IndiEarth presents its first ever Animation Film Festival on August 22^nd at the Goethe Institute, Chennai. The festival will feature some of the country’s most renowned animation artists, a selection of reputed international filmmakers, and a colourful collection of upcoming talent.

An Ode To Animation

IndiEarth’s mission for independent film in India has been to promote non -mainstream works of cinema, by providing screening spaces across the country through a film property called IndiEarth On Screen.

Now, paying tribute to the art of animation, IndiEarth has programmed a diverse selection of films to be part of its first ever Animation Film Festival on August 22^nd at the Goethe Institute, Chennai. The films being screened showcase a vast variety of stylistic techniques, mediums, themes and social messages - all portrayed through the art of animation. Filmmakers being showcased will include reputed animation artists like Gitanjali Rao with her work True Love Story; the experimental genius of Indian animation pioneers like Pramod Pati and his work Tree Of Unity; retellings of the classics like Shilpa Ranade’s Gupi Gawaiya, Bhagha Bajaiya. “I’m happy to have True Love Story screened in Chennai!”, says Gitanjali, “I would love to know how it’s received by the audience. I’m currently finishing the script for TrueLoveStory the feature, of which this short film is one part”.

The festival aims to foster the growth of independent film culture in Chennai, by bringing together Chennai’s film community in celebration of the art of animation. “Animation is a medium I love and engage with constantly and feel that it connects very strongly to children”, says filmmaker Shilpa Ranade, “Gupi Gawaiya, Bhagha Bajaiya is primarily a children's story so the medium fits well. Yet what we have attempted to do in terms of storytelling, imagery and movement tries to break the notion of the generally accepted classical forms of animation that we see from the West”.

International filmmakers being screened will include Nina Paley and her reputed work Sita Sings The Blues, a comical and colourful animated interpretation of the Ramayana; award winning Australian animators Susan Danta and Wendy Chandler with their animation documentary series Heirlooms; alongside a host of other established and burgeoning animation talent.

Date: 22nd August (Friday)

Time: 2 pm onwards  Venue: Goethe Institut/ Max Mueller Bhavan, Chennai

Entry: Free

About IndiEarth

IndiEarth is an online B2B platform that connects India’s non-mainstream independent musicians and filmmakers to worldwide Media and audiences. The platform features a blog, offers value-added services and wider opportunity networks through its partnerships. IndiEarth is an initiative of EarthSync - a world music record label and audio-visual production house, best known for its award winning critically acclaimed documentary The Laya Project and conference and trade event IndiEarth XChange.