‘Phool Dei’, ‘Unicorn Lady’, ‘The Legend of Arana’, and ‘Gamusa’ to represent India at DigiCon6 ASIA Awards 2024

The top four projects from India have been selected for the 26th DigiCon6 Asia Awards – a short film contest showcasing the best of Asian creativity.

Among the selected projects, Phool Dei, a 2D animated short film by Kartik Mahajan, has won in the Gold category. Additionally, two animated shorts from Studio Eeksaurus emerged victorious: Unicorn Lady by Rebecca Rechana Paul in the Best Art category and The Legend of Arana by Adithi Krishnadas in the Best Story category. The winning project in the live action category is Gamusa by Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematic (MAAC).

These shortlisted creators will compete alongside creators from other Asian countries as official entries at the DigiCon6 Asia finals which is to be held in Autumn 2024 in Tokyo, Japan.

Phool Dei by Kartik Mahajan

Located in the fictional realm of Dev Bhoomi and nestled among majestic mountains, the narrative of the story is about the festival of flowers that celebrates the culture and togetherness of Uttarakhand, seen from the perspective of a small girl Medha as she goes on a magical and an adventurous journey to collect flowers for her village before it turns into a ghost village. The film focuses on the impact of migration in Uttarakhand, India in the last five years and shows the helplessness of the change through the journey of the main character.

Mahajan, a recent graduate of the National Institute of Design, Madhya Pradesh (NID MP), expresses his love for animation and dedication to the people of Uttarakhand through this heartfelt project. “With themes of change, adventure, magic, and the undeniable force of nature, Phool Dei is both a tribute to Uttarakhand’s traditions and a poignant commentary on the challenges it faces.”

Phool Dei is a self-funded and self-driven student project that took nearly three years to complete. Mahajan expressed deep gratitude to his entire team for this opportunity and great honour. He thanked his family, guide, friends, and the entire NID MP family for their support throughout this journey.

The Legend of Arana by Adithi Krishnadas

Krishnadas, a young alumni of NID, won the National Award for Best Animation Film for her film Kandittund! (Seen It!)  last year. After working for Vaibhav Studios as part of her graduation project, she joined Eeksaurus. Kandittund!, produced by Studio Eeksaurus, was her first major animated film.

The selected film The Legend of Arana is described as follows: Seasoned storyteller Mr.P.N.K Panicker, an elderly gentleman from Kerala, narrates the origin tale of the humble reptile Arana (red-tailed skink) and how it came to possess a certain memorable character trait.

“It was a project that was super enjoyable and great to work on so I’m happy if that experience has translated into this selection. The project was a follow up film to Kandittund. Kandittund was made around a recorded narration of Suresh Eriyat’s father, P.N.K Panciker. This film is centred around such a narration as well, but this is a sillier and more lighthearted film than the first one. The strongest motivation to make the film was the fact that the central reptile character Arana could let me do all kinds of silly things with it,” Krishnadas shared.

Unicorn Lady by Rebecca Rechana Paul

Paul, also a NID alumni, is currently interning with Studio Eeksaurus, which sponsored her graduation film Unicorn Lady.  Expressing her gratitude, Paul said, “Our whole team is excited and thankful for the selection at Digicon6 Asia. This recognition inspires us to keep making amazing animated films.”

This film is a visual journey of the poem Unicorn Lady by Sumanto Chattopadhyay. Paul used the medium of animation to explore and experiment with imaginary settings that would transmute into meanings that connect the lines.

She elaborated, “In a culture where the size, shape and colour of breasts measure the feminine beauty, the protagonist celebrates the physical diversity of a woman’s body and her uniqueness of having one breast. She alludes to her ordeal with ‘CHOP, SLICE, DICE’, rather than the pain of amputated cancerous flesh. Through this celebration, she finds freedom. A kind of freedom that is not limited by her physical body. She carries her scars proudly like a splendid tiara. This film is the solemnization of her freedom.”

Gamusa by MAAC

A live action film, Gamusa is a school project shared by MAAC. The synopsis reads: Literally translated, the film’s name means ‘something to wipe the body with’ (Ga=body, musa=to wipe) however, interpreting the word gamosa as the towel is misleading. The word gamosa is derived from the Kamrupi word gamsaw, the cloth used to cover the Bhagavad Purana at the altar.

Organised by Tokyo Broadcasting System Holdings, Inc. (TBS Japan), the DigiCon6 ASIA Awards is a celebrated digital content competition that highlights the creativity of talented creators across Asia, with regional contests determining the finalists who compete for the GRAND Awards.