Ani Mela is being marketed as a counter to the widely held belief that India is largely used by Western studios as a backend support base, ignoring the possibilities of domestic talent.
The Ani verse & Visual Arts Foundation (AVAF) has announced the maiden edition of Ani Mela, marking India’s first-ever international festival dedicated to the AVGC-XR spectrum. This is a positive development for the country’s Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR) industry. The four-day event is planned for January 18–24, 2024, at Mumbai’s National Film Development Corporation (NFDC).
In addition to showcasing India’s creative prowess, Ani Mela was founded by AVAF in partnership with the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting of the Government of India and the esteemed Annecy International Animation Festival. The festival’s mission is to facilitate international exposure for the nation’s AVGC-XR talent.
The event is a reaction to the widely held belief that India is a country that only provides backend support services to Western studios, ignoring the enormous creative ability and potential that exist among the nation’s animators, VFX artists, game developers, and graphic novelists. Ani Mela aims to change this perception by establishing India as a leader in the production of unique, internationally acclaimed content.
