Adventures of Malia

2015 Indian film

Adventures of Malia

Directed by| Shubhavi Arya
Written by| Shubhavi Arya
Produced by| Shubhavi Arya

Release date

* 21 March 2015 (2015-03-21) (School Daze Movie Fest)

Running time

| 12 minutes
Country| India
Language| English

Adventures of Malia is a 2015 independent animation short film directed, animated and written by Shubhavi Arya. The film was completed by Shubhavi Arya at the age of 16 years.

Adventures of Malia held its US premiere on 21 March 2015 at the School Daze Movie Fest in Oregon.[1] As of November 2015, it has been accepted in competition by more than 30 international film festivals including the 51st Chicago International Film Festival, the 2015 Arlington International Film Festival[2] and the ENIMATION Little Elephant - International Children and Youth Film Festival.[3] The film got nominated for 11 international film awards, winning 3 of them including the Honorary Mention Foreign Film Award at the ColorTape International Film Festival, Australia and Best Under 18 Filmmaker at the Global Independent Film Awards, United States.[4][5][6]

## Plot[edit]

In order to save her home from rampant pollution, a little girl goes in search of a magical spell and transforms into a mermaid.[7]

## Development[edit]

After Shubhavi Arya worked as an animator at the age of 12 years in the short film "ZAP" and received critical acclaim at numerous international film festivals including Viborg Animation Festival, Denmark and Golden Snail International Animation Film Festival, Serbia, she set about developing her own material for her own next project. After an unusually long development period, the film was completed by Shubhavi Arya in February 2015 at the age of 16 years. The trailer of the film was released online on 11 February 2015. Adventures of Malia is created using cutout and stop-motion animation techniques.

## Critical reception and reviews[edit]

The film gained national and international recognition. The film has received mostly rave reviews. Jury members from the CINE Golden Eagle Awards noted "There are some fantastic details captured in this stop motion. The sound design really adds to the visual environment. This is very impressive for a 16-year-old!" and "Amazing talent. Great use of sound". Rock and Roll Film Festival 2015, Kenya agrees by saying "16-year-old, Shubhavi Arya, shows great promise as she writes, directs and animates "The Adventures of Malia". If she carries on like this, it won't be long before she is winning a lot of awards for her work." Other praise included jury of the Underexposed Film Festival who said "There is something great about seeing a film which celebrates its naive style. I was delighted by some of the treatments that the filmmaker brought to the piece. The smoke was well done for example and I really liked the fact that not everything was just a straight visual representation of what was being said. I also liked the fact that the underwater sequences were graded differently to give those scenes a distinctive look. It also had an excellent use of colour and the vibrant style was good to see. Once Shubhavi hones her craft, she may well produce some very interesting work." Insight Curation Scheme, United Kingdom noted its key influences "I like the animation style very much and the clear and bold shapes in the film (e.g. the green clouds and wind farm), reminding me of Richard Scarry and the original Moomins animated series. It's a warm and witty world to travel through with a strong eco-theme. There are some wonderful creatures here and I love the lo-fi Mighty Booshness of the film's aesthetic and its slow pace." The general consensus praised the film's animated setting, vibrant visuals and pleasant undertones.

The film received numerous international awards and was selected for screening at several international film festivals. It was the only selection from India at many international film festivals including the 51st Chicago International Film Festival – Cine Youth 2015, US and Kratka Forma – The International Festival of Short Films 2015,[8] Serbia. Adventures of Malia was the only film directed by an Under 18-year-old at the Twister Alley Film Festival 2015, US. It received critical acclaim all around the world and was screened in over 48 film festivals in over 18 countries. Adventures of Malia made it into the quarter-finals at the ColorTape International Film Festival 2015, Brisbane, Australia. Adventures of Malia made it into the Top 16 films for the Foreign Film Award at the ColorTape International Film Festival 2015, Brisbane, Australia. It was the only Indian film to be a winner in the Global Independent Film Awards, US in August 2015.[9][10][11]

