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India's animation industry, still in its infancy, is getting an alternative to expensive Western expertise from its good old friend, Russia
Indian director Gangadhar Salimath was left speechless after watching the Russian animated series "Beardy Bodo" in which a giant black and hairy primordial beast explores the prehistoric world during the 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) held recently in Goa.
What most attracted Salimath – who hails from Bangalore in the southern Indian state of Karnataka – was the high quality of the production, which he said would rival any globally popular animated film. No wonder, then, that Salimath has decided to collaborate with Russian professionals for his next film, an animation-heavy Kannada film, which is slated to launch this month.
Many other Indian directors and producers watched Russian animated films at the Film Bazaar on the sidelines of IFFI Goa. The films were screened by Roskino, a government-funded body that promotes Russian films on the international market.
Roskino, with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, brought 11 Russian film and animation companies to India, including Planet Inform Group, Bubble Studios, KIT Film Studio, Igmar, Media Telecom, Pan-Atlantic Studio and Dream Film. Companies, Association of Women Film Producers, Voronezh Animation Studio, and Riki Group.
This was the second time that Russian studios presented their animated films at the Film Bazaar, marking the country's first full entry into the Indian film market. This year, Russia was represented by action films, sports dramas, comedies, documentaries, and animated films - more than 45 projects in total.
Film Bazaar provided an opportunity for Indian filmmakers to connect with Russian animation professionals and marketing executives to strike business deals. This opportunity seems to have given a boost to Indian filmmakers who are struggling to perfect their animation sequences.
“Indian film producers have spent huge amounts of money hiring animation experts from the US and other countries,” Salimath told RT. “The scenario will change with the arrival of Russian experts. They are ready to work with our budgets, large or small. This will help not only Bollywood but also regional filmmakers.”
Monumental Legacy
Indian filmmakers are well aware of the monumental legacy of Russian animation, which dates back to 1906 when Alexander Shiryaev – a choreographer at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg – created the first puppet cartoon. For more than ten years all Russian animation consisted of stop-motion puppet films.
However, professionals continued to explore new avenues and in 1920 they were able to create the first hand-drawn cartoon. Attitudes towards animation in the Soviet Union changed with the release of "Pochta" ("The Post") by Sovkino, the Leningrad film organization, in 1929.
"The Post" caused echoes throughout the world and it was reported that the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright even called it inspiring and urged Walt Disney, the pioneer of the American animation industry, to watch it.
The Soviet Union's first animation studio, Soyuzmultfilm, was founded in 1936 and has since produced more than 1,500 cartoons, including "Cheburashka" (1971), "Hedgehog in the Fog" (1975), and "Well, Wait !" 1969), considered Tom and Jerry of Russia.
Soviet professionals of the 1940s managed to create realistic backgrounds, detailed character animations, and nuanced facial expressions.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Soviet animation directors used rotoscoping, in which the entire film was shot with real actors, and then artists copied the footage to speed up production.
Experimentation continued throughout the 1980s, leading to the production of must-see films such as David's 'Alice in Wonderland', 'Through the Looking Glass', 'Doctor Ouch It Hurts' Cherkassky, and “Treasure Island”.
In the 21st century, Russia has carved out a niche for itself in the animation market by producing some of the world's most popular animated series, such as Kikoriki, Masha and the Bear, The Fixies, and The Three Bogatyrs.
Sarath Chandran, an experienced animation filmmaker based in Mumbai, believes that the monumental legacy plays a key role in making Russian animated films a major draw in international markets:
“Russian animation has evolved over the years.
It doesn’t surprise me that Indian filmmakers would like to seek their support,” he said. “There are three reasons. First, Russia has long enjoyed friendly relations with India. Second, Russian animation professionals are familiar with the Indian cultural context and can therefore better understand its nuances.
Third, the cost is affordable compared to animation experts in the United States. Like their counterparts elsewhere, Russian animators now mainly use 3D animation. Therefore, the state of the Russian animated film industry is almost the same as anywhere else in the world."
Encouraging response
Among the animated films screened at Film Bazaar were “Beardy Bodo,” which took fascinating journeys to different destinations and gave advice on what to do during the trip; "The Fixies", who secretly live in an apartment and fix cars and gadgets; “Tina and Tony,” who help children explore the world around them; “The Snow Queen and the Princess,” in which a brave wizard and the Snow Queen's daughter accidentally free evil ice spirits; and “The Steel Family,” in which a 15-year-old discovers the secret to an incredible energy source.
Nina Generalova, head of international sales and marketing at Voronezh Animation Studio, which produced “Arctic Heroes,” “The Snow Queen & the Princess” and “The Steel Family: Brotherhood vs Gold,” said the huge interest from Indian directors and producers bodes well for the animation industry in Russia.
“We offer what Indian directors and producers have been looking for over the last few years. Russian animation is the best in the world and the Indian film industry will benefit from it,” she said.
Russian companies are planning to launch their hugely popular animated series in the Indian market too. Yulia Kim, head of international business development and distribution at Riki Group – which produces children's animation and animated family films – described her interactions with filmmakers and distribution as productive.
“We offer a lot of high-quality, kid-safe content,” Kim said. “We dubbed them in different Indian languages. It is only a matter of time before we succeed in establishing ourselves in the Indian market. Furthermore, Russian and Indian cultures are very close. The current geopolitical scenario is ideal for both countries to expand bilateral cooperation in the film sector."
There is no intention to market Russian content in India. Instead, the bilateral partnership will allow Indian production houses to bring animations from epics such as "Ramayana" and "Mahabharata", which are already popular in Russia. But they need Russian subtitles.
Kim said many Russians would like to see an epic series to understand India's cultural heritage. “But localization is key here,” Kim said. All the Indian directors and producers I met in Goa seemed interested in working with Russian production houses and animators on their upcoming projects.
S Prathap, a Mumbai-based distributor, has announced that it will soon begin negotiations with Russian animation production companies to acquire the distribution rights. “The quality of content and production of Russian animation is high,” he said. “We are considering buying the rights to children’s series. I am sure they will entertain Indian animation fans.
By T A Ameerudheen, a multimedia journalist specializing in environment, society, education, food, nutrition, development, rural affairs, economy, and politics.
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