Nate & John Oscar® qualified Animation Short Directed by Jumai Yusuf

Short Animation NATE & JOHN Heartwarming Qualifies for the 97th Academy® Awards 

Los Angeles, CA (October 22, 2024). Without any character dialogue, NATE & JOHN beautifully displays the friendship between a barber and his client who form an unlikely bond that develops over their lifetimes.

One of the inspirations for the Unity Animation Project was to bring together filmmakers from different backgrounds and experiences. This animated short is a direction of Jumai Yusuf (Nigerian), Produced by Jean Liu (Chinese), Composed by Pedro Osuna (Spanish) and Americans, Producer Todd Feldman, Writer David Bickel and Writer/Producer Michael Bickel. This incredible film is in qualification for consideration for the 2025 Oscars®.

Jumai Yusuf is a director, writer, producer, and a Muslim, Nigerian immigrant who is passionate about telling BIPOC genre stories. She has a B.A. in Neurobiology from Harvard and an MFA from USC.

The Official Trailer for NATE & JOHN Directed by Jumai Yusuf

---

NATE & JOHN is a testament to Writer/Producer Michael Bickel’s passion, it is more than just a story—it’s a labor of love that has consumed his creative spirit for the past fifteen years. With “Nate & John,” Michael Bickel (TableMation Studios) aims to touch the hearts of audiences worldwide, offering a poignant reminder of the power of human connection and the enduring strength of the human spirit.

David Bickel is a veteran TV writer and producer, best known for the long-running comedy THE KING OF QUEENS. Producer Todd Feldman has been a successful entrepreneur across multiple industries. Through his management/production company, The Feldman Co., Todd has produced films and packaged and set several television shows at various broadcast and streaming outlets.

---

Fellow producer Jean Liu is a filmmaker from the UK and China. Her portrait style films have screened at SXSW, Slamdance, and AFI Docs. Jean is a graduate of USC’s Stark Producing Program, where she was a BAFTA/Pigott Scholar.

The emotional musical score is a creation by Pedro Osuna (LIGHTYEAR, THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER, Golden Globe Winner and Academy® Nominated ARGENTINA). This beautiful animation is recently a selection for The American Pavilion @Cannes Film Festival, Tribeca and HollyShorts.

---

You can comment here. You can also meet us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.