The biannual animation festival from NID is coming back…slowly but surely!!!
NID Chitrakatha, the festival that made its mark on the global animation festival map right from its first edition, is returning this year, slated for late October (29-31) and to be held at the NID premises. While the preparations have just begun the line up already has begun to look exciting and unmissable.
The highlights include the mooting and formation of An Animation Teachers Society, sessions on Animation Education, Content Creation, Comic Books and the Personal Cinema Saga, exhibitions, workshops by acclaimed Indian film makers and short film festivals and competitions as well.
Speaking to AnimationXpress.com, Chitrakatha Festival Director Sekhar Mukherjee shared, “Even as the working committee is being finalised, the work has already begun! The first edition had a lot of NIDians and NID retroscpectives, and while that will continue in the second edition, we are spreading our wings wider and the focus is going to involve the Indian animation ecosystem in a much wider and wilder way”
Advertisement
“Like all major festivals which reflect a lot of the personality of the city they are hosted in, the theme this year at Chitrakatha will be the city of and we shall be celebrating Ahmedabad. We want Ahmedabad to play a crucial role in long run as Animation Fairground…both for education and industry.We are also taking a psoitive step towards “Private-Public” partnership to beat the slowdown. On this line of thought we will try and involve the government participation and support as well. And while that will be the theme, the focus of the festival will be on the creators of content, on independent producers, on teachers and education as well”
Mukherejee pointed out that this year the festival will also have competitions inviting students films in Indian and International categories and that there was a plan being worked out to have a separate category for teacher‘s films as well as non-competition. “The website is up with festival application forms available there. Even though the site is to be detailed out, we have already got the first intternational entry in from VGIK,Moscow…and thats good enough to roll” he shared.
Advertisement
“Our small internal team is working out the Sessions and Workshops and designing the publicity material etc…we are looking forward to larger collaboration, sponsorship support, involvement, network, new relation and renew the older ones and good wishes from the animaniacs from all over.Some of the tentative sessions are Panel discussion on -The past, present and future of animation education, Revisit the school curriculum, Storytelling workshop, Exhibition on Graphic Narrative,Tribal Tales,Work in Progress, and many more.”
“This is just the beginning” shared Mukherejee, “NID has been a fount for creativity and creative resource to the Indian animation Industry and as such we have the goodwill and support of all. We invite all studios, film makers, enthusiasts, students and private institutes to come join hands and participate at the festival with one single objective in mind, that of the sustainance and growth of the Industry by focusing on creating the best Visual Story Telling Content and also spreading the good vibes across and around.” The Chitrakatha url is www.nid.edu/chitrakatha