Passion Pictures donates touching film to DDB Sydney’s ‘Namaste For Nepal’ fundraiser

Passion Pictures, in collaboration with DDB Group Sydney, has created a traditional hand-drawn animated film to assist in the agency’s brainchild Namaste for Nepal, an online art auction to raise funds for Save the Children’s Nepalese recovery efforts following the devastating earthquake of April 25.

WATCH THE FILM

The film, directed by John Robertson, takes the viewer on a journey through a series of iconic local experiences. It’s an emotional trip engaging in the simplistic beauty of Nepal, which is then destroyed by the impact of the quake. Treading back through the destruction, the film appeals to the viewer to bid for the donated artworks and hence help to rebuild the country.

Says Katie Mackin, EP, Passion Pictures Melbourne: “When DDB approached us with their concept, it felt like the perfect fit for our annual charity effort. Not only was the project centred on helping the people of Nepal, an issue which has touched us all, but the concept of raising money through art resonated with us at Passion. Many of our people are artists in their own right and from illustrators to editors, we had a heart warming response from staff who were willing to contribute their talents and time.”

Determined to keep art at the heart of the project from the beginning, the Passion team set about searching for an illustrator whose style could convey the appropriate emotion for the tone of the story.

Says Mackin: “We were lucky enough to have Roland Brueckner agree to create all the designs for us. From there we commissioned an international team of animators from Australia to France, ensuring we had the right talents on board to bring Roland’s designs to life using traditional hand-drawn animation.”

John Robertson, having recently returned to his native New Zealand after a 15-year stint working with Passion Pictures London, is pleased that the opportunity to create his first film in the APAC market was something so meaningful and he sees this as a positive start in terms of the kind of work he’ll see from the AU and NZ industry.

Says Mackin and Robertson on their hopes for the project; “We hope our film is going to make a significant contribution to the money raised through this initiative and we look forward to seeing the results at the climax of the auction on August 13th.”

To view the artwork and make a bid go to:

https://galabid.com/auction/namastefornepal.

Agency: DDB Group Sydney

Producer: Emma Hodge