AniMela: AVGC-XR festival to make a landmark debut in Mumbai

India’s AVGC-XR industry is poised for a major transformation with the launch of AniMela. This will be India’s first-ever international festival dedicated to animation, visual effects, gaming, comics, and extended reality. The four-day event will feature film screenings, knowledge-sharing sessions, immersive experiences, and more. It will highlight India’s creative and technological advancements in the AVGC-XR sector. AniMela is a much-needed platform to showcase India’s potential and establish its position in the global AVGC-XR landscape.

AVAF in collaboration with the Government of India’s Information & Broadcasting Ministry and the Annecy International Animation Festival will organize Animela. AniMela will take place at the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) in Mumbai from January 18th to 21st, 2024.

India possesses a wealth of untapped creative talent in the AVGC-XR domain, yet it remains largely unrecognized. The reality is that Indian creators, animators, VFX artists, game developers, and comic book/graphic novel artists possess immense potential, creativity, and technological expertise to produce original, homegrown content that can compete on the global stage. With the right mentorship, networking, and opportunities, these talented individuals can create world-renowned intellectual properties.

AniMela: AVGC-XR festival

In line with this, the festival stands on four pillars:

1. Film Festival

Showcasing some of the world’s best animation film screenings, including international features, shorts, fiction and non-fiction films. There will also be open-air screenings, film premiers, meet & greet sessions with the filmmaker, alongside exciting behind-the-scenes VFX of blockbusters.

2. Experiential Zone

Attendees can immerse themselves in numerous booths and arcades. At the video games zone, they can engage in exclusive demos of the latest in the gaming industry by indie game developers. Meet & greet with world-renowned gamers, game developers, and influencers, and gaming contests with exciting prizes. At XR/AI zone, attendees can interact with different worlds through VR and AR, the best international IPs, and more. Meanwhile, the comic section curated by Indie Comix Fest, will showcase specially curated indie comics.

3. Knowledge-sharing & Mentoring

The Knowledge Section will consist of masterclasses, workshops, and panel discussions by renowned global experts like Luce Grosjean (CEO- Miyu Distribution, France), Rajiv Chilaka (Creator of the ubiquitous ‘Chhota Bheem’), Academy Award-nominated Australian animator Lachlan Pendragon, Isabel Herguera (director of Spanish- German Animation Feature Sultana’s Dream) Mickael Marin (Director of Annecy Animation Festival), Veronique Encrenaz (Head of Annecy’s Market – MIFA), award-winning Indian animator Upamanyu Bhattacharyya and many more…

There will be a dedicated space for family screenings, activities and workshops for the younger audiences.

AniMela is bringing the prestigious IMC to India to continue educating and nurturing young Indian talents in this sector. As a part of IMC, AVAF has received 60+ work-in-progress projects (feature, shorts or series) from creators for evaluation. From these, 5 selected animation project holders will get an opportunity to participate in a 4-day workshop from 16th to 19th January 2024.

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The experts include animation filmmaker Reza Riahi, France based Screenwriter Johanna Goldschmidt and Animation Producer Delphine Nicolini. Furthermore, these five selected projects will also be presented at the ‘India Pitch Session’ at Annecy – MIFA in June 2024.

There will also be participation from educational institutes like the School of Visual Arts (New York), Griffith Institute (Australia), Rubika Institute(France), Whistling Woods International and Frameboxx, and many more who are in advanced stages of discussion.

4. Networking

AniMela will provide several opportunities through networking lunches and dinners with international guests (studios, distributors, buyers) from Canada, France, Spain, the UK, Australia, Turkey, and Japan, amongst others. This is vital to the last mile for the AVGC-XR sector via marketing expansion and monetization opportunities.

Kireet Khurana – Festival Director of AniMela, said, “India is making content at par with the international standards, but lacks a narrative as a Creator of world class content. With AniMela, we intend to align with our Government’s thrust of Create-In-India and build a platform of international pedigree with the goal of exhibiting excellent films, games and other forms of visual arts created by Indian independent talent and studios to a larger audience and promote them internationally. At the same time, the festival provides for a holistic artistic and technological reflection in the AVGC space by bringing global industry veterans and emerging Indian talents under one roof.”

Neha Jain, Executive Director at AniMela, mentioned, “Most audiences in India perceive animation as children’s content, there is no understanding of adult animation. Similarly, there is very limited knowledge about the possibilities around VFX, Gaming and XR. With AniMela, we seek to break away from these restrictive perceptions and create more awareness and interest around the industry. ”

Anne Doshi, Artistic Director at AniMela, added, “In the AVGC industry, the creators are the stars and the artists are given their due. And AniMela will reflect this by highlighting their talent and supporting them in their journeys. The festival will empower Indian talents and aspirants to engage in cross-cultural exchange of ideas, explore beyond their horizons and help nurture the growth of this community. It intends to fill the gaps via training and mentoring and propel India’s international presence in the global AVGC landscape.”

Registrations to AniMela will open soon on Paytm Insider (insider.in)

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