A Bird Hit My Window and Now I’m a Lesbian — A Bold, Intimate Stop-Motion Debut from Emerging Filmmakers

A Bird Hit My Window and Now I’m a Lesbian is one of the most striking new stop-motion shorts to emerge from the student animation world—a deeply personal, metaphorical film created by the rising filmmaking duo Carmela Murphy and AJ Dubler. Completed in 2024 as a student project at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), the film has quickly gained momentum on the international festival circuit for its handcrafted aesthetic, emotionally honest storytelling, and sharp queer narrative voice.

Though its title may raise eyebrows, the film itself is grounded, nuanced, and beautifully crafted—using stop-motion animation to explore identity, grief, self-discovery, and the moment a life quietly tilts into a new direction.

A Story of Identity Told Through Stop Motion

The film follows Gray, a young woman whose quiet day is abruptly interrupted when a bird crashes into her window. Moments later, a mysterious girl arrives at her front door holding the bird’s lifeless body. What begins as an awkward encounter becomes an improvised funeral—an intimate, surreal experience that forces Gray to confront her own sense of self and her lesbian identity.

Using the bird as a metaphor, the filmmakers point out that male birds often collide with windows when attacking their own reflection—a territorial response to what they think is a rival. In the world of the film, this becomes a symbolic rejection of male validation and the beginning of a new emotional space for Gray to inhabit.

The filmmakers describe the work as exploring the “intensity, vulnerability, and grief” of realizing one’s lesbian identity. The story blends humor, discomfort, and tenderness in a way that feels uniquely suited to the tactile, expressive nature of stop-motion animation.

Handcrafted Animation with Intention

While the directors have not released a full technical breakdown of the production process, both Murphy and Dubler are stop-motion specialists, each with strong backgrounds in puppet fabrication, miniature set building, and analog animation techniques. Their work is characterized by an emphasis on texture, gesture, and intimate scale—qualities that come through clearly in the final film.

With a modest budget of roughly $1,500 USD, the team relied on meticulous craftsmanship and practical creativity to bring the story to life. The result is a film where every surface and motion feels handmade and emotionally resonant, reinforcing the story’s themes of vulnerability and self-reflection.

An Impressive Festival Run

Despite its humble origins, A Bird Hit My Window and Now I’m a Lesbian has already made an impressive impact on the festival scene. The film has been selected for notable programs including:

Brooklyn Film Festival – New York Premiere
Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia
Reeling: Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival – Winner, Best Animation/Experimental Short
DC Independent Film Festival – Winner, Best Animated Short

Additional listings on the filmmakers’ pages and FilmFreeway profile show a growing list of international screenings spanning LGBTQ+ festivals, animation showcases, and student spotlights.

This momentum signals strong and widespread recognition for the film’s emotional clarity and artistic voice—an encouraging sign for its filmmakers as they launch their careers in animation.

A Standout Debut from a New Generation of Stop-Motion Artists

What makes A Bird Hit My Window and Now I’m a Lesbian so compelling is not just its bold title or queer perspective, but the way it uses stop-motion animation as a vessel for quiet, emotionally charged storytelling. It highlights what the medium does best: bringing inner worlds to life through handmade artistry and subtle physical performance.

Murphy and Dubler’s debut marks the arrival of two emerging filmmakers who understand both the craft and poetic potential of stop-motion. Their work joins a growing wave of animation that uses personal voice and experimental metaphor to tell stories that would be impossible in any other medium.

For viewers who appreciate fresh narrative perspectives and hand-built animation, this short film is a must-watch—and a promising sign of what’s ahead from these talented creators.