The France-based Annecy International Animation Festival featured India's Creative Economy.

15 June 2023: A delegation from India led by Secretary I&B highlights the ministry's incentives for the AVGC industry and discusses the possibility of holding an international animation festival in India.

Swati Bhat

This year marks India's debut participation in The Annecy International Animation Festival (AIAF). At the AIAF, an Indian delegation headed by the Secretary, Information and Broadcasting, Shri. Apurva Chandra has been displaying India's talent for producing animation and VFX content for audiences throughout the world.

India has lately emerged as a preferred destination for VFX and animation content for global production houses. The animation and VFX market in India was pegged to be valued at Rs 109 billion in 2021, with the VFX business alone amounting to Rs 50 billion. This figure is expected to grow to Rs 180 billion by 2024 according to a E&Y report. India's participation at Annecy, therefore, assumes greater importance as the country showcases its abilities in the sector to international buyers.

Speaking about India's participation, Shri. Chandra said, "The Animation, Gaming, Visual Effects, and Comics (AVGC) Sector in India is making progress with the adoption of world-class techniques and innovative technologies, coupled with a pool of immensely talented professionals. India is one of the few countries providing cash incentives to foreign companies for making AVGC content in India. The incentives are the same as for shooting films in India. This is a huge opportunity for companies to benefit from this. As a country, we are committed to providing incentives to the industry, as well as supporting pre and post-production activities in India."

At the festival, Shri. Chandra spoke with AIAF director Michael Marin about ways to deepen India's participation in Annecy and the possibility of partnering with France to establish an animation film festival in India. Shri. Chandra opened the India Pavilion, which was built around the Saraswati Yantra design theme, and he also spoke with the Indian creative community whose works were chosen as winners of the prestigious Annecy festival competition in 2023. Young artists Arvind Jeena, Nikita Prabhudesai Jeena, Upamanyu Bhattacharyya, and Kalp Sanghvi attended the event among veterans of the field such Kireet Khurana, Saraswati Vani Balgum, Biren Ghosh, Anil Wanvari, and Anne Doshi.

Besides, Shri. Chandra interacted with delegates from other countries and the discussions centered around the various initiatives of the Ministry with regard to the AVGC sector, and the incentives given by the Indian Government for ease of business in the sector.

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Mighty Little Bheem: I love Taj Mahal, India’s first Netflix original animation series had its world

MIFF Campus: Mighty Little Bheem: I love Taj Mahal, India’s first Netflix original animation series has made a mark across the globe by breaking all records. More than 27 million households have watched the series outside India, said creative director of the film at its world premiere in the 17th Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) today. He said, it is the most watched video on the official Netflix kids and family You Tube channel.

Mighty Little Bheem: I love Taj Mahal, India’s first Netflix original animation series was screened free today for children, who have become part of the festival for the first time both in physical and online mode.

Addressing a masterclass on ‘Animating in India for the World’ at the screening, Shri Chintapatla said, “India has a great culture and heritage. We have used the famous Taj Mahal and other unique aspects in this animation series which showcases the richness of our culture and content. The film itself represents a perfect case for animating in India for the world.”

“A good story presented in a unique manner always captures the audience. As the film is primarily meant for the toddlers, the team has sensibly made it, considering several psychological and behavioural aspects,” added Tirthadip Ghosh, production designer of the film.

The master class is an elaboration on the creation process of the widely loved and appreciated animated series created by Hyderabad based animation company Green Gold Animation Pvt. Ltd.

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Find out which MIFF-2022 Film Prime Minister spoke about

MIFF Campus: The Prime Minister spoke about his recent visit to Japan where he met Atsushi Matsuo and Kenji Yoshi who were involved in the making of 'Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama', the first animation film co-produced by India and Japan and released in 1993. The film is celebrating 30 years since its first launch.

Swati Bhat

Listen to what the Prime Minister said about the film

“This project was associated with Japan's very famous film director Yugo Sako Ji. About 40 years ago, in 1983, he came to know about Ramayana for the first time,” the Prime Minister said. The Prime Minister mentioned that the director Yugo Sako was touched by 'Ramayana' that he started researching deeply about the epic. “He read 10 versions of Ramayana in Japanese language, and not only did he stop at this, he also wanted to showcase it through animation,” he added.

The Prime Minister also shared how Indian animators helped him and guided him about the Indian customs and traditions that have been shown in the animation film. “He was told how people in India wear dhoti, saree, how they groom their hair, how children respect each other within the family, offering salutation to the elders of the household, seeking their blessings - all these things!,” the Prime Minister shared.

The Prime Minister expressed his love and appreciation for the people of Japan who in spite of the differences in the culture and language could connect and admire our Indian culture with respect. “People living thousands of kilometers away from us in Japan, who don't know our language, who don't know much about our traditions, their dedication to our culture, this reverence, this respect, is very commendable - which Indian would not be proud of that!.”

About the Film

'Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama' is Directed by the legendary Indian animator Ram Mohan and Japanese director Yûgô Sakô and Koichi Saski.

Based on the Valmiki's Ramayana, ‘Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama’ explores the ‘FUSION’ style of animation that consists of three different schools of animation-Manga from Japan, Disney from the US and Ravi Varma from India.

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