India to participate at AIAF for first time in France

India is participating at the Annecy International Animation Festival (AIAF) for the first time this year in France. An Indian delegation led by the Secretary, Information and Broadcasting Apurva Chandra with eminent personalities of the animation industry have been showcasing India's prowess in creating animation and VFX content for global audiences at the AIAF.  India has lately emerged as a preferred destination of VFX and animation content for global production houses.

Speaking about India's participation, Mr. 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.  He said India is one of the few countries providing cash incentives to foreign companies for making AVGC content in India.

The Secretary said the incentives are the same as for shooting films in India and this is a huge opportunity for companies to benefit from this.  He



added that India is committed to providing incentives to the industry, as well as supporting pre and post-production activities. 

At the festival, Mr. Chandra met Michael Marin, Director of AIAF, and discussed the possibilities of strengthening India's engagement at Annecy and the potential of collaboration between India and France to host an animation film festival in India. He also inaugurated the India Pavilion, which has been designed on the theme of the Saraswati Yantra, and also interacted with the Indian creative community who have won entries in the prestigious Annecy festival competition in 2023.

The animation and VFX market in India was pegged to be valued at 109 billion rupees in 2021, with the VFX business alone amounting to 50 billion rupees. This figure is expected to grow to  180 billion rupees by 2024. India's participation at Annecy, therefore, assumes greater importance as the country showcases its abilities in the sector to international buyers.