Jeff Chiba Stearns
Jeff Chiba Stearns is an Emmy® nominated and multi-award-winning animation and documentary filmmaker, author, illustrator, and educator. A graduate of Emily Carr University with a degree in Film Animation, he founded Vancouver-based animation studio and publishing company Meditating Bunny Studio Inc. in 2001.Jeff’s films including "What Are You Anyways?" (2005), Yellow Sticky Notes (2007), One Big Hapa Family (2010), and Mixed Match (2016) have been broadcast internationally, screened at hundreds of film festivals, and received dozens of awards. As a yonsei, fourth-generation Japanese Canadian of mixed Japanese and European heritage, his work frequently explores identity, family, culture, and belonging. He coined the term “Hapanimation” to describe his distinctive fusion of anime and manga influences with a North American cartoon aesthetic. As an educator and speaker, Jeff has presented workshops, lectures, and screenings at hundreds of universities, elementary and secondary schools, and cultural institutions across Canada and around the world. Jeff is also an acclaimed author and illustrator. His picture books include Mixed Critters (2018), Nori and His Delicious Dreams (2020), and the bestselling graphic novel On Being Yukiko (2021), created with Lillian Michiko Blakey. His graphic novel Tomey was released in 2025, followed by Ojiichan’s Dragon in Fall 2026.