| The Unknown World | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Varun Mehta |
| Written by | Varun Mehta |
| Produced by | Wiz Motion Studio |
Release date |
|
| Country | India |
| Language | English |
The Unknown World is a 2011 animated film from India about female infanticide or female foeticide, directed and produced by Varun Mehta. The film won an online film and animation contest in 2012. It was also screened at the Public Service Announcement Film Festival in Chennai, India in 2011. [1]
A young woman is about to give birth to a girl. In her mother's womb, the child sets her own world where she plays, dances, swings and jumps around happily. It's a world that is unknown to the real world. The child is awaiting happily for her arrival in the real world, but when her parents decide to abort the child is killed inside the womb. The child can only see her world being destroyed in front of her eyes.
The Unknown World was first screened at the first Public Service Announcement (PSA) Film Festival at Chennai. It received a special prize for its theme of 'Female Foeticide'. In 2012 it won an international short film contest organized by American website Buzzgoo.com. [2] [3]
The film was screened in many cities throughout India. The Society of Animation In Delhi (SAID) honored the film in an award function in 2012. It was also honored by the government of Aligarh in a function organized by Manav Upkar, a social organization.
A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upon the festival's focus, can include international and domestic releases. Some festivals focus on a specific filmmaker, genre of film, or subject matter. Several film festivals focus solely on presenting short films of a defined maximum length. Film festivals are typically annual events. Some film historians, including Jerry Beck, do not consider film festivals as official releases of the film.
Shabana Azmi is an Indian actress of Hindi film, television and theatre. One of India's most acclaimed actresses, Azmi is known for her portrayals of distinctive, often unconventional female characters across several genres. She has won a record five National Film Awards for Best Actress, in addition to five Filmfare Awards and several international honours among other accolades. In 1998, she was honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian honour of the country, and in 2012, she was awarded Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian honour.
Deepa Mehta, is an Indian-born Canadian film director and screenwriter, best known for her Elements Trilogy, Fire (1996), Earth (1998), and Water (2005).
Manick Sorcar is an Indian American artist, animator, engineer, and laserist. Sorcar is an artist in various media, including fine arts, cartoons, animations, laser arts, and world-touring stage shows with live action mixed with laser animation. His animated films, all based on children's stories from India, have won prestigious awards at international film festivals and been broadcast on the Public Broadcasting Service for 25 consecutive years. His laser arts and animation in various forms have won global awards from the International Laser Display Association.
Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre is a Montreal-based filmmaker most notable for her animated documentary films.
Nandana Dev Sen is an American actress, screenwriter, children's author and child-rights activist. Her first film role in Bollywood was Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Black (2005), starring Rani Mukherjee and Amitabh Bachchan, in which she played the role of Rani's 17-year-old younger sister.
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is a Pakistani-Canadian journalist, filmmaker and activist known for her work in films that highlight the inequality with women. She is the recipient of two Academy Awards, seven Emmy Awards and a Knight International Journalism Award. In 2012, the Government of Pakistan honoured her with the Hilal-i-Imtiaz, the second highest civilian honour of the country and the same year Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world. She holds the record for being the first female film director to have won two Academy Awards by the age of 37.
The Indian Animation Industry encompasses traditional 2D animation, 3D animation and visual effects for feature films. In 1956, Disney Studios animator Clair Weeks, who had worked on Bambi, was invited to Films Division of India in Mumbai to establish and train the country's first animation studio as part of the American technical co-operation mission. He trained a core group of Indian animators, whose first production was a film called The Banyan Deer (1957). Veteran animator Ram Mohan started his career at Films Division's Cartoon Unit.
Dhvani Desai is an Indian animation filmmaker and poet. She is best known for her animated films Manpasand and Chakravyuh.
Nora Twomey is an Irish animator, director, screenwriter, producer and voice actress. She is best known as the co-founder of Cartoon Saloon, alongside Tomm Moore and Paul Young, an animation studio and production company, based in Kilkenny City, Ireland. She is best known for co-directing The Secret of Kells and directing The Breadwinner. Her work on both films earned Academy Award nominations for Best Animated Feature.
The New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) is an annual film festival that takes place in New York City, and screens films relating to India, the Indian Diaspora, and the work of Indian filmmakers. The festival began in November 2001 and was founded by Aroon Shivdasani and the Indo-American Arts Council. About 40 films are screened, including features films, shorts, documentaries, and animated films.
Jalpari: The Desert Mermaid is a 2012 Indian film directed by Nila Madhab Panda. Like I Am Kalam it is also a children's film where Lehar Khan, Krishang Trivedi and Harsh Mayar are on lead as child artists and Parvin Dabas, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Rahul Singh, Suhasini Mulay and V.M. Badola are in supporting roles.
Gwen Wetzler is an American producer, director and animator and is best known as the first woman to produce and direct animation for a major network.
Marjut Rimminen is a Finnish-born animator and film director living and working in London.
The Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films (MIFF) is a festival organized in the city of Mumbai by the Films Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. It was started in 1990, and focuses on documentary, short fiction and animation films.
Gitanjali Rao is an Indian theatre actress, animator and film maker.
Shubhavi Arya is an Indian animator and film director.
Shilpa Ranade is an Indian designer, animator, illustrator, filmmaker and academician. She has been faculty at the Industrial Design Centre at IIT Bombay since 2001. She has directed animated short films for Channel 4, UK and her films have been screened all over the world, winning accolades in some of the most prestigious film festivals. The award-winning animation movie Goopi Gawaiya Bagha Bajaiya was her last full-length feature film which world premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Her other films are Naja Goes to School and Mani's Dying.
Varun Mehta is an Indian short film and animation filmmaker. Mehta is known for his critically acclaimed short films based on social and environmental issues. He is mainly known for his work for internationally acclaimed films like The Unknown World "The Wonder Stone" and "Save Trees".
Mila is a 2021 CG animated short film written and directed by Cinzia Angelini and produced by Andrea Emmes. It follows the story of a little girl whose life takes an unexpected turn during World War II. The film is a volunteer-based project that features the largest independent virtual animation studio ever created consisting of 350 animation professionals from 35 countries. After the announcement of the new partnership with Cinesite Studios, the film was released in 2021. As of May 2022, the short film has won more than 40 awards and has collected more than 50 nominations to festivals world-wide besides qualifying to the Oscar 2022 in the category Best Animated Short Film.