The Comparative Literature and Creative Arts (CLCA) programme is delighted to announce the Spring 2025 Spotlight Series on 'Animation' with Puffball Studios.
January 31, 2025
Time:
3:00 pm
CR 0-01, Ground Floor, SAHSOL, LUMS
The event will feature the screening of two animated short films (running time: 27 minutes), followed by a conversation with Arafat Mazhar and Haseeb Rehman, who will share insights into the animation process.
About the CLCA Spotlight Series
The Spotlight Series is a curated showcase focusing on important South Asian and regional artists whose work has been influential in South Asia and globally. The series seeks to highlight and honour the work of these artists and celebrate the pathbreaking and continuing relevance of their work for aspiring artists in Pakistan.
About Puffball Studios
Puffball Studios is an award-winning animation studio in Lahore, Pakistan. Comprised of an interdisciplinary team of artists, designers, writers, musicians, and animators, they are passionate about creating high-quality, multilingual animated content rooted in local traditions. Puffball Studios has garnered acclaim for several projects, including Shehr e Tabassum, Pakistan's first Urdu language cyberpunk short film, and Swipe, a cautionary tale exploring the intersection of technology, extremism, and fascism. Swipe has won multiple accolades, including Best Short Film at the 2023 Oscar-qualifying film festival (CINANIMA). It is also the first animated film from Pakistan to be showcased at Annecy 2021.
About the Speakers:
Arafat Mazhar
Arafat Mazhar is the founder of Puffball Studios and the director of several award-winning short films. He has also established online educational platforms such as Shehri Pakistan, which creates animated content promoting civic and legal literacy, and Hashiya, a channel dedicated to exploring critical perspectives on history. For the past ten years, Arafat has been engaged in ethnographic and juridical research on the blasphemy laws, culminating in his most recent work- a short animated documentary examining the complexities of Pakistan's blasphemy laws, titled The Inevitable Misuse of Pakistan's Blasphemy Laws.
Haseeb Rehman
Haseeb Rehman is a Pakistani visual artist and a graduate of the National College of Arts, majoring in Visual Design. Haseeb has worked on various Pakistan-based animation projects, developing a visual language rooted in Pakistani traditions. He works in both traditional and digital media, drawing inspiration from animation styles worldwide. Currently Art Director at Puffball Studio, he has contributed to several Pakistani animation projects, including Puffball Studios' most recent release, Rest in Paper.
We look forward to seeing you there!
