Ru Kuwahata is an Oscar-nominated animation filmmaker born in Tokyo and living in Providence, RI. Since 2007 she has been collaborating with Max Porter as the directors duo Tiny Inventions. Known for their unique mixed-media animation, they have directed and produced TV commercials, music videos, PSAs, comics, interactive games, and four independent films.
Tiny Inventions' films have screened in more than 1000 festivals around the world, including Sundance Film Festival, Clermont-Ferrand, and Annecy International Animated Film Festival. Their most recent short, Negative Space (2017), was nominated for the 90th Academy Awards and has garnered 135 prizes. The duo is currently working on their first feature-length animated film, Porcelain Birds, with Miyu Productions in France.
At MacDowell, Kuwahata worked on her graphic novel, You're Carrying Beautifully, a story of the physical and emotional changes that occurred in the 40 weeks of her pregnancy.
