For the Open Secrets theme at PEN America’s 15th annual World Voices Festival, our animated bumper delivers a powerful visual prelude—an inspired fusion of motion and metaphor. Designed to evoke the “dissolution of the public and the private,” it sets the tone for more than 70 festival events addressing memoir, privacy, surveillance, and personal revelation.

Our team at Ask Mbuya oversaw all facets—from concept and storyboarding to character animation, sound design, and final delivery—capturing the festival’s urgent and cinematic exploration of “Open Secrets.” This bumper not only introduces the festival, but embodies its mission: merging creative storytelling with profound reflection.