Toronto-headquartered animation outfit Paperboat Animation Studios has revealed a new slate.
The slate is led by “Kabuliwala: Man from Kabul,” a 3D animated feature based on the classic short story by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. The story, which has already been adapted several times as live-action features, tells the story of the bond between a 6-year-old girl from Kolkata, India, and an immigrant hawker from Kabul, Afghanistan.
Paperboat co-founder and chief creative director Soumitra Ranade, whose credits include “Bombay Rose” and “The World of Goopy and Bagha,” adapted the story and will direct. The project won a script development award at the Asia Pacific Screen Academy, Brisbane, and was selected for the MPA-APSA-Busan International Film Festival project pitch.
Paperboat was recently acquired by Singapore-based media content and technology company Vistas Media Capital.
“Kabuliwala” is being shepherded by veteran Hollywood producer and financier Benjamin Waisbren (“300,” “22 Jump Street”), who recently joined Vistas to lead the company’s new North America division.
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Also in the works is 10-part animated streaming series “Itch,” which is aimed at adults and will follow the lives of 10 individuals as they experience challenging urban circumstances. It is produced by Golden Ratio Films, the content production label within Vistas, with animation production being done via Paperboat.
Ranade wrote and will direct the series, which will be 2D and 3D animation formats.
The third project, “Tattva 118,” is a hybrid multi-platform metaverse-centered franchise being developed and made into an animated feature film, TV series and game for all age groups, featuring both 2D and 3D animation. The principal designer of “Tattva 118” is Paperboat co-founder Aashish Mall (“Bandbudh Aur Budbak”). Paperboat is producing all of the content and handling all animation work.
The slate was revealed at an event in Cannes by Ranade alongside Vistas Media co-founder and group CEO Abhayanand Singh.
Singh said, “Paperboat is a best-in-class animation studio with the most skilled and imaginative storytellers I’ve been around. This initial slate of projects puts their arsenal of talent on display and offers something for everyone around the world. The tremendous response we’ve seen in the marketplace already is incredibly encouraging and speaks to the global demand for quality animated content, which we are dedicated to delivering.”
Ranade added: “Paperboat has always been at the forefront of these ever-evolving times, incubating new technologies with cutting-edge artistic pursuits. It gives us immense joy to start work on such pathbreaking projects.”
