born. Chongqing, China
currently residing in California, USA

AWARDS
Spotlight Short Film Awards Gold Award — 2025
LAAF: Indie Film LA Experimental Character 2D Award — 2024
20th Beijing Film Academy Animation Academy Awards (screening) | Beijing, China – 2020

SELECT FILM FESTIVALS

One, Two, Three,.. Four, Five, Six (MFA Thesis Film)
CalArts Showcase 2025 at Academy Museum | LA, USA —2025
BIJOU Festival, CalArts, USA—2025

FISH

Slamdance Film Festival | LA, USA — 2025
Fest Anča International Animation Festival | Žilina, Slovakia  — 2025
Tricky Women Tricky Realities | Vienna, Austria — 2025
Animac international animation film festival | Lleida, Spain — 2025
CutOut Fest International Animation Festival | Mexico — 2024
LAGO FILM FEST | Italy — 2025

30°Ningbo Short Film Festival
| Shanghai, China —2025
The Seoul International Children’s Film Festival (SICFF) — 2025
LA Shorts International Film Festival — 2025
KIDS FIRST! Film Festival — 2025
Cultural Animation Film Festival — 2025
Los Angeles Animation Festival | LA, USA — 2024
Animation Marathon | Virtual — 2024
Feinaki Beijing Animation Week | Beijing, China — 2024
Turku Animated Film Festival | Turku, Finland — 2024
CalArts RedCat Showcase | LA, USA — 2024
Athens ANIMFEST | Virtual — 2024
BIJOU Festival, CalArts, USA—2023

Little Dan
Ciudad De Mexico International Film Festival | Mexico City, Mexico — 2024
Insomnia International Animation Film Festival | Kaluga region, Russia — 2024
La Guarimba Film Festival | Calabria, Italy — 2024
The West Virginia Mountaineer Short Film Festival | Morgantown, WV — 2024  
Children Film Season Feature: Children of Light | Xiamen, China — 2022
Feinaki Beijing Animation Week | Beijing, China — 2022
FLICKFAIR | Baltimore, USA – 2022


Throw It

Life Screenings One Minute Film Festival
| Florida, USA —2024

Goodbye, Rota
20th Beijing Film Academy Animation Academy Awards (screening) | Beijing, China – 2020
The 2nd China Animation & Comic Art Exhibition | Chongqing, China —2021
Excellent Graduation Work Award of Sichuan Fine Arts Institute | Chongqing, USA – 2019

EXHIBITIONS
Mud Doll
Clay Play Ceramic Exhibition | CalArts, USA —2023
welcome
Projected Things Exhibition | CalArts, USA —2023
Pencil Films

“It is a Tattoo!”  Drawn Techniques Animation Exhibition | CalArts, USA —2021

SELECT PRESS

ZippyFrames
https://www.zippyframes.com/shorts/little-dan-by-yingdan-lai/ June 2025

CanvasRebel
https://boldjourney.com/meet-yingdan-lai/
 November 2024 CA, USA


BoldJourney  
https://boldjourney.com/meet-yingdan-lai/
 July 2024 CA, USA

Voyage LA  
https://voyagela.com/interview/meet-yingdan-lai-of-santa-clarita/  Feburary 2024 CA, USA