Born 1986 in Yokohama, Ryo Okawara is a freelance animation director and illustrator. He graduated in 2009 from the Department of Graphic Design, Tama Art University and in 2012, from the Department of Animation, Film and New Media at Tokyo University of the Arts. Ryo’s 2012 film, A Wind Egg, was awarded the Lotte Reiniger Promotion Award for Animated Film at the Stuttgart Festival of Animated Film. His other films include the collaborative work Orchestra (2008) and Animal Dance (2009). His work has been shown at animation festivals in Hiroshima, Toronto, Ottawa, and Annecy, France.