Sarina Nihei is a Japanese freelance animation director and illustrator specializing in hand-drawn, surreal, psychologically driven short films and music videos.
She studied Graphic Design at Tama Art University in Tokyo and earned an MA in Animation from the Royal College of Art in London. Her graduation film, Small People with Hats (2014), won awards at the Ottawa International Animation Festival, Holland Animation Film Festival, Animest, and the British Animation Awards.
Her works include Rabbit’s Blood (2017) for Channel 4’s Random Acts, Polka-Dot Boy (2020), created during her Nippon Nordic artist residency, music videos for Photay, Whitney, Tom Rosenthal, and Nevermen. She has also produced commissioned animations for Hulu, A24, TED-Ed and NHK, along with illustration work for written publications and musical album covers.
