Ishu Patel is an animation film director/producer and educator. During his twenty-five years at the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

he developed animation techniques and styles to support his themes and vision. Since then he has produced animated spots for television and has been teaching internationally.

Background and Studies

Ishu Patel was born on April 20, 1942 in the State of

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

, India. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from M.S.University of Baroda, Gujarat, following which he was accepted into the first cohort of faculty trainees hired at the newly formed

National Institute of Design The National Institutes of Design (NIDs) are a group of autonomous public design universities in India, with the primary institute, founded in 1961, in Ahmedabad, with extension campuses in Gandhinagar and Bengaluru. The other NIDs are loc ...

, Ahmedabad,

. This was an exceptional design school created by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

under the auspices of Mrs. Gandhi and the influential industrialist family of Gautam and Gira Sarabhai. The school was based upon the recommendations and philosophy of the American industrial designers Ray and Charles Eames, as found in

The India Report The India Report was prepared by Charles Eames and Ray Eames in 1958. The Government of India had asked for recommendations on a programme of training in design that would serve as an aid to the small industries; and that would resist the present ...

. Through a

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...

Grant provided to the

, Ishu Patel was able to finish his post graduate studies in Graphic Design under Armin Hoffman at the Allgemeine Gewerbeschule in

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...

, Switzerland, and returned to the

where he taught and became Head of Visual Communications.

Career

A Rockefeller Foundation Scholarship brought Ishu Patel to the

to study animation filmmaking for a year, and in 1972 he joined the NFB where, for the next twenty-five years under the NFB mandate Ishu Patel produced and directed animated films and mentored young animation filmmakers. There he both adapted and originated several notable techniques: in the abstract film ''Perspectrum'' he adapted the Norman McLaren technique of multiple passes and variable exposures; the films ''Afterlife'' and ''Top Priority'' were the result of accidentally discovering, and then developing, the under-lit plasticine technique; for the film ''Paradise'' he developed the under-lit pin hole technique with multiple passes; and for ''The Bead Game'' he created the procedures for moving thousands of tiny beads under an ever-zooming-outward camera. He co-produced animation projects with

NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestr ...

of Japan and

Channel Four Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service in ...

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

, and contributed French language segments to

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) ...

for the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

. His many international awards include the British Academy Award, two Oscar nominations, the Silver Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival, Grand Prix at the

Annecy International Animation Film Festival The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (french: Festival international du film d'animation d'Annecy, officially abbreviated in English as the Annecy Festival, or simply Annecy) was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of J ...

, and Grand Prix at the

Montreal World Film Festival The Montreal World Film Festival (WFF; french: le Festival des Films du Monde) was one of Canada's oldest international film festivals and the only competitive film festival in North America accredited by the FIAPF (although the Toronto Interna ...

. He is particularly known for his 1977 film ''Bead Game'' which was nominated for an Academy Award.

Teaching and Master Classes

Through the

Outreach Program Ishu Patel conducted animation workshops with Inuit artists of

Cape Dorset Kinngait (Inuktitut meaning "high mountain" or "where the hills are"; Syllabics: ᑭᙵᐃᑦ), formerly known as Cape Dorset until 27 February 2020, is an Inuit hamlet located on Dorset Island near Foxe Peninsula at the southern tip of Baffin ...

, with healthcare fieldworkers in

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

, and with students in the former

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

, Japan and the United States. During those years he returned regularly to Ahmedabad, India where he often taught his approaches and techniques to the animation students at his alma mater the

, and contributed some assistance in formulating the animation program. After leaving the NFBC he conducted student workshops and Master Classes throughout Asia, mentoring young faculty and developing curricula. He has conducted Master Classes at

Bezalel Academy of Art and Design Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design ( he, בצלאל, אקדמיה לאמנות ועיצוב) is a public college of design and art located in Jerusalem. Established in 1906 by Jewish painter and sculptor Boris Schatz, Bezalel is Israel's oldes ...

, Jerusalem, and the Animation Image Society of Toronto, at the School of Animation,

Communication University of China The Communication University of China (CUC) () is a leading public university in Beijing. It is one of the China's key universities of 'Double First Class University Plan', directly administered by the Ministry of Education of the People's Repu ...

, Beijing, and at the School of Animation, Southwest University of Nationalities, Chengdu, China. Ishu Patel was Special Guest and conducted screenings and a Master Class at the 7th. Big Cartoon Festival in Moscow, Russia, November 2014. He was Visiting Professor at the School of Art, Design and Media, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

Filmography

* ''Moondust'' * ''Divine Fate'' * ''

Paradise In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in parad ...

