Event Coverage
Brit comedian Julian Clary to host Mipcom DVD Awards
MUMBAI: The Mipcom 2005 DVD Awards, organised in partnership with the DVD Association (DVDA, USA) and the International Video Federation (IVF, Belgium), boast several new categories and promise a star studded event for their second edition.
Presenting the awards ceremony this year will be British comedian Julian Clary. “I am thrilled to the marrow to be hosting this prestigious awards ceremony,” says Clary.
The international accolades will be held during the 21 edition of Mipcom – the world’s audiovisual content market, on 18 October in the Esterel Auditorium, Palais des Festivals, Cannes and reward creativity and innovation in DVD content (web features and interactivity, programme content restoration, special features, navigation and graphic design).
This year’s awards, to be held on 18 October in the Esterel Auditorium, Palais des Festivals, Cannes, will have 10 categories compared to 7 last year. The three new categories — Music, Games and Sport — will add to awards being handed out to TV Series (English-language), TV Series (original version non-English), Children/Youth Fiction, Children/Youth Animation, Non-Fiction (documentaries, sports, leisure etc. excluding music), Film (English-language), Film (original version other than English). These categories exclude all titles containing adult content.
Submissions for the DVD Awards, which closed last June, were open to all DVD artists, developers, authors, designers, distributors, and publishers. The event is sponsored by Warner Bros. and Kultur.
In addition to the Awards ceremony, the DVD Club is back again this year and situated on the third floor of the Palais des Festivals for the duration of the five day Mipcom event.
The club is run by DVDA and equipped with two projection rooms. The DVD Club will be the uncontested centre for DVD specialists and professionals.
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.
