Event Coverage
Animation Awards : FICCI initiative well timed
MUMBAI: Cheers, whistles, applause and a standing ovation! The 1st Shaf IBM FICCI BAF Awards held last evening had the (100 plus audience) on their feet more than once.
India’s animation industry, has been making headlines for a while now. With the likes of Disney and Pixar outsourcing work to India and other original content being produced, a 30 % annual growth is predicted by experts. The Awards seemed to be well timed.
Entries from the Major Indian studios like “Jadooworks, Toonz Animation India, Crest Communications, D Q Entertainment, Animagic India, The NID , and also other independent animation producers & students made viewing the nomination clips a pleasure.
Amongst the animation industry topguns present were Disney International’s Andy Bird, Rajeev Marwah (CEO) , Ashish Kulkarni (COO) (he also hosted the show onstage)from Jadooworks, P. Jaykumar, CEO, Toonz Animation India, Tapas Chakravarti , MD & CEO, DQ Entertainment, Indian animation veteran Mr Ram Mohan ( who was awarded with the Lifetime achievement award).
Joan Vogelesang, President, Toon Boom Technologies (Canada) who was conferred a special award for her continuing support and encouragement to the Indian Animation Industry, couldn’t make it to Mumbai, however she did call in with a thank you message even as her award was being collected.
The BAF (Best Animated Frames) jury consisted of Well known film maker Govind Nihalani, Nina Sabnani, Head Creative NID, Don Perro from Canada, Ms Margaret Donald from Mallard Media (Scotland) and Bob Last, Ink Animations (Scotland)
The Award winners are as follows –
1. Best Ads/Intro Spots : All Out Coil – Jadoo Works
2. Best Short Film (Students) : Pudchya Warshi Lavkar Ya – NID
3. Best Short Film (Studio) : Raju & I – Animagic India
4. Special Jury Award 1: Spandan – Meeenakshi Vinay Rai
5. Special Jury Award 2: The Adventures of Hanuman – Toonz Animation India
6. Best Animated Episode – Delta State, produced by DQ Entertainment.
7. Lifetime Achievement Award – Mr Ram Mohan
8. Special Award – Joan Vogelesang, President, Toon Boom Technologies.
Event Coverage
Anime India announces Amazon MX Player as co-presenting partner for Anime India Kolkata 2026
MUMBAI: Riding high on the success of its blockbuster Mumbai debut, Anime India is accelerating its nationwide expansion with the announcement of Amazon MX Player as the co-presenting partner for Anime India Kolkata. The partnership marks a significant step forward in the festival’s mission to deliver large-scale, accessible, and fan-first anime experiences across the country.
Scheduled for 14 and 15 February 2026 at the iconic Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan, Anime India Kolkata will launch the first regional chapter of what is set to be a year-long, multi-city tour. As the curtain-raiser for the 2026 circuit, the Kolkata edition aims to fuse the energy of global Japanese pop culture with India’s fast-growing community of anime, manga, and pop-culture fans.
A household name in digital entertainment, Amazon MX Player brings unmatched reach and cultural relevance to the Anime India platform. With its expanding focus on anime and youth-driven content, Amazon MX Player’s involvement as co-presenting partner reinforces Anime India’s vision of making anime culture more inclusive breaking barriers of language, geography, and accessibility to connect with fans nationwide.
Anime India Kolkata 2026 will showcase cosplay competitions, interactive zones led by the Indian Gunpla Community, India-39 Vocaloid Community, The Japan Curry, and Adda-o-Otaku by The Otaku Guild. Fans can join tournaments across fighting games, Pokémon VGC, and more. Acclaimed Japanese director Susumu Mitsunaka (Haikyu!!) will attend as guest of honour, appearing in panels and live sessions. Positioned as an immersive celebration of fan culture and industry collaboration, the Kolkata edition marks the beginning of Anime India’s nationwide expansion.
Sharing their perspective on the partnership, Amazon MX Player director Aruna Daryanani expressed, “Anime in India has evolved from a niche interest into a mainstream cultural movement, driven by an increasingly engaged and passionate fanbase. At Amazon MX Player, our focus is on expanding access by bringing anime to audiences across the country for free and in multiple local languages. Our association with Anime India reflects our commitment to supporting the growth of anime in India and deepening connections with fans, while continuing to build Amazon MX Player as a trusted destination for free, high-quality entertainment.”
“Anime India Kolkata is a celebration of how anime has grown beyond entertainment into a powerful cultural and creative force. By bringing fans, creators, and industry leaders onto one shared platform, the festival is helping define the future of pop culture in India,” said Anime India co-founder and director Neha Mehta.
The debut edition of Anime India 2025 in Mumbai attracted over 29,000 fans, quickly cementing its status as a landmark celebration of anime and Japanese pop culture. Riding on this overwhelming response, the Kolkata chapter is projected to draw more than 40,000 visitors across two days, positioning it as one of the biggest anime conventions ever held in eastern India.
Anime India is focused on bringing together fans from across the country to create a truly pan-India celebration of anime, manga, cosplay, gaming, and Japanese culture. With plans to expand into four key metropolitan hubs in 2026—east (Kolkata), north (Delhi), west (Mumbai), and south (Hyderabad)—the festival seeks to deliver globally benchmarked experiences while supporting and uplifting creators, artists, and fan communities throughout India.
