Nocturne Festival
Landed to Takeoff
Short Animation Film
Synopsis
For Nocturne's NOISEmakers Program, a 16-week workshop for newcomer artists run by Nocturne, ISANS, and Wonder'neath, seven artists, including Nahom Assefa, created Landed to Takeoff, a short animated film exploring belonging and shared ground through newcomer perspectives in Nova Scotia. It marked the program's first digital commission, built for Rogers Square's hanging monitors, a mix of landscape and portrait screens visible from both sides.
Each artist worked on their own segment under shared prompts, guided by professional animator Trent Noble. Nahom animated his portion in Procreate Dreams, then compiled and edited the full film in After Effects, adapting it to the display's technical requirements.
The film played on loop throughout Nocturne and was named a standout of the festival, later screening at the Emerging Lens Film Festival's opening night at Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.
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The display itself set real limits: three landscape monitors and 22 thin portrait monitors, all visible from front and back, meant the group had to work around an After Effects template built for that exact setup, while building a piece around that year's festival theme, "Ground," through the shared lens of newcomers to Nova Scotia. Most of the cohort came from physical media backgrounds like acrylic and oil painting, while Nahom's strength was in digital animation, adding another layer to sort out as a team. The group also had to work through a slow-moving monitors crew, managing tight timelines and last minute fixes.
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The group brainstormed together and landed on Landed to Takeoff, built around the question: whose ground are you on. Each artist worked on their own segment based on shared prompts and limits, guided by professional animator Trent Noble and the Nocturne team. Nahom animated his segment in Procreate Dreams using a collage style tied to the theme, then compiled and edited the full film in After Effects, adapting it to fit Rogers Square's display requirements.
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The film played on loop throughout the night at Rogers Square, and both visitors and staff called it one of the standout projects of the festival. Nahom later handled its ongoing distribution and marketing, leading to a screening at the Emerging Lens Film Festival's opening night at Pier 21 Museum of Immigration, drawing over 50 attendees.
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Animation & Motion Design
Collaborative Filmmaking
Public Art Installation
Newcomer & Immigrant Storytelling
Procreate Dreams
Adobe After Effects
Community Engagement