IDSFFK lifetime achievement award for animation filmmaker Nina Sabnani
Nina Sabnani has been honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 18th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK). The award, presented by Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan during the closing ceremony on 30 September at Kairali Theatre, includes a cash prize of ₹2 lakh, a sculpture and a citation. Ten of her films will be screened across Kairali, Sree and Nila theatres during the festival.
The animator’s career spans award‑winning work such as the National Film Award‑winning Hum Chitra Banate Hain (2016) and acclaimed titles like Mukand and Riaz, Tanko Bole Chhe (The Stitches Speak) and Baat Wahi Hai. Her practice weaves animation, illustration, ethnography and oral tradition, often in collaboration with folk artists; a notable partnership with Bhil artist Sher Singh produced Hum Chitra Banate Hain, while a project with Shrilekha Sikander, Fleeting Moments, was shown at COP27 in Egypt. Recent honours include the Big Little Book Award for Illustration (2018), the Legend of Indian Animation Award (2021) and the Ram Mohan Award of Excellence in Animation (2024).
Beyond filmmaking, Nina Sabnani co‑founded the Animation Design Programme at the National Institute of Design and taught there for two decades before moving to the IDC School of Design, IIT Bombay. She has served on juries at Annecy, SIGGRAPH Asia and Indie‑AniFest Seoul, and currently teaches at Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology and UPES, while directing the AniMela International Animation Festival.