## Awards and nominations[edit]

Awards and nominations for Adventures of Malia

Year | Association | Country | Award Category | Status
2016 | Scout Film Festival[12] |  United States | Best in Animation | Nominated
2015 | Twister Alley International Film Festival[13] |  United States | Best Family Short | Nominated
2015 | Twister Alley International Film Festival[14] |  United States | Best Animated Short | Nominated
2015 | Awareness Film Festival[15] |  United States | Merit Award of Awareness | Won
2015 | ColorTape International Film Festival |  Australia | Honorary Mention Award for Best Foreign Film | Won
2015 | TOFUZI -7th International Festival of Animation Films |  Georgia | Best Children Film | Nominated
2015 | International Chinh India Kids Film Festival and Forum |  India | Best Kids for Kids | Won
2015 | Global Independent Film Awards[16][17] |  United States | Best Environmental Film | Nominated
2015 | Global Independent Film Awards[18][19] |  United States | Best Under 18 Filmmaker | Won

## Official selections and screenings[edit]

Year | Association | Location | Country

|
|
|

2015 | Chicago International Film Festival – Cine Youth | Chicago, Illinois |  United States
2015 | Kratka Forma – The International Festival of Short Films[20] | Gornji Milanovac |  Serbia
2015 | ENIMATION Little Elephant - International Children and Youth Film Festival[21] | Maribor |  Slovenia
2015 | Mobographia – Mobile Film Festival[22] | São Paulo |  Brazil
2015 | Arlington International Film Festival[23] | Cambridge |  United States
2015 | Global Independent Film Awards[24][25] | Henderson, Nevada |  United States
2015 | San Diego International Kids Film Festival[26] | Carlsbad, California |  United States
2015 | Ithaca Pan Asian American Film Festival[27] | Ithaca, New York |  United States
2015 | Twister Alley International Film Festival[28] | Oklahoma |  United States
2015 | Superman Celebration Fan Film Festival[29] | Illinois |  United States
2015 | Underexposed Film Festival[30] | South Carolina |  United States
2015 | Red Dirt International Film Festival[31][32] | Oklahoma |  United States
2015 | Los Angeles Cine Fest[33] | Los Angeles |  United States
2016 | Ridgefield Independent Film Festival[34][35] | Ridgefield, Connecticut |  United States
2016 | 11th REDCAT International Children’s Film Festival | Los Angeles |  United States
2017 | International Film Festival of Oranjemund | Oranjemund, Karas |  Namibia
2016 | Ekofilm Festival | Nowogard |  Poland
2016 | Wiper Film Festival | New York, New York |  United States
2016 | 18th Backup Kurzfilm Festival | Weimar, Thueringen |  Germany
2016 | Bonita Springs International Film Festival | Bonita Springs, Florida |  United States
2015 | The Monthly Film Festival | Glasgow |  Scotland
2016 | Love International Film Festival | Encino, California |  United States
2015 | Steam House Entertainment Independent Film Awards | Modesto, California |  United States
2015 | EyeCatcher Film Festival | McAlester, Oklahoma |  United States
2015 | Salt Flats Film Festival | Bountiful, Utah |  United States
2015 | Chinh India Kids Film Festival | New Delhi |  India
2015 | IN.S.A.N.E. International Society Animation Noted Event | Malmö |  Sweden
2016 | Near Nazareth Festival | Afula |  Israel
2015 | StarBest Film Festival | Melbourne |  Australia
2016 | Ozark Shorts | Lamar, Missouri |  United States
2015 | Visionaria | Sienna |  Italy
2015 | Festival Angaelica | Pasadena, California |  United States
2015 | Frame By Sound Festival | Santo Domingo |  Dominican Republic
2015 | Phoenix Film Festival | Melbourne |  Australia
2015 | Chiyoko International Children and Youth Film Festival | Zurich |  Switzerland
2015 | Brighton Youth Film Festival | Brighton |  United Kingdom
2015 | TOFUZI – 7th International Festival of Animation Films | Batumi |  Georgia
2015 | AnimaSyros – Videotheque Section | Athens |  Greece
2016 | Children’s Film Fest Seattle | Seattle |  United States
2015 | Universal Film Festival | Missouri |  United States
2015 | School Daze Movie Fest | Oregon |  United States
2015 | Three Cities International Film and TV Conference | Los Angeles |  United States
2015 | Columbia Gorge International Film Festival | Los Angeles |  United States
2015 | Flixx Fest | Los Angeles |  United States
2015 | Student Art Festival | Goldenrod, Florida |  United States

