memories begin to fade.

Cast:

· Jean Walker as Doris

· Tina North as Sarah

Credits:

· Director: Mingqi Yang

· Animator: Mingqi Yang

· 3D Modelling: Mingqi Yang

· Music: Horace Liu

· Sound: Mingqi Yang

· Edit: Mingqi Yang

Biography:

· Mike Mingqi Yang is a digital animator based in London, UK, whose work uses both 2D & 3D techniques with ecological themes, one of which was recently selected for the London International Animation Festival 2025.

Artist/Director Statement: 

Another Foggy Day is a film honouring those with Alzheimer’s. It has been inspired by my grandmother - an 85-year-old former cardiologist whose brilliance, compassion, and strength shaped me and saved lives, and now lives with late-onset Alzheimer’s. This film is a way of capturing the complexity of someone fading into the grips of the disease and how families adapt to navigating another's confusion and moments of fog. Alzheimer’s reshapes our relationships, and this film speaks to those who have been through such experiences, and also to those who might one day walk this path. Through the lens of animation, I wanted to make the emotional realities of this disease more accessible -especially to broader audiences - and to emphasise the beauty of life with music, nature, and companionship, even when names and faces begin to fade. Animation, especially in 3D, gave me a visual language to express what words often cannot. Soft, voluminous character design with muted, warm imagery depicts the inner world of someone like Doris - someone slowly drifting between clarity and fog. Through her perspective, we see loss, and fleeting moments of connection, recognition, and beauty. My hope is that compassion, challenges what we believe about ageing and memory loss, and encourages meaningful conversations. This film - is an act of love for my grandmother, but also a way to foster understanding. Alzheimer’s is not just a medical condition - it’s a human experience that touches millions of lives. 

Key Themes

· Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline

· Intergenerational love and family memory

· Identity loss

· Coping with aging and change

· The enriching power of nature and music

Sustainably / Social justice:

In creating Another Foggy Day, an animated film exploring the realities of Alzheimer’s disease, the goal was to thoughtfully depict both the emotional and societal impacts of the condition - not just on those diagnosed, but on their families and loved ones. Central to the film’s development were the principles of social justice and sustainability, particularly in relation to the critical responsibility society must confront as the global population ages. Social justice guided the storytelling approach, ensuring a sensitive and authentic portrayal of the lived experiences of those affected by Alzheimer’s. The film highlights the challenges faced by families across cultural and socioeconomic lines, with a focus on the how AI may help, but also the importance of the natural environment, music and most importantly, companionship and caregivers - many of whom are women. By shedding light on these realities, the film advocates for equitable access to affordable care and robust support systems while working to reduce the stigma surrounding Alzheimer’s.Sustainability was also a key consideration in production. The personal inspiration for the film came from my own grandmother’s experience with Alzheimer’s and observation but also further research into the field. I was particularly moved by the positive influence that nature and music have on people’s wellbeing. Environmentally, I utilised digital workflows and collaborated remotely with a composer to minimize travel and reduce the project’s carbon footprint. Another Foggy Day aims to be more than a film - it is a call to action for a more just, compassionate, and sustainable approach to elder care worldwide.

Contact Details: 

· Name: Mike Mingqi

· Surname: Yang

· Email: mqy.animator@gmail.com

Social Media:

· Website: https://mqy-animator.com/

· Instagram: @MIKEMINGQIYANG

Technical Information:

· Running Time: 08:01

· Original Format: H264

· Screening Format: H264

· Aspect Ratio: 1920x1080 - 16:9

· Sound: Stereo

Film Information:

· Genre: Fiction I Family I Animation

· Production Year: 2025

· Country of Production: United Kingdom

· Logline

On a melting ice-cream glacier, a community of candy penguins face a warming world. As they melt and their chocolate egg rolls away, a sweet childhood dream melts into a bitter reality.

