The Annecy International Animation Festival (AIAF) put the spotlight on India's animation, gaming, and visual effects (AVGC) sector, with Secretary of Information and Broadcasting, Apurva Chandra, and other industry professionals emphasizing India's strengths in creating animation and VFX effects for a global audience. This was India's first participation in the festival, and Chandra highlighted the progress made by the AVGC sector in India, thanks to the adoption of world-class techniques, innovative technologies, and a pool of talented professionals.
Chandra emphasized that the incentives provided for the AVGC industry in India are on par with those offered for film production. This creates a significant opportunity for companies to profit from this sector. He also stated that as a country, India is committed to providing incentives and support for pre and post-production activities in the industry.
During the festival, Chandra met with Michael Marin, the director of AIAF, to discuss strengthening India's engagement at Annecy and exploring collaboration between India and France for hosting an animation film festival in India. Chandra introduced the India Pavilion, showcasing the country's creative community who had won entries in the prestigious Annecy festival competition in 2023. Notable participants from India included Arvind Jeena, Nikita Prabhudesai Jeena, Kalp Sanghvi, Upamanyu Bhattacharyya, Biren Ghosh, Saraswati Vani Balgum, Anne Doshi, Kireet Khurana, and Anil Wanvari.
India has recently emerged as a popular destination for VFX and animation content by international production houses. The animation and VFX market in India was valued at approximately ₹109 billion in 2021, with the VFX business alone reaching ₹50 billion. It is projected to reach ₹180 billion by 2024. The participation of India at the Annecy festival is expected to further propel the sector's growth and attract international buyers.