USC alumna Xindi Zhang’s film, “The Song of Drifters,” received a gold win October 6 in the alternative/experimental category for the 2025 Student Academy Awards.
Zhang graduated in 2025 from the School of Cinematic Arts’ expanded animation research and practice master’s program. The award-winning film was her thesis.
The film blended many different animation techniques and tools, as well as “AI morphing,” with documentary-style interviews.
Zhang describes the film as “a mental journey for people who travel in different places and couldn’t settle down, and how they figure out how to find their own belongings throughout this drifting life.”
This film drew inspiration from her own personal experiences.
“This film actually is like a mental therapy to my identity issue,” Zhang said. “I couldn’t figure out where I want to settle down because I’m about to be in either that age or in that stage to live somewhere longer, not just in a transition or something. I figured it was just not possible to choose a place because I don’t get any sense of belonging to anywhere I’ve lived.”
Zhang planned to interview people who never left their hometown and people who drifted before settling down. But, her classmates encouraged her to talk to more people.
Zhang spent two months collecting perspectives of people who have moved around. Most of the perspectives were those of her friends. One of them was her mentor in Rhode Island where she completed her undergraduate degree before USC.
She then shot moments where she felt like she belonged in the four different cities she lived in: Kunming, Shanghai, Providence and Los Angeles.
Zhang worked closely with the School of Cinematic Arts’ expanded animation program, directed by Zhang’s mentor, Sheila Sofian, professor of cinematic arts. Sofian won the Student Academy Award in Animation in 1985 for her film “Mangia!”
“Myself and another professor, we had won student academy awards while we were students many years ago,” Sofian said. “It’s really exciting to have Xindi join us also, because expanded animation is only a few years old. Our program only started [in] 2021, so this is a huge accomplishment for our program.”
Seeing another program alumni’s winning work was Zhang’s initial motivation to apply here.
“I definitely feel this is like passing down the heritage,” Zhang said.
Sofian emphasized Zhang’s work ethic throughout filmmaking.
“During the whole process, she was always willing to listen to critiques from all the faculty, all the students,” Sofian said. “She knew what she wanted, and so she would take the advice that she agreed with.”
Zhang also expressed that she credits a lot to the support she received at USC, noting that her professor aided in much of the project’s production. She also leaned on her friends and mentor for help.
“I actually get more inspiration from my peers and also my friends who do animations,” Zhang said.“My mentor mostly helped me to understand what’s documentary animation, because she specialized in that area, and she definitely gave me a lot of mental support.”
Zhang is currently working as an acting assistant professor in animation at the University of Southern Florida. Her former mentor has faith in her abilities as a professor.
“She just finished graduating, she’s kind of in demand, a lot of people have been wanting her to work on their projects,” Sofian said. “The world is kind of her oyster right now, and she’s so deserving. She’s very hard working, very ethical, and she’s going to be an excellent teacher herself.
Mustafa, a media arts and practice senior student here at the School of Cinematic Arts, shared that she had the opportunity to take a few expanded animation classes and believed that it offered her a “hands-on [and] immersive world-building experience” in animation and production.
“I feel very motivated looking at [this win for Zhang] because I feel like the network here at SCA is very strong as well,” said Mustafa. “I always love to see different alumni doing cool things.”
Zhang was also able to leave some advice to current students who are like her, either new immigrants or internationals. She said she hopes the film is “like a mental therapy for them as well.”
“Don’t be too anxious for not settling down yet,” Zhang said. “You can always enjoy the moment and you actually can belong to anywhere. It all depends on how you think about this.”
She also believes that there is no right or wrong in creating. While she used AI, she emphasized creativity does not come from tools like AI.
“Your creativity resides in your brain, your heart, not really in the tools. So don’t be afraid to use tools that other people think doesn’t work,” said Zhang.
“For people who are doing thesis right now or who want to do this, I would say, be genuine to your stories and tell what you want to tell,” Zhang continued. “If you have an idea, just go for that.”
Despite her successes, she believes this is just the beginning and there are still lots of obstacles ahead of her.
“The glamor will go, the glow will fade out very soon,” Zhang said. “Since you have gotten so far, you need to do more, you have the chance to do more.”