FestivalSchedule
Whistling Woods International, Mumbai
Friday 20 Feb
AI for Media & Entertainment
Place: ANIMELA ADDA
Time: 10:30 AM–11:30 AM
Chaitanya Chinchlikar
This session will explore how AI can streamline workflows, inspire innovation and enhance collaboration between artists and technologists — empowering filmmakers, animators, game developers, music producers and the like, with AI-driven workflows that free creatives from tedious tasks while maintaining creative robustness. It'll spotlight how creatives can partner with AI for creative content development and reimagine workflows to equip themselves with crucial technical skills and ethical perspectives.
The World of Animated Music Videos
Place: ANIMELA ADDA
Time: 3:30 PM–4:30 PM
Debjyoti Saha, Prateek Sethi
A catch-up with Debjyoti Saha and Prateek Sethi on the exciting work emerging from India’s independent animation scene, and how music videos have become a powerful space for creative freedom. The session includes screenings of select music videos, including Bekhauf and Divine, two of Debjyoti’s major projects, followed by a keynote on his creative process and artistic journey.
This session is curated by Animators Guild India.
This session is curated by Animators Guild India.
Transmedia Narrative Universe: Maya
Place: ANIMELA ADDA
Time: 12:00 PM–1:30 PM
Anand Gandhi
MAYA is an expansive narrative universe created by Anand Gandhi and Zain Memon, unfolding across films, games, graphic novels, novels, toys, and immersive experiences.
In the world of MAYA, immortality is a commodity and every life a data point in someone else’s design. It is a story of chaos and control, agency and prediction, the powerful and the expendable. It explores how minds are shaped, choices are nudged, and futures are manufactured - systemically, and invisibly. Each MAYA experience stands alone, yet connects. As characters cross mediums, their roles and meanings shift. A villain in a graphic novel may be the hero of a game. Taken together, they reveal a deeper structure, one that reflects the systems we live within now. Equal parts science-fiction, philosophy, and fantasy, MAYA is a new mythology for the 21st century - not of gods and monsters, but of us.
In the world of MAYA, immortality is a commodity and every life a data point in someone else’s design. It is a story of chaos and control, agency and prediction, the powerful and the expendable. It explores how minds are shaped, choices are nudged, and futures are manufactured - systemically, and invisibly. Each MAYA experience stands alone, yet connects. As characters cross mediums, their roles and meanings shift. A villain in a graphic novel may be the hero of a game. Taken together, they reveal a deeper structure, one that reflects the systems we live within now. Equal parts science-fiction, philosophy, and fantasy, MAYA is a new mythology for the 21st century - not of gods and monsters, but of us.
KhariGhar: A Transmedia Program of Co-creation
Place: FOUNDATION HALL 2
Time: 4:30 PM–5:00 PM
Upasana Nattoji Roy, Switch & Roy Studio
This session delves into Kharighar, a platform for collaboration between traditional and digital artists. It is a space for dialogue that leads to projects aimed at protecting, preserving, and rejuvenating tactile and traditional forms of artistic expression in this rapidly transforming, digitised world.
Saturday 21 Feb
Co-Production Down Under
Place: ANIMELA ADDA
Time: 5:00 PM–6:00 PM
Paul Murphy, P. Jayakumar, Silas Hickey, Deepti Chawla
This panel examines how the Australia–India Audiovisual Co-production Agreement is enabling new animation and digital collaborations. Through real-world case studies, the panellists will explore how treaty-backed co-productions reduce risk, unlock incentives and help creators build globally scalable animated content together.
Collaborating Beyond Borders
Place: ANIMELA ADDA
Time: 10:30 AM–11:30 AM
Reza Riahi & Krishna Nair
This session brings together two animation filmmakers from Iran and India who met while studying in France and have continued to collaborate remotely ever since. They will discuss their personal journeys and the projects they have worked on together. The focus is on how creative partnerships evolve and how long-distance filmmaking works in practice, especially when close friends collaborate.
From Storytelling to StoryLIVING
Place: ANIMELA ADDA
Time: 12:00 PM–1:30 PM
Antoine Lieutaud, Voyelle Acker
This session offers an inside look at the groundbreaking world of Location-Based Virtual Reality, spotlighting the co-produced IPs by Small Creative and Eclipso: Titanic and Colosseum. Through this presentation, audiences will discover how the two companies blend storytelling, heritage, and cutting-edge technology to create deeply immersive cultural journeys. The session will unpack their creative and production processes, revealing the vision, innovation, and collaboration behind redefining how audiences engage with history and place through virtual reality.