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Release Info". Adventures of Malia – IMDb.
2. ^ "High School Filmmakers Program". Arlington International Film Festival.
3. ^ "Little Elephant Selections" (PDF). Enimation.si. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
4. ^ "Global Independent Film Awards Winners". Rethinking Taxes. Archived from the original on 5 January 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
5. ^ "Washington News World". GLOBAL INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS AUGUST 2015 WINNERS. Archived from the original on 25 January 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
6. ^ "Global Independent Film Awards August winners". Daily News Detroit.
7. ^ "Adventures of Malia". IMDb.
8. ^ "Kratka Forma Selections 2015" (PDF). Kratka Forma.[permanent dead link]
9. ^ "Global Independent Film Awards August winners". Daily News Detroit.
10. ^ "Global Independent Film Awards August winners". Coupon Junki. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
11. ^ "Global Independent Film Awards Winners". Cyberbookin.
12. ^ "Announcing Scout Film Festival Best-in-Category Nominees". Scout Film Festival.
13. ^ "Kids Flix 2015". Twister Alley International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
14. ^ "Kids Flix 2015". Twister Alley International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
15. ^ "Selections 2015". Awareness Film Festival.
16. ^ "Global Independent Film Awards Winners". Rethinking Taxes. Archived from the original on 5 January 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
17. ^ "Washington News World". GLOBAL INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS AUGUST 2015 WINNERS. Archived from the original on 25 January 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
18. ^ "Global Independent Film Awards Winners". Rethinking Taxes. Archived from the original on 5 January 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
19. ^ "Washington News World". GLOBAL INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS AUGUST 2015 WINNERS. Archived from the original on 25 January 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
20. ^ "Kratka Forma Selections 2015" (PDF). Kratka Forma.[permanent dead link]
21. ^ "Enimation Little Elephant Selections 2015". Issuu.
22. ^ "Shortlists Mobographia". Mobographia 2015 Brazil. Archived from the original on 19 April 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
23. ^ "High School Filmmakers Program". Arlington International Film Festival.
24. ^ "Global Independent Film Awards August 2015". Daily News Detroit.
25. ^ "Washington News World". GLOBAL INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS AUGUST 2015 WINNERS. Archived from the original on 25 January 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
26. ^ "Films made by kids". 2015 San Diego International Kids' Film Festival.
27. ^ "Adventures of Malia on Ithaca Pan Asian American Film Festival". Ithaca Pan Asian American Film Festival.[permanent dead link]
28. ^ "2015 Kid Flix". Twister Alley International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
29. ^ "Adventures of Malia on Superman Celebration Fan Film Festival". Superman Celebration Fan Film Festival. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
30. ^ "A world of films coming to Old Town". The Herald Online.
31. ^ "Narrative shorts". Red Dirt International Film Festival.
32. ^ "List of films 2015". Red Dirt Film Festival.
33. ^ "Official Selections". Los Angeles Cine Fest. Archived from the original on 29 November 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
34. ^ "RIFF Films 2016". Ridgefield Independent Film Festival.
35. ^ "RIFF Official Selections 2016". Ridgefield Independent Film Festival.

## External links[edit]

* Adventures of Malia at IMDb
* Adventures of Malia on Facebook
* Adventures of Malia at the ENIMATION Little Elephant, Slovenia
* Adventures of Malia – Social Seam
* Adventures of Malia at IN.S.A.N.E., Sweden