(Paradis)'' * ''Top Priority'' * '' Afterlife'' * '' Bead Game'' * ''Perspectrum'' * '' How Death Came to Earth''

Awards

''Moondust:'' *2009: AWARD OF EXCELLENCE - ANIMATION, ''50th Annual Illustration Exhibition'', New York, USA ''Divine Fate:'' * 1995: UNICEF PRIZE, ''Ottawa International Animation Film Festival'', Ottawa, CANADA * 1995: SILVER MEDAL - ECOLOGY, ''Medikinale International Film Festival'', Parma, ITALY * 1994: SPECIAL DISTINCTION FOR ITS MESSAGE, ''Annecy International Animation Film Festival'', Annecy, FRANCE ''Paradise/Paradis:'' *1985: OSCAR NOMINATION FOR BEST ANIMATED SHORT, ''57th Annual Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences'', Hollywood, California, USA *1985: SILVER BEAR AWARD, ''35th Berlin Film Festival'', Berlin, GERMANY *1985: SPECIAL JURY AWARD, ''25th International Animation Film Festival'', Annecy, FRANCE *1985: FIRST PRIZE FOR THEATRICAL SHORT, ''Melbourne Film Festival'', Melbourne, AUSTRALIA *1985: SPECIAL AWARD BEST FILM FOR YOUNG PEOPLE, ''23rd International Film Festival for Children and Young People'', Gijon, SPAIN *1985: FIRST PRIZE, ''1st Los Angeles International Animation Celebration'', Los Angeles, USA ''Top Priority:'' *1983: BLUE RIBBON HUMAN CONCERN AWARD, ''25th American Film Festival'', New York, New York, USA *1982: BEST SHORT FILM, ''XXIV Seaman International De Cinema'', Barcelona, SPAIN *1982: SPECIAL RECOGNITION OF MERIT, ''Los Angeles Film Exposition Filmex'', Los Angeles, USA ''Afterlife:'' *1979: GRAND-PRIX, ''12th International Animation Film Festival'', Annecy, FRANCE *1979: OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD, ''London Film Festival'', London, ENGLAND *1979: SPECIAL HONOUR, ''Los Angeles International Film Exposition Filmex'', Los Angeles, USA *1978: GRAND PRIX DE MONTREAL, ''Festival des Films du Monde'', categorie court metrage, Montreal, CANADA *1978: SILVER HUGO, ''14th International Film Festival'', Chicago, USA *1978: ETROG AWARD: BEST ANIMATED FILM, ''Canadian Film Awards'', Toronto, CANADA ''Bead Game'' *1978: OSCAR NOMINATION FOR BEST ANIMATED SHORT, ''50th Annual Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences'', Hollywood, California, USA *1978: BEST SHORT FICTIONAL FILM, ''British Academy of Film and Television Arts'', London, ENGLAND *1978: GOLD MEDAL, SPECIAL JURY AWARD, ''Greater Miami International Film Festival'', Miami, USA *1978: AWARD OF EXCELLENCE, ''Film Advisory Board Inc.'', Los Angeles, USA *1978: BLUE RIBBON AWARD - VISUAL ESSAY, ''20th Annual American Film Festival'', New York, USA *1978: BEST OF CATEGORY - FILM AS ART, ''Pacific Association for Communication and Technology Film Festival'', Honolulu, USA *1977: SPECIAL PRIZE FOR ANIMATION, ''International Documentary and Short Film Festival for Cinema and Television'', Leipzig, GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC

Juryships

*2015: International Jury President - Animation, ''18th Shanghai International Film Festival'', Shanghai, CHINA *2014: International Jury Member, ''SICAF (Seoul International Cartoon & Animation Festival)'', Seoul, SOUTH KOREA *2013: International Jury Member, ''AniWow Student Animation Film Festival'', Beijing, CHINA *2009: Chairperson, International Jury, ''Etiuda & Anima International Film Festival'', Kracow, POLAND *1997: International Jury Member, ''SICAF (Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Festival)'', Seoul, SOUTH KOREA *1995: International Jury Member, ''Film and Video Festival on Science, Society and Development'', Trivandrum, INDIA *1990: International Jury Member, ''Bombay International Film Festival for Documentary Short and Animated Films'', Mumbai, INDIA *1987: Chairperson, International Jury, ''Zagreb International Animation Film Festival'', Zagreb, CROATIA *1985: International Jury Member, ''1st International Animation Film Festival HIROSHIMA '85'', Hiroshima, JAPAN

References

External links

Official Web Site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Patel, Ishu 1942 births Living people Film directors from Gujarat Indian animators Canadian animators Indian animated film directors Canadian animated film directors Indian animated film producers Canadian animated film producers People from Vadodara BAFTA winners (people) National Film Board of Canada people Indian emigrants to Canada Directors of Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners for Best Animated Short Animation educators Gujarati people Canadian people of Gujarati descent Canadian people of Indian descent