Graphic and motion designer Daryn Arystanbekov made a new animated film for UNICEF Kazakhstan, where the dreams of Kazakh teenagers are drawn by hand.

The animation was created for “Dreams Without Borders”, this year's UNICEF Gala Dinner, dedicated to adolescent mental health and held in connection with World Mental Health Day. The message is difficult. Teenage suicide remains one of the main causes of death among teenagers in Kazakhstan. Daryn decided to tell the story in the way children would tell it themselves. All the keyframes are drawn in a childlike style and then hand-animated, so the naive lines and small childish mistakes stay visible in every frame.

The film starts by showing the dreams of a teenager who wants to become an artist, a musician, a doctor or an astronaut. Then it shows how hard it is to reach those dreams when there’s no one there to support them. It ends with a simple message: let’s save their future together. The money collected during the evening goes to UNICEF’s programme, which reaches 140,000 children aged 10 to 17, and 50,500 specialists have been trained to spot the warning signs.

Daryn Arystanbekov lives in London and has an MA in Graphic Design from Middlesex University. He and his studio have worked on graphics, 2D and 3D animation, illustration, branding, sound design and 3D mapping for clients in Kazakhstan, Turkey, Canada, Mexico, Australia and France.

@unicefkazakhstan