Jasmine Khan, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

India is gradually yet steadily catching up with the international animation and comic industry in terms of its audience and readers size. Recently, the animation market has been revitalised in India, and as per the Korea Creative Content Agency, India’s animation and cartoon market is expected to grow by 6.5% from $49 million in 2020 to $67 million in 2025. Considering the wide popularity and readership of Korean manhwas or webtoons, a Korean company recently acquired ‘Crosscomics’ an Indian webtoon platform.

Hwang Il-yong, the Director of the Korean Cultural Centre, stated,

“Korean webtoons have recently gained a lot of international attention around the world. In addition to this situation, I believe that it is very important to introduce short animation works to India that are unique in terms of artistry.”

In response to this, Korean Cultural Centre India, the Press and Culture Department of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in India, will be conducting an online screening of the Short-Animation Film Festival in cooperation with the Korea Independent Animation Film Association (KIAFA) on their web platform: http://www.kccifilm.in that begins today from February 18th 6 PM (IST) onwards till February 25th 6 PM (IST). This one-week long fest is good news for all animation film lovers.

This short-animation film festival will feature seven internationally acclaimed works that were submitted in the Indie-AniFest, hosted by KIAFA. These animation works have been carefully selected for the screening to convey varied expressions and interesting storylines, ranging from not only traditional drawings works but also stories portrayed using 3D animation technology. Let’s take a look at all the short animations that will be screened during the Fest one by one:

Dream (Kkum)

‘Dream’ written and directed by Kim Kang-min uses stop-motion animation wherein objects that are stationary, gradually move and are shot. This work incorporates the author’s autobiography which is presented in a concise and powerful black-and-white image conveying the love for children based on a mother’s precognitive dream. This short-animation film has been invited for several animation festivals across the world and has also won the grand prize in 2020 at the Ottawa International Animation Festival, which is one of the world’s top four animation festivals.

Who Brings Chocolate Jam

This short animation directed by Jang Nahee depicts an old man who goes to the supermarket for his grandson who likes chocolate jam, however, a huge crowd gets brawling there to get the chocolate jam. This story is based on a real event, that took place in France, also known as the Nutella War. The crowd in the animation refers to the metaphor of how people could get wild over a chocolate jam if it is at a discount.

Seoul Sori

‘Seoul Sori’ directed by Kim Kyoung-bae is a story about a boy who gets swept away and lost during the parade swarmed in the room. The purpose behind this short animation is to story-tell the diverse ideas and cultures of the world. When people confront new values that come flooding in from all sides, it leaves people unable to understand or make the situation out of control making it difficult for one to stay on their path amidst the diversity of today’s world.

Incomplete Woman

This mysterious tale of a woman whose dismembered body was found, wherein except the lower body and left hand, the rest of her body disappears without a trace is directed by Huh Su-young. As the incident gets more mysterious, the five fingers of the remaining left hand stand up to testify and begin the search for the other body parts that left because they hated each other. The moral of the story underlines the idea of self-acceptance even if one is not perfect.

The Masterpiece

This animation directed by Kim Si-on, Lee Eun-jin, and Lee Ji-young, tells the tale of humans who are unintentionally born from the work of craftsmen who make planetary pottery all night. As the craftsmen try to get rid of these humans thinking they are causing noise problems, it leads to an intense conflict between the two parties. It is an animation that can be enjoyed by both kids and adults as it is a fun take on the story that will equally bring joy to children and adults alike.

First Time

This short animation directed by Gyuri Cloe Lee, is inspired by the composition of a song that represents different energies. This three-part story resembles the structure of a song, surrounding the theme of flowers, parade, rebellion, and chaos.

Dogether

This short animation directed by Lee Yun-ji is about a daughter who brings a puppy for her mother considering her loneliness. This story makes one think deeply about living with a pet as a companion and how to work hard and strive to improve their behaviour to co-exist happily as the story takes a turn when the pet disappears one day.

So, what are you waiting for? Come on board and enjoy this special Short-Animation Festival from 18th-25th February at 6pm at: http://www.kccifilm.in and let us know which short-animation film is your favourite in the comments.