Heirloom: Building an Animated Feature
Place: ANIMELA ADDA
Time: 3:30 PM–4:30 PM
Upamanyu Bhattacharya, Gaurav Wakankar, Sana Srinivasan, Siddhi Vartak, Shreeya Wagh
In this session, the core creative team behind Heirloom shares their experiences of developing and producing an animated feature film. Through honest reflections and practical examples, they discuss their methods, problem-solving strategies, and the realities of sustaining a project from concept to completion.
The Festival Makers
Place: ANIMELA ADDA
Time: 2:00 PM–3:00 PM
Mickaël Marin, Anne Doshi, Monica Wahi, Shrobontika Dasgupta
This panel brings together the Festival Director of Annecy and Artistic Director of AniMela, a legacy festival and the "new kid on the block" as they enter into their third year of partnership to amplify distinctive Indian animation talent in the global market. Along with a young indie animator, the panel examines what it takes to sustain a “temporary community” in a rapidly changing landscape, how to bridge the gap between artistic vision and industry realities, and how to navigate emerging technology. The conversation examines local support vis-à-vis international collaboration, long-term sustainability, and the considered philosophical choices that shape these spaces and keep them meaningful.
Drawing from the Self
Place: FOUNDATION HALL 1
Time: 3:30 PM–4:30 PM
Vishwajyoti Ghosh, Aniceto Pereira, Shikhant Sablania
What does it mean to turn your life into a page — and who gets to tell that story? Drawing From the Self pushes beyond the idea of autobiography, on how personal histories, everyday observations, and internal landscapes can become compelling visual narratives.
The panel will delve into visual storytelling devices and strategies that can unpack memory, identity, body, place, and silence entering the comic frame — and what it means to draw experiences that are messy, unresolved, or deeply personal. This is not about neat origin stories. It is about discomfort, truth-telling, humour, survival, and the radical act of placing one’s own life at the centre of narrative. Using comics as witness, literature, testimony, and resistance — this conversation is about drawing from the self.
The panel will delve into visual storytelling devices and strategies that can unpack memory, identity, body, place, and silence entering the comic frame — and what it means to draw experiences that are messy, unresolved, or deeply personal. This is not about neat origin stories. It is about discomfort, truth-telling, humour, survival, and the radical act of placing one’s own life at the centre of narrative. Using comics as witness, literature, testimony, and resistance — this conversation is about drawing from the self.
Koolgen: Narrative Design Framework
Place: FOUNDATION HALL 3
Time: 2:00 PM–3:00 PM
Raunak Bagga
This session introduces Koolgen, a storytelling framework and practical tool developed by Raunak Bagga to help creators build compelling narratives for comic books and games. Designed to support world-building, character arcs, and interactive storytelling structures, the framework offers a clear, adaptable approach to shaping engaging story universes.
Mukti: Game Presentation
Place: FOUNDATION HALL 3
Time: 4:00 PM–5:00 PM
Underdogs Studio
Through Game Presentations, studio founders will open up their creative worlds to the audience. From the first spark of an idea to building rich story universes, these sessions offer a rare look into how games are imagined, developed, and brought to life: including what’s next, across platforms and transmedia storytelling.
Transmedia Storyworld: Mallu and Pi
Place: FOUNDATION HALL 3
Time: 3:00 PM–4:00 PM
Neeru Nanda
Step into an adventure that weaves through time and space. Mallu and Pi follows two children and their non-human companions as they embark on a quest to find the Needle of Light — a mysterious force said to hold the key to a balanced life. This presentation unveils the expansive storyworld behind the project, exploring its characters, mythic landscapes, and narrative arcs, while offering insight into the creative vision shaping this universe.
Sunday 22 Feb
Inspiring Innovators: Industry Meets Education
Place: ANIMELA ADDA
Time: 3:30 PM–4:30 PM
Nina Sabnani, Munjal Shroff, Sneha Das, Monica Wahi
How did a studio, a platform, several film institutes, and community projects come together to create a series on government-supported start-ups? This panel unpacks the unique collaboration behind Inspiring Innovators, a series produced by Graphiti Studio in partnership with Netflix, the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting that showcased eight remarkable Indian start-ups.
