Gitanjali Rao – Animation Rising Star

June 5, 2006 · Filed Under Animation Award Winners, Animation News, Animation Stars 

Gitanjali Rao graduated from art school in 1994 and went on to intern with Indian Animator Ram Mohan. She wrote, drew, directed and produced a fifteen minute animated film, “Printed Rainbow”, that was selected in the short film category at Cannes in 2006.

Rao’s first film was “Orange” which did not make it through the strict Indian censorship policies. The style of “Orange” is reflective of her day job creating animated commercials.

The story concept for her Cannes selection, “Printed Rainbow”, is fascinating. From Television Point:

This 15-minute short film is about a woman in Mumbai, who lives all alone with just a cat for company. “She is an avid collector of match box covers. This leads to a dream world where she does adventurous things. From one matchbox to another, she goes on weaving her adventures along with her cat. Finally she comes back to reality,” explains Gitanjali. The film has no narration and is a visual rendition of the woman. “Each frame is painted. I had to do it myself because it’s experimental animation. I have shot the first part of the film in black and white to show the dreary existence of this woman. The rest of it is in a myriad of colours. I am so excited that it has been selected and that too for Cannes,” says Gitanjali.

Observe the contrast in the image below from “Printed Rainbow” between the woman in black and white and the brightly colored matchbox.

And, the bright world of the matchbox comes alive in this still from the movie.

The Dimples team hasn’t seen this movie but we love the concept and the stills. We’re sure that there is much more to come from Gitanjali Rao. And, for a final tantalizing sample, here is a still from another short film, “Blue”.

[tags]Gitanjali Rao, 2D animation, animation, Cannes, India, animation news[/tags]

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5 Responses to “Gitanjali Rao – Animation Rising Star”

  1. Sathish. B on July 5th, 2006 2:52 am

    Could you please tell me, where i can see this animated film… Iam trying to watch this animation for quiet a long time. But i dont get any link / source to watch it.

    :((

    ——
    Regards
    Sathish. B

  2. admin on July 5th, 2006 5:36 pm

    Dear Sathish,

    I would if I could. I want to see the film myself and I searched and searched without luck. The reviews are wonderful and her style is very engaging. Let me know if you find a place to watch it.

    Thanks for visiting our site,

    Onones

  3. michael on January 10th, 2008 9:52 am

    Saw it at the V&A last year and was very moving and beautiful – have been looking for it too and can’t find it. There is a website dedicated to Printed Rainbow but no indication how to find/buy/watch it:
    http://www.printedrainbow.com/

    It does carry Gitanjali’s e-mail but not sure if it makes sense to contact her? Please let me know if you find it somewhere.

    Best,

    Michael

  4. Manjir on July 31st, 2008 11:50 pm

    I saw it on a plane coming back from Japan to Heathrow and it was captivating. I would like to buy it too.

  5. ami on July 15th, 2009 4:43 am

    YOU can find this through the British animation awards site on the international animation dvd modern classics it really is stunningly beautiful.