· Synopsis

In a whimsical world of frozen delights, chocolate and marshmallow penguins living on an ice-cream glacier face a “meltdown”. As the temperature rises, their sweet home melts away and their egg - the symbol of their future - rolls away, mirroring the fragile & fleeting nature of our world. This animated tale, where a childhood dream melts into reality, is a poignant commentary on climate change.

· Twitter Blurb

On an ice-cream glacier, chocolate & marshmallow penguins face a “meltdown.” Heat rises, their sugary home - and a hopeful egg - slides away. A childhood dream meets climate reality. #AnimatedShort #MeltdownFilm #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #ActOnClimate #GlobalWarming #Sustainability #EnvironmentalJustice #Arctic #IceMelt #SaveOurPlanet #Animation #ShortFilm #IndieAnimation

 · Facebook Blurb

What happens when a childhood dream meets climate reality? In Meltdown, a whimsical world of frozen sweets begins to melt, sending chocolate penguins - and a fragile egg - adrift. It’s a tender, urgent reminder of what’s at stake. Watch, discuss, and join to push for climate action and accountability today. #AnimatedShort #MeltdownFilm #ClimateAction #Sustainability  

Credits:

· Director - Mike Mingqi Yang

· Screenwritter - Mike Mingqi Yang

· 3D Modeller - Mike Mingqi Yang

· Rigging Artist - Mike Mingqi Yang

· Animator - Mike Mingqi Yang

· Music - Luka Crnomarkovic

· Sound - Luka Crnomarkovic

· Edit - Mike Mingqi Yang

Biography:

· Mike Mingqi Yang is a digital animator based in London, UK, whose work uses both 2D & 3D techniques with ecological themes, one of which was recently selected for the London International Animation Festival 2025.

· Luka Crnomarkovic is a recording artist and producer specialized in sound technology, songwriting, music business and marketing.

Artist/Director Statement:

‘Meltdown’ is an animation made as an urgent intervention into the cultural discourse on global warming. It is my second film inspired by a trip to Greenland during the summer of 2019 that evidences the incredible experience of being in the landscape. This short film brings to life the icy blue glaciers and icebergs observed, and is combined with candy-colour childhood temptations with ice lollies, chocolate Easter-eggs, and ice cream to show a wild imagination. In a context where annual “warmest year on record” milestones are routinely surpassed, the work seeks to operate as both witness and amplifier. Penguins made of chocolate and marshmallow on an ice-cream glacier represent a deliberate childhood pleasure. The confectionery colours and image serve a dual metaphor/purpose: they invoke personal and collective nostalgia while mimicking the material states of melting, fragility, and disappearance. The sweetness of memory is set against the concept of thermodynamic realities of a warming world. The film aims to bring attention and invites viewers to reconsider the changing horizon of our human choices. The work aspires to raise awareness as well as contribute to a cultural momentum toward accountability and action.

Sustainability: 

Meltdown frames the sustainability and ethics of care stretched across time. Inspired by Greenland’s glaciers, the film links everyday childhood pleasures, such as ice lollies, chocolate eggs, and ice cream, as metaphors to the slow violence of a warming world. Pairing melting sweets with melting ice makes climate change intimate and immediate. It aims to say how our small choices ripple and echo far beyond the present tense and sweet indulgences. This work speaks to environmental justice by focusing on the cost of delay. It considers the environment, wildlife and future generations who depend on us to be louder and raise awareness and take action.As the candy colours drip and the ice dissolves, Meltdown invites viewers to reconsider what may feel harmless today, accumulates to tomorrow’s emergencies. It seeks to feed cultural momentum toward accountability; and ultimately insists that time is a shared resource.

Contact Details: 

· Name: Mike Mingqi

· Surname: Yang

· Email: mqy.animator@gmail.com

Social Media:

· Website: https://mqy-animator.com/

· Instagram: @MIKEMINGQIYANG

Technical Information:

· Running Time: 04:55

· Original Format: 3D Digital Animation, H.264

· Screening Format: H.264

· Aspect Ratio: 16:9

· Sound: Stereo