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10-year-old Indian picked up for prestigious film festival SAFO 2003
MUMBAI: The young Arun V’s Penguins To The Zoo, a Toonz Animation India film, has been shortlisted for screening in the competition category of the prestigious Ottawa 2003 International Student Animation Festival (SAFO 2003).
SAFO is a much-celebrated event for the animation industry, quite like the Cannes or Oscar for the movies. The Ottawa 2003 Animation Festival is slated to run from 16 through 19 October at the National Archives of Canada. Figuring on the competition jury are some of the prominent names in the animation world – Marcel Jean of Canada, Oscar Grillo from Argentina/UK, Martha Colburn and Richard O’Connor of USA.
The festival is considered a showcase for the finest emerging animation talent from around the world. Penguins to the Zoo is one among the 65 films selected for screening at SAFO from a record number of 1,200 entries received for the competition segment this year.
A Class V student of St. Joseph’s School in Trivandrum, Arun says it was his uncle who inspired him to develop the story. Written and directed by the ten-year-old boy, the film is an entertaining story of a group of penguins that have a fun-filled adventure, when the truck in which they are transferred to the zoo breaks down giving them a chance to explore the urban jungle.
Yet another feather in the cap of Toonz Animation India, Penguins to the Zoo, along with the other films that have fetched honours for Toonz this year, are all an outcome of the Children’z Animation Workshop conducted by Toonz during the summer of 2002.
The workshop is an annual event, sponsored and conducted by Toonz Animation India. It is designed to promote animation among children who are invited from all over India to submit their story ideas and drawings for making a 2-3 minute cartoon. The best ideas are chosen and the children along with their parents are invited to the Toonz studios in Trivandrum to attend the workshop and direct the pre-production of their films. The children work with writers and artists refining their scripts, further developing their characters and determining the style of the animation for the short films.
Earlier this year in May, Penguins To The Zoo had bagged the Honour’s Award at the Kalamazoo Animation Festival International (KAFI), USA, where six other Toonz films had made it to the finals. In fact, all the four top honours at KAFI 2003 had been clean swept by Toonz’ films. Cute Bunny, written and directed by Manasa Rao, walked away with the gold while 123 Math Toon, written and directed by Akhilesh Anandh bagged the silver and The Flame Who Loved To Dance written and directed by Ujwal Nair picked up the bronze.
“The honours being received by various films at different international festivals just underscore the difference Toonz Animation India has been able to make in unearthing animation talent in this part of the world,” says Toonz CEO Bill Dennis.
Toonz Animation India, located strategically inside the Technopark in Trivandrum, Kerala, is rated among the top 10 animation studios in the world. Opened in the fall of 1999, it is the most advanced studio in India since the country emerged as a potential player in the international animation industry. With offices in Tokyo and Brisbane and a staff of over 400 Indian and international artists, Toonz is also a publisher of comic books and strips. Better known for its television series The Adventures of Tenali Raman, Toonz has recently been in the news for its series on Hanuman titled Adventures of Hanuman.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
