XIN CHÀO!

I’m Maya Thao (they/them), a Vietnamese Filmmaker and Art Director based in Brussels, Belgium.

I graduated from the Willem de Kooning Academy in the Netherlands with a BA in Animation and a Minor in Game Design & Development, with courses taken in Critical Studies, and Cultural Diversity.

Although my current professional focus is in art direction, concept art, and filmmaking in the field of animation, I am open to all kinds of creative projects and collaborations.

As a filmmaker, I am interested in art and film as a means of anthropological documentation.

In my spare time, I sometimes take art commissions and participate in artist alleys under the name BUNS-CHAR.

If you like my work and see a chance to collaborate, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

contact@mayathao.com / +31645103335 / @BUNS_CHAR

CV / RÉSUMÉ

Jack of all trades

Master of at least 7 of them! Let’s make something meaningful together.

Let's Work Together!

    • Director: Leads the decision-making process in implementing an artistic style. Visualize screenplay, help develop narrative concept, create storyboards, and oversee artistic vision. Open to role in both animated and live-action films.

    • Art director: Oversee and manage the visual stylistic choices of a project. Draft creative brief, develop the visual style and concept, tone, color palette/color-script, and maintain consistency in the art-style throughout the production pipeline. Open to role in animated film only.

    • Concept Artist: Visualize ideas based on the screenplay or creative brief, as well as contextual and artistic research. These visualizations can range from character illustration, background illustration, or a shot/scene.

    • Storyboard Artist: Draft panels to visualize actions and narrative cues based on screenplay.

    • Character designer: Design character based on description. After a draft design is approved, a finalized version with a turn-around can be made.

    • Environment designer: Visualize a location or environment based on description. The draft and final iterations entail the mapping of this location from multiple angles and may include natural features or furniture.

    • Character Illustrator: Illustration of a character or multiple characters.

  • I am a freelancer open to both contractual employment and commission-based work.

    Depending on the nature of the work, I can work at any stage of the process and am comfortable with both being involved across the project as a collaborator or work within a specific role.

    A lot of my work is informed through thorough research and feedback, to deliver the best possible iteration.

  • I’ve worked with and am open to all kinds of collaborative visual arts-based projects (animation, film, installation, etc.) with other creatives, be it with a studio, a collective, or an independent artist.

  • As a queer person of color from an economically developing country, I am hyper-aware of the socio-economical context of this world. I am a leftist, intersectional feminist, fervent advocator for the marginalized and passionate critic of unjustified hierarchies.

    I believe in using art and fiction as a vehicle to mirror the realities of our world and expose its flaws so we can fix it.