As the film festival season begins in a few weeks — the Academy qualifying Bengaluru International Short Film Festival (BISFF) is scheduled from August 3 to 13 — here is another festival for all cinephiles, especially fans of animation: AniMela.
It is organised by the Aniverse and Visual Arts Foundation (AVAF). AVAF is a not-for-profit organisation founded by Kireet Khurana, Archana Trasy, Anne Doshi, Neha Jain and Tehzeeb Khurana, who aim to promote the AVGC-XR industry in India.
AniMela is India’s first film festival fully dedicated to AVGC-XR — animation, visual effects (VFX), gaming, comics and extended reality that includes virtual reality, mixed reality and augmented reality.
The festival is supported by the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, one of the world’s most prominent film festivals for the AVGC-XR industry. “Their support will help us get a lot of international support,” says Anne Doshi, the artistic director of AniMela. The festival will be held in January 2024.
“We want to showcase wonderful works from India and show the world that India has great possibility in achieving more and more in the field with our own stories and talent,” adds Anne.
The first edition of the festival will be fully curated as the team doesn’t have the man power yet to do a pre-selection and call for submissions.
Anne also added that the mainstream film industry overshadows everything else that is happening in the creative space in the country. “So we’re doing our part in recognising them,” she adds.
The three days festival will also have masterclasses and workshops. The festival team also plans to have a big gaming station. There will also be a market where distributors and producers from around the world will be present.
The festival aims to change the mindset of people who think animation is only for children.
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