Archive for October, 2007

CHITRAKATHA 2007 - The triumph of originality!

The 3 day Chitrakatha International Student Animation Festival 2007 ended on an optimistic note with the screening of some brilliant, original animated films by Indian Animators. The success of this festival has proved that there is great hope for the future of the Indian animation community. We really do have supremely talented animators in India and NID has been the nurturing ground for a majority of them.

Kudos to the Chitrakatha ‘07 team for having put together such a good show. The selection of films, programmes, workshops and panel discussions was in keeping with the theme of the festival - “everything original”. Right from the posters to the T-shirts to the mascot to the theme animation, each and every element of Chitrakatha had been created lovingly and painstakingly by the students and faculty of NID. A daily newsletter was printed everyday by the students, with interesting tidbits of information and comments and interviews of the delegates. You will find in-depth coverage of the event here on the allaboutanimation blog.

As proud supporters of the festival, we really do hope that they make this an annual event and wish them all the very best!

Chitrakatha ‘07 International Student Animation Fest WINNERS

Winner : Memorial
by Matte Clausen and Jon Gutman
University of Southern California, USA

1st Runner up : Norbert
by Michael Hill
RMIT University, Australia

2nd Runner up : The Tide
by Mette Skov
Den Danske Filmskole, Denmark

Jury Special Award : Aal im Schaedel (Eels)
by Martin Rahlow
Filmakademie Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany

Special mention by Jury for Indian film : Three little pigs
by Bhawna Vyas
National Institute of Design, India

Day 2 at CHITRAKATHA ‘07 : Highlight - Panel Session on Animation Education and Industry Trends

The panel discussion was a highly thought-provoking and completely interactive session, where several pertinent issues were raised. Moderated by Anand Gurnani of Animation Xpress, the panelists were:

Prakash Moorthy, Head, Animation Dept. Miditech, India
Vaibhav Kumaresh, Vaibhav Studios
Simi Nallaseth, Director, Epiphany Films
Amit Anand, CEO, EttanimA Studios
Binita Desai, Associate Professor & Animation Designer, DAIICT, Gandhinagar
Arnab Chaudhuri, Animation Film Director
Basav Raja, Independent Animation Designer

The first question was addressed to to Arnab, who is currently directing his animated feature, Arjun.

“While directing your animated feature- Arjun, what kind of team are you trying to build and what are the challenges that you face in doing so?”
Arnab: We had a very short time to build the team. The biggest challenge is that the industry is

Chitrakatha ‘07 Day 2 : “Chai Break”

First up on the second day of the Chitrakatha Fest was a presentation by the 2nd year students of the PG Animation programme at NID on their experimental animation project titled “CHAI BREAK”.

A group of 10 students (Aishwarya, Arpit, Grishma, Mrinalini, Debjani, Dawa, Troy, Delwyn, Utsav and Rajesh.) is working on a Sand Animation film under the able guidance of Isabel Herguera. The collaborative effort was screened for the audience and the budding animators explained step-by-step how they went from concept to execution. What’s interesting is

CHITRAKATHA ‘07 Jury Members for the Final Student Animation Competition

The esteemed jury for the final competition of Student Animation films at the Chitrakatha Fest comprises of 5 very highly regarded people from varying backgrounds.

Greg Acuna
Jose Belmonte
Dr Kavita Punjabi
Nina Sabnani
Prakash Moorthy

Know more about the jury…

Day 1 of CHITRAKATHA ‘07

It’s been an exhilarating day at the NID campus with the first of its kind Student Animation Festival happening in India. Activities that followed the inauguration by NID Director, Dr. Darlie O Koshy included presentations, screenings and creative exchanges.

The Inauguration:

CHITRAKATHA 2007, India’s very first International Student Animation Festival started off on a bright note with the inauguration by NID Director, Dr. Darlie O Koshy, followed by the traditional lighting of lamps.

Chitrakatha 2007… Reporting live from NID!

The festive spirit is in the air and everyone’s excited about the 1st ever International Student Animation Festival in India. With just half an hour to go for the inauguration, the team members are on their toes, striving to make this unique celebration of the ‘art of animation’ a great success.

Dr. Darlie Koshy, Director, NID will inaugurate the festival at 11:00 am

We will keep bringing you fresh updates throughout the day.

Here’s wishing the Chitrakatha ‘07 Team all the very best!!

CHITRAKATHA 2007 - Parallel Programme : School Showcase