Špela ?adež is a Slovenian independent animation director and producer born on November 28 1977 in Ljubljana She has been working as a producer and director of independent animated films since 2008 After completing her graphic design studies 2002 at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana she continued her studies at the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne Germany Already during her studies she gained international recognition with her puppet animations Zasukanec 2004 and Liebeskrank 2007 Her animated film Boles 2013 was screened worldwide and won a number of awards accolades and nominations In 2018 she was invited to become a member of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Her film Steakhouse 2021 was shortlisted for an Oscar nomination in the animated short film category She lives and works in Ljubljana