Statement:
"My love for animation started as a fun project in mid-eightees to teach our young US-born daughters about their Indian heritage. As a first effort, with lyrics help from my wife, I wrote some songs, gave music and had them sing. Next step was to draw some simple animation to accompany the children's songs that were broadcast by American CableVision of Wheat Ridge, Colorado, which were well received by viewers. Inspired by this, the next major step was to produce 'Deepa & Rupa: A Fairytale from India', a half-hour, full length animation which I dared to mix with live action. Our older daughter (then 12) was in the lead role as Rupa, with many others from local community contributing to other roles to keep the cost low. Computer animation was still at its infancy; so I had to draw all background scenes and key animated characters by hand and take computer help to draw in-betweens. It took three long years to complete, but the effort paid off when its telecast created a sensation and won Gold Plaque at The Chicago International Film Festival in Television Production, Children's Program category. Its huge success inspired me to make several other animation. The films won international acclaim and awards, and were used in schools and studied in universities. They were nationally broadcast in India and was shown in different PBS stations in the US. In Colorado, they were a year-end holiday-special 2-hour program for children at the Rocky Mountain PBS station for 25 years in a row. It fills my heart with joy what started as a small, fun project for the family became a national phenomenon and an educational material in bridging East and West."
-Manick Sorcar |
