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Nexus Studios director on her perspective as a Third Culture Kid , achieving dreams working for Disney and the responsibilities that come with privilege
As a storyteller, Neeraja Raj embraces her status as what she calls a “Third Culture Kid (TCK for short)”. Her upbringing was spread across cultures beginning with her parents’ Indian background. She spent the first part of her formative years in Jakarta, Indonesia and then high school in Dubai, her Bachelors in Ahmedabad, India and recently finished her Masters in the UK. “The ever-shifting backdrop of my youth has opened my mind from a very young age to a multitude of ideas and I believe that helps me with my storytelling, having been exposed to so many different environments and cultures,” she says.
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Cats in space, to girls flying to Mars the award-winning animator’s imagination is as varied as the subjects she tackles. And water scarcity is the latest
As the world slowly began to shut down in early 2020 because of the pandemic, Neeraja Raj’s life was also changing. After almost 14 months of work, her graduate film from the National Film and Television School (NFTS, UK),
Meow or Never, was finally complete. A nine-minute, stop-motion comedy inspired by Félicette, the French cat who was sent up to space in 1963, the film follows the adventures of a cat astronaut and an overeager puppy as they travel through space searching for the meaning of life.
The powerful campaign for WaterAid is directed by BAFTA-shortlisted rising star Neeraja Raj and produced by Nexus Studios for Don’t Panic, narrated by the one and only Trevor McDonald.
Dubai girl hopes her animated film Meow Or Never brings cheer during Covid pandemic
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The story of a cat in space looking for the meaning of life is a ray of positivity in tough times.
Dubai resident Neeraja Raj is one of many recent college graduates whose life and career both were impacted by the onset of the Covid pandemic. But through all the trouble, feelings of isolation and uncertainty shone a bright light - in the form of a cat in space!
Meow Or Never, an animated film project that was conceptualized and developed pre-Covid was what brought good tidings to Neeraja at a time they were sorely needed.