There’s great passion for animation in Pakistan, says VFX producer from Hollywood

Hollywood VFX producer talks potential of local industry, finds it unfair to make comparisons with West

KARACHI: Imke Fehrmann is a VFX producer from Montreal, Canada. Having more than two decades of experience under her belt, she has worked in numerous films, giving life to the universes that we witness on screen. These include 2014’s fantasy film Paddington, the recent Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and the upcoming live action animation The Jungle Book.

Impressed by the talent in Pakistan’s growing animation industry, Fehrmann visited the country to work with the team at Waadi Animations – the team behind 3 Bahadur franchise, headed by two-time Oscar winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.



Fehrmann said the first instalment of 3 Bahadur caught her attention and that is how she approached them. “I watched 3 Bahadur 1 and 3 Bahadur 2. They are very good especially the second one is such a step forward,” she told The Express Tribune.

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Regarding the potential in Pakistan’s animation industry, Fehrmann added, “It’s still in its toddler stage. There’s great talent in Pakistan. There’s really great passion and commitment for the art of animation, which is fantastic. But there are no resources here, which is sad. But there’s such great talent and I can see they are growing fast.”

When we talk about animation, companies such as Disney and Pixar have their own visual style. Fehrmann believes the Pakistan’s animation industry will find its identity soon as well. “It will happen sooner than later, knowing the talent that’s working here. It can even happen with the next project that Waadi has started working on. It has a unique visual style.”

Fehrmann finds it unfair to compare the Pakistan’s budding industry with giants such as Disney. “I would say Pakistan’s animation industry is a lot more comparable to the European industry than the American one,” she added. “It has a different background and has its own identity which comes from the country’s cultural heritage. Pakistan’s industry is, of course, emerging, but I hope that everyone encourages the artists to continue doing their work and more artists work in animation.”

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She emphasised the need for education and networking for the growth of the industry. “I don’t think there are any schools here that teach animation as proper curriculum. That’s a key area to work on. We also need the freedom and time to develop infrastructure. Time limits the artists.” In the US, projects are developed over years. In Europe, they take six months to a year. Fehrmann said this art form needs room to breathe.



Despite limited budgets and less time, Pakistan has produced two animated feature films. Fehrmann said she loved it because “it is Pakistani content, made purely within the country by the local artists and for Pakistanis.” Stating they have film funds in the West, she hopes we could set up the same in Pakistan as well.

During her four weeks at Waadi Animations, she spent time with the artists, teaching and guiding them. “It was a pleasure to talk to the artists. We did training sessions for four weeks. It was fantastic because everyone knew a lot already. We went through case studies and figured what we could do better.”

When asked when she will return back to Pakistan, Fehrmann mentioned, “I will be guiding them while I’m home. But I should be back in the next six to eight months, InshaAllah.”

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