Pakistanis saw their debut in the hand-drawn animated short film "Under the Blaze" as a milestone in the combined circle of culture and arts. The work is directed by young human rights activist and artist, Awais Shaukat.
Apart from being the first film of its kind, it also sends a strong message to the country and the world to do something about child labor in the brick kiln industry.
The Story and Inspiration
The concept of Under the Blaze is the reality of the plight of the children working in the brick kilns that Shaukat shared when he visited kilns with his team. The film has a story, which is a collection of different stories collected from the site's experienced people, describing the difficult daily routines (working at the kiln), the dangers, and the fear that children experience.
Awais Shaukat, a painter and animator, and still an undergraduate fine arts student in his 20s at the National College of Arts, Lahore, has the title of both writer and director. At just 15 years of age, he took the digital art world by storm and has been drawing since childhood. He also got the honor of becoming the highest-ranked Pakistani on Crunchbase.
Japanese creators' big names like Makoto Shinkai and Studio Ghibli have given him the much-needed inspirational push to develop a mixture of classical 2D animation and contemporary storyline elements.
Animation Style and Production
The film is reminiscent of 2D animation, traditional methods, similar to those used by Walt Disney and DreamWorks in the 20th century and still used in Japan by the anime industry today. A complete set of animations/frames is hand-drawn while all background scenes are individually painted, a painstaking process that forces the group to show importance and skill.
Shaukat's film is not just a narrative; it’s a reflection of real-life experiences, written in collaboration with Omer Bin Safia and produced by Rafhan Shaukat through Awartsy Animations.
Addressing Child Labor
The film aims to raise awareness among the community about possible human rights violations such as child labor in Pakistan.
With 0.64 million members of the class of children, 60% of whom, are working in hazardous conditions, the film seeks to introduce the issue on an artistic basis and trigger action by politicians and the public.
Shaukat's experiences during his field visit were eye-opening, revealing a system that fails to protect these children and a pervasive fear of being taken away by the kiln authorities. The film hopes to shine a light on these grim realities and inspire change.
Talk with Awais Shaukat
When asked about his motivation, Shaukat emphasized the power of animation to tell stories that might otherwise remain hidden. "I think animation is the only way in which you can put life into a story with a pencil that only a few people can see." He mentioned with great emotion that he wishes Pakistan had a proper animation industry, and he is working towards making it happen.
He also added, "I initially did not expect this project to gain such fame as it was just a personal project to achieve the goal of creating animation by myself."
Future of Pakistan's Animation Industry
The film marks the second major foray into Pakistan's animation industry, following the success of the country's first animation-inspired film, "The Glassworker". Under the Blaze is set to premiere at international film festivals, further strengthening Pakistan's presence in the global animation scene.
The director's vision is to create space for various art styles including hand-drawn animation in the Pakistani creative industry. Despite Pakistan's rich cultural heritage in the arts, animation is a relatively unexplored field, and Shaukat's work is an important step towards changing that narrative.
Fans are so excited to watch it in cinemas!!