India made its presence felt at the International animation scene after "Fateline", the anti-labour film commissioned by Rotary International, won the Annecy Cristal Award at the International Animation Film Festival.
The movie, made by Mumbai-based Eeksaurus, was recognised by the jury for its fantastic mix of technique and aesthetics and was chosen as the best among 2,605 films that were submitted from 95 countries. The movie is meant to raise awareness regarding the Rotary International campaign on putting an end to child labour.
In the movie, a young child labourer is seen working until he realises that there is world of education out there. He tries to break free from the bonds that hold him down, but is initially unable to do so. Another hand comes along and helps him escape to a place where he can study. The film was based on the Indian concept of "Haath Ke Lakeer" (Lines of one's palm), and depicted how anything is possible when people join hands.
Suresh Eriyat, founder and creative director of Eeksaurus, said, "This is the first time ever that any ad campaign from India has ever won at this prestigious festival which is a matter of great pride us to have represented India on an international platform. We thank all those who have put in tremendous efforts to bring this campaign to life especially our fantastic in-house team of animators, Rajat and Taufiq, Chester, Arun Crasto and the lovely children from Govandi who lent the soul to this film. The core ethos of this campaign was to reach out to the masses hence no caste, gender or creed was highlighted."
He further added, "It is extremely heartening to be recognised for your work at Annecy which gives us a tremendous boost to further explore the scope of animation in India."
Watch the winning film here:
