Bjorn Stickle is a Canadian and Norwegian American director, producer, and student psychological researcher who has spent the past decade studying and working in film across Europe and North America. He is known for Light on Your Feet: A Night on Granville Street (2019) and 14,000 Miles (2021). In recognition of independent filmmakers, NASA transmitted "14,000 Miles" (2021) to the Voyager 2 spacecraft, which then beamed it to the North Star (Polaris). Following the completion of the transmission, Bjorn received an original flag flown over the United States Capitol at the special request of Washington State Senator Patty Murray.
In June 2025, Stickle completed his fourth documentary, Unarranged (2025), a personal exploration of intercultural marriage. As part of his graduate studies and thesis in psychology, he also directed two animated short films used as educational tools in IRB-approved research studies, focusing on Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder. In May 2025, he began pre-production for a third animated research film covering Anorexia Nervosa for release in early 2026. The film is being developed in consultation with medical doctors and developmental psychologists at NYC Health + Hospitals and Pace University.
His latest animated short, Unease (2024), premiered at Athens ANIMFEST on March 30, 2025, and won Best Animation Inspired by True Events at the Pulse of Animation Festival on May 1, 2025. In June 2025, it was awarded five Awards of Merit and one Award of Recognition at the Best Shorts Competition in categories including Animation, Disability Issues, Contemporary Awareness, and Voiceover Talent. The film was also named a Finalist at the New York Short Animation Festival and selected into the Indie Shorts Mag Short Film Festival, where it is currently eligible for the 2025 Audience Choice Awards. As of July 2025, Unease has received seven awards across six international film festivals. Stickle was also named a Student Animation Director Finalist at the New York Short Animation Festival in July 2025 for his work on the film.
The film's accompanying research study found significant improvements in medical professionals' diagnostic accuracy of situational anxiety after viewing, as well as substantial reductions in misconceptions about Generalized Anxiety Disorder across generational age groups, gender identities, and racial backgrounds.
His follow-up animated film, Defiance (2025), which explores Oppositional Defiant Disorder, is scheduled for completion on July 16, 2025. It will be submitted for IRB research approval in August 2025 and begin its film festival circuit in October 2025.
Stickle's films have screened in venues from Times Square to Oslo's Central Station. He divides his time between Vancouver, Canada, and New York, USA.