Lokah and the Journey Beyond
Place: ANIMELA ADDA
Time: 2:00 PM–3:00 PM
Azeem Kattali, Balaram J
This session offers an inside look into the creative journey of Eunoians, exploring our work across different genres and formats. We will take the audience through the making of Lokah, sharing insights into the creative, technical, and collaborative processes behind the film. The session will also feature an exclusive behind-the-scenes teaser from an upcoming animation movie currently in production, followed by an interactive Q&A with the team.
Mic Check: Acting for Animation
Place: ANIMELA ADDA
Time: 5:00 PM–6:00 PM
Mona Shetty, Somnath Pal, Ninad Kamat
Animation creates the body, but the actor provides the heartbeat. This panel explores how characterization can be created effectively through Voices.
This panel is for dreamers and fans exploring the psychology of sound. Join two industry titans shaping Indian cinema to witness the craft that turns drawings into legends. Only at AniMela 2026.
This panel is for dreamers and fans exploring the psychology of sound. Join two industry titans shaping Indian cinema to witness the craft that turns drawings into legends. Only at AniMela 2026.
Behind the Scenes with Midnight Kettle
Place: FOUNDATION HALL 1
Time: 4:30 PM–5:30 PM
Ketan Pal
Ketan Pal, also known as Midnight Kettle, is an independent animation filmmaker who blends humour and personal storytelling through hand-drawn 2D animation. From viral YouTube shorts to heartfelt independent films, his work shows how animated stories can connect with millions online.
At AniMela, he shares his journey of building animation for the internet — the struggles, small wins, and creative breakthroughs along the way. Through behind-the-scene stories from his latest short film Ghughuti Ki Maala and audience-favourite projects like the Super Sidhu series, he talks about finding your voice, reaching beyond your niche, and creating honest work in a trend-driven world.
At AniMela, he shares his journey of building animation for the internet — the struggles, small wins, and creative breakthroughs along the way. Through behind-the-scene stories from his latest short film Ghughuti Ki Maala and audience-favourite projects like the Super Sidhu series, he talks about finding your voice, reaching beyond your niche, and creating honest work in a trend-driven world.
Global Cities and Animation
Place: FOUNDATION HALL 1
Time: 10:30 AM–11:30 AM
Lotte Marie Allen, Shaaz Ahmed, Vivek Nag
A conversation and visual dialogue exploring the parallels and contrasts between global cities, especially New York City and Mumbai. A visual celebration of parallel cities' culture and histories — through projections, animations, and storytelling.
Lotte Marie Allen and Shaaz Ahmed share some of their students’ and their own work through projections and their own creative lens to explore the poetics of Mumbai and New York City!
Lotte Marie Allen and Shaaz Ahmed share some of their students’ and their own work through projections and their own creative lens to explore the poetics of Mumbai and New York City!
The Creative Mind Under Pressure
Place: FOUNDATION HALL 1
Time: 3:00 PM–4:00 PM
Dr. Anuradha Kavuri
Creative careers are fueled by passion but often shaped by pressure, deadlines, and self-doubt. In this session, Dr. Anu Radha, a counselling psychologist and psychotherapist with over 18 years of experience, explores how emotional challenges affect creativity, confidence, and well-being in animation, VFX, gaming, and design. Through practical insights and relatable examples, she shares strategies to manage stress, build resilience, and navigate anxiety without suppressing creative expression. Designed for young professionals, this talk offers tools to stay emotionally balanced, mentally strong, and creatively inspired in a high-pressure industry.
Captain Raaj: Game Presentation
Place: FOUNDATION HALL 3
Time: 3:00 PM–4:00 PM
Studio Carmond Infinity
Through Game Presentations, studio founders will open up their creative worlds to the audience. From the first spark of an idea to building rich story universes, these sessions offer a rare look into how games are imagined, developed, and brought to life: including what’s next, across platforms and transmedia storytelling.
Durga: Game Presentation
Place: FOUNDATION HALL 3
Time: 2:00 PM–3:00 PM
Studio Shivaansh Art Vision
Through Game Presentations, studio founders will open up their creative worlds to the audience. From the first spark of an idea to building rich story universes, these sessions offer a rare look into how games are imagined, developed, and brought to life: including what’s next, across platforms and transmedia storytelling.
Twin Flames: Game Presentation
Place: FOUNDATION HALL 3
Time: 4:00 PM–5:00 PM
Rudrac Studio
Through Game Presentations, studio founders will open up their creative worlds to the audience. From the first spark of an idea to building rich story universes, these sessions offer a rare look into how games are imagined, developed, and brought to life: including what’s next, across platforms and transmedia storytelling.