Teesside graduate is Dressed for Success
An award winning filmmaker has returned to Teesside University to be presented with a trophy for her animated short film.
Domareen Fox received the Student Animation Award at the recent Royal Television Society’s Regional Awards but was unable to attend the ceremony because she is working for a German animation studio.
However, she was able to take advantage of a break in her busy schedule to fly back to Teesside University and pick up the award from Dr Simon Stobart, Dean of the School of Computing.
Domareen, who is originally from Skelton in Cleveland, received the award for Dresslocked, a three minute 2D animation exploring body dysmorphic disorder through the struggles of a young woman who can’t decide what to wear in the morning.
She produced the film as part of her BA (Hons) Computer Character Animation.
Since graduating last year, Domareen is now working as an Art Director for Studio Soi, an animation studio based near Stuttgart in Germany, which has produced the Gruffalo and the Gruffalo’s Child animations.
Her job has a range of responsibilities including managing a team of artists, helping with the design of the show and assisting with the marketing.
She said: 'This is my ideal job. I was one of those people who came to university knowing exactly what it was that I wanted to do once I graduated.
'At Teesside I got all the support I needed to achieve that goal. The staff were fantastic and the courses I took, not just those that were part of my degree, were wonderful.
'I loved my time here.'
Domareen found out about winning the RTS award whilst in a meeting in Germany.
She added: 'I was in a review session with some of the artists and I suddenly started getting a lot of messages.
'I couldn’t believe it. It was really lovely to get this recognition.'
Dr Stobart said: 'This was a tremendous achievement and we’re naturally very pleased that this award was won by one of our students.
'Domareen’s work was of the highest quality throughout her time at the University and it is of little surprise that she has been able to find such a fantastic job. We wish her well in her career.'
Fellow Teesside University alumni, Jing Zhao, a BA (Hons) Television and Film Production graduate, also picked up the RTS Student Factual Award for her film Eat, Then Wait for the Night, which explores loneliness and the importance of family in China, examining the themes of loneliness, loss, family and connections between people.
Watch Domareen's award-winning short animation, Dresslocked, here.
