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Waiting with animated breath!
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Chennai boy’s animation film gets nominated to the country’s 24 FPS Animation Awards
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All about love Broken String.
I spoke to Socrates a couple of days ago, and got an earful of philosophy. But, as you’re reading this, Socrates is in Mumbai, all nervous, and philosophy, perhaps, is the last thing on his mind. Who has the time for philosophy while waiting for important results?
In this case, the Sixth Annual 24 FPS Animation Awards. Organised by Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics (MAAC), the Awards witness big heads in visual effects, graphics and animation industry, and even Bollywood (think Red Chillies!) clashing for coveted titles.
Socrates.
As soon as MAAC called for entries way back in January, Chennai boy E.R. Socrates, a MAAC student, jumped into action. The theme is ‘Love’, and he chose the sub-category ‘Love, An Emotion’. After eight months of toil, what Socrates and his four-member team have in hand is an impressive animation short film, Broken String. The three-minute film revolves around a puppeteer, who, after six months of marriage and years of courtship, loses his wife in the Mumbai terror attacks. However, Socrates, the director of the film, is quick to add that the terror attack itself is just the sub-text. “It tells you how one unexpected incident — no fault of yours, at that — can change your life irreversibly. To us, it’s just a media report on a loss of life, but to the grieving individual, after consoling family and friends depart, it’s a harrowing reality he must grapple with.”
And, that’s what the puppeteer does. Smiling, he narrates his story to an eager audience, but returns to a painfully empty house that rudely fills him with loneliness. Interestingly, the puppeteer does not depict his wife’s death — she just disappears. “The puppeteer does not believe his wife has departed; he can hear her all the time, seated by his side. To him, she’s eternal,” philosophises Socrates, who did a lot of research on puppetry for the film. Broken String has been nominated under ‘Best Animated Short Film’, under the MAAC student category, one of the 21 categories. Interestingly, the sixth edition has seen an increase in the number of entries, with over 200 entries from over 800 participants. Also, the Awards go global this year, with entries from Canada and China. Here’s wishing the young animator great news from Mumbai. And, couldn’t resist asking (but, really, have you ever spoken to a Socrates?). “Oh, my name? My father’s an atheist, and a great lover of philosophy,” he giggles. That pretty much settles it, huh?
W. SREELALITHA
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