AniMela 2025 Poster
Screenings
AniMela 2025 turned IDC School of Design, IIT Bombay into a kaleidoscope of animated worlds, feature films, shorts, student gems, and global showcases—each one stretching how we imagine animation today.
- 111 films spanning 12 countries across features and shorts
- World Premieres: Every Now And Then Girls (अवार-नवार छोरियां), Directed by Shefalee Jain & Shivi Bhatnagar); Detective Dotson, Directed by Shalin Shodhan
- Spotlights: “Breaking Boundaries” with rising filmmakers Govinda Sao and Akshit Kumar
- Retrospective: Celebrating Nina Sabnani, followed by a conversation on craft and legacy
- Curated Showcases: Rendez-vous with French Animation, Best of Annecy 2024 Shorts, Spotlight on Women Directors, Kids Selections
- Student Showcase: IDC IIT Bombay, IIAD Delhi, Srishti Bengaluru, Whistling Woods Mumbai
Experiential Zone
An immersive space featuring gaming booths, VR/AR experiences, comic showcases, and meet-and-greets with artists and game developers.
- VR & Immersive Showcase: Curated by IMXD at IDC with support from the French Institute in India.
- International VR Works: Oto’s Planet, Flow, Goliath.
- Indian VR Experiences: Starmaze, Wildvue, Dragonfly, Maunaraagam.
- VR Game Preview: Sneak peek of Blue Squirrel Studios’ upcoming title Dominate the Skies.
- Indie Comix Corner: Curated by Indie Comix Fest (ICF) with 20+ comic stations of zines, prints, and art.
- Creator Zone: Direct interactions with indie artists, with on-the-spot browsing and buying.
- Comic Workshops: Quick, hands-on sessions on Comic Creation Fundamentals, Autobiographical Storytelling, and Character Design.
AniMela Signature Films
Signature film created by students of IDC, IIT Bombay
Signature film created by students of Srishti Manipal, Bengaluru
International Mifa Campus @ AniMela
The Annecy Festival’s International Mifa Campus (IMC) returned to India, hosted by AniMela and supported by the French Institute in India.
From 70+ submissions, five outstanding projects were selected for a four-day intensive workshop, led by renowned IMC mentors Reza Riahi (Animation Filmmaker), Delphine Nicolini (Artistic Producer), and Johanna Goldschmidt (Scriptwriter), empowering six Indian creators to refine their animation projects and prepare them for production.
Highlights
A special Work-in-Progress Showcase featured three returning 2024 projects — Hide & Seek, Rising Tides, and M.O.M— demonstrating how mentorship at AniMela fuels lasting creative growth and international collaboration.
PROJECTS – Catalogue
1) Daak, by Rahul Chakravorty
Theme: Daak is a mystical tale about a boy who becomes the Sundarbans’ reluctant guardian.
2) My First Kiss, a short film by Shrobontika
Theme: My First Kiss is a tender take on a child’s confusion around bad touch and her journey of healing.
3) Patangein, a short film by Arya Pandey
Theme: In the crowded old lanes of Lucknow, a young barber struggling with the loss of his brother is quietly pursued by memories that rise like untamed kites, until his niece helps him transform grief into a fragile, soaring rediscovery of hope.
4) Penumbra, a series by Taher Kapadiya
Theme: Penumbra explores the fragile line between belief and reality, where human fear and guilt manifest as living spirits, forcing people to confront the darkness they themselves create.
5) Work in Progress, a documentary feature by Subarna Dash & Sneha Das.
Theme: From bleached underwear to mommy issues – Work in Progress is an animated documentary of the journey through the wonderfully messy world of womanhood.
Namaste Mifa: India's Partner Pitch
As part of AniMela’s global initiative, Namaste Mifa: India's Partner Pitch showcased six selected projects at an exclusive India Pitch Event during Mifa (Marché International du Film d’Animation/Annecy International Animation Film Market) in Annecy, France. Organized by AniMela and co-presented by Assemblage Entertainment and Zebu Animation Studios, the event introduced Indian talent to a curated global audience of studios, distributors, and investors.
The six projects are: My First Kiss || Patangein || Daak || Work in Progress || Penumbra || M.O.M- Ma On a Mission*
*Project from year 2024.
Knowledge Sharing
AniMela 2025 became a hub of ideas, exchange, and learning, hosting 16 sessions that spanned craft, innovation, transmedia storytelling, and industry futures.
- AniMela-International MIFA Campus Workshop and Pitch event
- VFX for historical epics – bringing the Maratha legend of Chhaava to life
- Writing engaging stories for children and young adults
- Developing original IP – from idea to market-ready property
- Masterclass: Creative experimentation in Blender 3D
- Immersive storytelling and building worlds you can step into
- Occult Chambers: Community-driven horror universe across games, UEFN, comics and social media
- Funding animation through collaboration with India’s live-action industry
- Independent animation journeys – the making of THE MANHOLE (VR)
- Making a VR game – production journey and learnings
- Mapping creative career pathways in animation and related fields
- Mentoring session on career growth in animation and related creative industries.
Films Screened at AniMela 2025
Immersive VR at AniMela 2025
Indian Shorts at AniMela 2025
Official Selection 2025 - Short Films and Feature Films
We are excited to reveal the Official Selection for this year’s AniMela Festival! After receiving an incredible range of submissions through FilmFreeway from filmmakers around the world, our programming team has carefully selected 31 outstanding films to be part of this year’s lineup.
Beyond these selections, the festival will showcase an even greater number of films through a specially curated lineup. This includes Best of Annecy Shorts, Celebrating Nina Sabnani, a selection of outstanding works from leading animation institutions, as well as celebrated works that have been recognized at prestigious festivals and the Oscars. Audiences can look forward to a diverse and enriching cinematic experience!
Student Shorts at AniMela 2025
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