About
Miguel
Anaya Borja
Director · Animator · Visual Artist
Born in Mexico City, Miguel Anaya Borja is an independent animation producer and filmmaker. He studied Graphic Communication Design at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM) and completed a diploma program in film and art. He furthered his training through specialized screenwriting workshops at the National School of Cinematographic Arts of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM–ENAC), as well as courses in digital compositing, film sound, editing and directing.
He worked on Fernando Ruiz’s film El pequeño ladronzuelo, one of the first animated feature films made in Mexico. To date, he has written and directed twelve short films and has been nominated five times for the Ariel Award. His first short film, De la vista nace el amor, received the award.
His short film El armadillo fronterizo, which addresses migration, received the Diosa de Plata for Best Short Film, as well as Best Animation awards at the Riviera Maya Film Festival and the Hollywood Film Festival. He was selected twice for the Talent Campus Guadalajara and received a grant from Mexico’s National System of Art Creators (FONCA), through which he produced three animated short films inspired by Mexican culture: The Maguey Opossum, The Color of My Wings and The Last Jaguar, which have been screened and awarded at numerous national and international festivals.
As a FONCA mentor, he advised on the screenplays for the feature films La Camarista (2018), by Juan Márquez; Polvo (2019), by Alejandro Ricaño; and Los días francos (2021), by Ulises Pérez Mancilla. He also participated in the 3D animated series Lukas Storyteller, winner of two Telly Awards.
His documentary short film Heaven was screened at festivals including Atlanta and Rhode Island in the United States. In 2021, he premiered his ninth animated short film, Mi abuela Matilde, winner of a production competition organized by the Mexican Institute of Cinematography (IMCINE). The film was screened at more than 70 festivals and received, among other honors, the Best Animation award at the Ponferrada Film Festival in Spain and at the Filmstrip International Film Festival in Romania. It was also screened at the Mexican embassies in India and Vietnam, as well as at Mexican consular representations in Presidio, Texas, and Albuquerque.
Two of his short films have been selected to compete at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France. His work has been exhibited at venues including the Franz Mayer Museum and the Casa de Carranza Museum, and one of his short films was screened at MoMA in New York.
In 2024, he was selected for an animation project residency grant in Panama awarded by IBERMEDIA and, in 2025, by PECDA to develop three short-film screenplays.
He has taught at Universidad Iberoamericana, Santa Fe campus, and at the Escuela Superior de Cine (ESCINE). He has also served as a jury member for EFICINE, FOCINE, IMCINE production calls, and national and international film festivals.
About My Work
I am passionate about animated film and deeply committed to art, creativity and visual exploration. I see animation not only as a means of telling stories, but also as a space for experimentation in which images, materials and movement can take on new forms of expression.
A fundamental part of my work comes from a constant search for different graphic representations and visual solutions. I am interested in exploring the expressive possibilities that emerge from the use and combination of diverse techniques, both traditional and contemporary, and in experimenting with materials, textures and processes that allow each project to develop its own visual identity. Rather than adopting a particular technique as a permanent style, I am interested in discovering the visual language that best serves each story.
At the same time, I have a particular interest in telling stories connected to Mexican culture—its characters, landscapes, traditions and ways of understanding the world. However, I seek to create stories that can transcend their immediate context and address emotions, conflicts and universal values that audiences from different cultures can recognize.
For me, a work truly acquires meaning when it establishes a connection with the viewer. For this reason, beyond aesthetic exploration and technical experimentation, I believe it is essential that my films and visual work communicate emotions, encourage reflection, and convey some of the ideas, concerns and convictions that motivate my creative work.