CEGA has opened submissions for The Aniverse, an animated short film showcase tied to Karachi Frames, inviting animators across Pakistan to put their work on a main stage screen. Entries should run two to three minutes, and the organizers have deliberately kept the brief open. There is no theme, any animation style is accepted, and entrants can apply solo or as a team. The one firm requirement is originality, which extends to the music, so submissions must be built from original material rather than borrowed tracks.
Leaving out a theme is a notable choice for a competition of this kind. Themed calls tend to steer entrants toward similar stories, while an open call gives independent animators and small studios room to show their own voice and technique, which is what a jury of industry professionals will want to see. A short running time also lowers the barrier for students and early career artists, since a finished two minute film is far more achievable than a longer production, yet still enough to demonstrate storytelling, craft, and style.
A jury of industry professionals will select the top three films, which will be screened on the main stage at Karachi Frames and featured on HUM Network. The broadcast feature gives the prize real weight, because it puts independent work in front of a mainstream television audience rather than keeping it within the animation community. For a young animator, that kind of exposure can be as valuable as any cash award, as it creates a visible credit and a possible introduction to studios and commissioners.
Submissions close on October 22, leaving only a few days for entrants to finish and upload their films, and Karachi Frames takes place on October 27 at CEGA in Karachi. The call follows the Lahore Frames animation meetup earlier this year, and sits alongside CEGA’s wider programming for Pakistan’s gaming and animation sector, which operates with the support of Ignite and the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication. Animators who want to enter can submit their film through the official submission link before the deadline.
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