The Power of Story: A Moldovan ASSIST Alum’s Film Explores Identity and Connection

Alexandru Curilov, ASSIST Class of 2003, is a Moldovan-born, Slovenia-based filmmaker and creative director with over 20 years of experience crafting emotionally honest stories across animation, live-action, and documentary. His recent animated short, Care Packages, set in a rural Moldovan village, poignantly explores the resilience and imagination of children left behind by migrating parents, blending humor and heart to capture love’s ability to travel across distance. Together, his body of work and this film reflect his signature focus on visual storytelling that transcends language while exploring themes of identity, absence, and human connection.

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Link to the Trailer

Link to Movie

Film Synopsis:

Care Packages is a tender, dialogue-free animated short film that explores the emotional landscape of children left behind as parents migrate in search of work and a better life. Set in a rural Moldovan village, the story follows a young boy raised by his grandmother while his parents are away, communicating only through the occasional phone call—and the arrival of care parcels packed with love, guilt, and longing.

While the film is grounded in one boy’s experience, it speaks to a much broader truth shared by millions of children around the world. Told with humor, heart, and a strong visual identity, Care Packages balances melancholy with warmth, portraying a child’s resilience, imagination, and deep inner world.

At its core, it’s a story about presence in absence, and how love sometimes travels… in a cardboard box