About the Film:
Haiku is a 2D animated music video created in response to the ongoing realities of genocide worldwide. Inspired by a haiku by Kobayashi Issa (1763–1828), the film follows a young woman split between two simultaneous states of being, reflecting the fracture between the beauties of everyday life and the persistent presence of global violence and suffering.
joint artist talk with Christine Banna and Moira Smiley at RIT Wegmans Theatre, Rochester, NY - April 21, 2026
screened at the historical Brattle Theatre in Harvard Square
sharing the stage with the incredible Gina Kamentsky
all directors in attendance for the Q&A
Haiku was screened as part of GRRL HAUS Cinema's Best of 2025 - The Brattle Theatre, Cambridge, MA - May 6, 2026
Exploring joy and suffering through song, hosted by Mary Williams Engisch, the Frequency, Vermont Public Radio, NPR, April 3, 2026.
preproduction concepts and research for the final sequence of the film
Short reflections from myself, Shara Tova, Craig hella Johnson, and Moira Smiley in anticipation of the release of Haiku
CREDITS:
Composed & Arranged by Moira Smiley
Moira Smiley - voice, piano, percussion
Craig Hella Johnson - voice
Shara Nova - voice
Lysander Jaffe - violin, viola
John Dunlop - cello
Edited & mixed by John Anthony
Mastered by Tom Volpicelli
Directed and Animated by Christine Banna
Additional Compositing and Animation by Katelyn Park
Haiku poem by Kobayashi Issa (1763-1828), translated by Robert Hass
copyright Smiley & Banna 2026