Official Short Film Selection
SOUTH ASIA COMPETITION
AI Can
Hey — what’s your take on AI? Doesn’t it bother you? What does the future of art look like? Aren’t you scared? Do you think what you do will become redundant? This short film is the filmmaker’s attempt to respond to these questions… honestly and from his own experience.
Ajja Ajji – Pickle
This is a short graduation animation film about Ajja and Ajji, an older couple who team up to make mango pickle. Along with the rhythmic pickle routine, their mundane conversations and fun banter reveal their unique layer of emotional intimacy against a rural Indian backdrop.
Armstrong from Angaalamman temple street
In a sinking island village trapped outside a massive forbidden wall, survival depends on getting inside but the villagers can’t afford the price. As the community divides between believers waiting for divine treasure and rebels ready to fight, Armstrong stands in the middle, forced to choose a path before the rising waters erase their home forever.
Beacon Of Light
Vidhu lives a life of strict routine as a lighthouse keeper, avoiding daylight and human connection. When a violent storm destroys his shelter, he is forced to confront change and reconsider his isolated existence.
BORADI
What do you do when boredom hits? Hit it back!
Chuzhi
Once a gifted athlete, a woman is forced to abandon her sporting dreams. Now trapped in routine, she reflects on lost potential, unfulfilled ambition, and the emotional weight of the life she might have lived.
Come Home
An anthropomorphic squirrel-child is followed home by a ghost from a family vacation.
Dear Fate
Framed as a letter to fate, the film follows a tortoise who believes every moment of his life is carefully written, until he begins to question what it means to simply perform a script. Built from 31 chance-driven animation prompts, the film explores how the tortoise slowly discovers resilience, free will, and the courage to step into the unknown.
DO TIME GHAAS
In a satirical spin on corporate hiring, two prehistoric bison hold a bizarre job interview to recruit defenders against the rise of human hunters.
First Night
Drawing parallels between marriage and domestic responsibility, the film follows a woman’s frantic attempt to unclog a kitchen sink. Her physical struggle reflects emotional vulnerability, intimacy, and the pressure of expectations, as she slowly loses herself in the process.
foolish fire
Ignis fatuus / foolish fire is a 2D animated short blending the delicate feel of watercolour with graphite-inspired textures to evoke both softness and unease. It is set in a quiet realm where girls and women gather unknowingly, unfolding in serene moments of refuge and gentle existence.
I am Tejimola
After getting ready for the day, our protagonist feels the presence of something sinister, and soon comes to face it. In the confrontation, they turn to a childhood folktale for strength.
Kasang Alun
Kasang, an elderly woman of the Karbi tribe of Assam does her daily chores while singing a Karbi folk song. Her granddaughter becomes curious when she hears her singing and asks her to narrate the story of the song to her and her cousins.
Ladybugs Still Fly
An experimental animated documentary built from real conversations with children ages 7- 9. Through crayon scribbles and paper cutouts, their thoughts on anger, existence, and everything in between reveal a world that’s both funny and profound — a poetic reminder of the wonder and hope we all once held.
Mai Mard Hoon
The film is a culmination of what I have learnt and experienced as what it means to be man within the societal norms and the emotional and mental turmoil it causes inside one’s mind.
Manakotta
Lily, a warm-hearted girl, tries to befriend a stray cat by cooking for it. When it keeps escaping into a mysterious attic, she follows, discovering a shifting ladder that leads her into an unexpected journey of curiosity, courage, and imagination.
Names
This short film is based on Wendy Cope’s poem “Names,” which reflects deeply on the passage of time, the layers of identity, and the cycle of life. Through delicate hand-painted watercolour backgrounds and digital motion, it captures the tender moments of aging and the evolving relationships, especially the cherished bond with grandmothers.
Nanu!
How do you cancel an online order? My grandfather- Nanu – certainly had no idea.
Neelakurunji
A troubled couple separates by traveling into space, planning to reunite after twelve years, when the next Neelakurunji will bloom. When the wife never returns, the husband searches for answers, tracing her path through the cosmos in a journey shaped by love and loss.
NOT OKAY
“Not Okay” is a two-minute animation that binds two centuries of women’s defiance in Kerala, India. In 1900, a lower-caste woman labors in the fields, her chest bare by decree of her landlord. When she dares to cover herself, her modesty becomes rebellion—met with outrage and humiliation. In 2018, a young mother breastfeeds her child on a crowded train, only to be chastised by strangers demanding she conceal herself in the name of propriety. Across eras, two women confront the same structures of power in shifting forms: a society that claims dominion over their bodies. In the closing moment, their faces dissolve into one—an emblem of weary defiance carried across generations.
Overmorrow
Overmorrow” refers to the day after tomorrow, the next step, the beginning after the end. When a biker meets with misfortune, he is confronted with a mysterious force that guides him to take the next step.
Poem Of The Enslaved
Set in 17th-century Cochin, the story follows Kappiri, an African slave, and Kunjala, a local woman, who form a quiet bond amid a deeply divided society. Blending magical realism with history, the film traces how love and fate can endure across time.
Song of Whales
A fisherman’s desperate search for fish is interrupted by the mournful call of a mother whale. Her grief awakens a ritual from the depths — a symphony of sea creatures in mourning. When silence returns, the fisherman survives, but nothing remains the same.
Still Life
On a split screen two parallel and contrasting narratives unfold. The world of art and the realm of the everyday are integrally connected and yet hugely disparate. A pair of hands working relentlessly inside a home fade away; while a painting hanging quietly in a museum gains fame.
Superlover
A young man deals with love and loneliness, finding comfort in the online ASMR Roleplay community.
Veins of Grace
Veins of Grace is an experimental mixed-media animation that blends the Indian classical art of Kathak with a deeply personal narrative of memory, identity, and return. Told through the evocative sounds of ghungroos, harmonium, and traditional bol, the film follows a young woman estranged from her cultural roots, drawn back to the rhythms once passed down by her mother — her first guru.
Film Submission - NOW CLOSED
Get ready for AniMela Festival, India’s first-ever global celebration of Animation, VFX, Gaming, Comics, and XR! This vibrant festival is all about bringing the world of visual arts and state-of-the-art innovation to life, showcasing the best in creativity and digital artistry.
After a resounding second edition, we are thrilled to present the third edition of AniMela, an electrifying fusion of imagination and innovation, celebrating the very best in tech-forward artistry.
AniMela Festival’s will take place February 19 - 22, 2026 at the Whistling Woods International, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
The AniMela Film Festival is now accepting submissions for animated films from around the world.
For more information, please refer to the Rules & Regulations and FAQs.
Deadline Extended : 8th December 2025
For any queries, please mail us at programme@animela.in
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