SEARIT HULUF
Searit Kahsay Huluf (pronounced SA-AH-REE KAH-SAI HU-LOOF) is a Los Angeles-based filmmaker, coffee enthusiast, and anime lover. Her passion for storytelling led her to join Pixar Animation Studios, where she contributed to major projects including Incredibles 2 and Turning Red. Outside of Pixar, she wrote and directed a range of live-action and documentary short films, including BARK!, buna, GAMERS, Exploring Blackness, and 19th Amendment Doc. Her work has screened at festivals including SXSW, SFFILM, HollyShorts, Frameline, Cinequest, CAAMFest, and Pan African Film Festival.
Searit’s creative voice caught the attention of Pixar’s President Jim Morris, who invited her to join the studio’s SparkShorts program. The film earned a 2025 NAACP Image Awards nomination, a spot on Variety’s "Top 10 Animators to Watch" list, Best Director from AfroAnimation Summit, and the Gold Short Film Award at the Collision Awards. She was also part of the 2023-2024 Women in Animation Mentorship program, guided by Mark Osborne.
In addition to her filmmaking work, Searit has served as a film jury member for SIGGRAPH, Voices With Impact, and AfroAnimation Summit. She has led filmmaking and writing workshops internationally at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Animae Caribe, Trollywood Animation Festival in Sweden, and the 24 Frame Future Film Festival in Bologna, Italy.
Most recently, she directed an immersive theater production for the Bay Area Singapore Festival, celebrating Singapore’s 60th year of independence, and is directing an interactive theater experience for Kampong Collective at the West Coast Asian Food Festival in summer 2026.
Searit is one of only three participants in the 2026 Laika x Gotham Animation Accelerator program. The six-month program provides mentorship from industry leaders, access to LAIKA’s Portland studio, participation in Gotham Week programming, and national visibility through Filmmaker Magazine.
