Event Coverage
Furthering ‘Brand India’: Film & entertainment buyer-seller meet at Festival de Cannes
NEW DELHI: A buyer-seller meet is being held during the Festival de Cannes 2017 to provide a platform for the Indian media & entertainment industry to showcase its product and services, strength and capabilities and further the image of “Brand India.”
The meet is being organised by the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry & Service Export Promotion Council of the Commerce and Industry Ministry from 18 to 22 May at the J W Marriott Hotel.
Cannes Film Festival is uniquely positioned as one of the largest International film festival cum exhibition on the entertainment Industry where visitors come together to assess the latest trends, forge partnerships and solutions. This is an opportunity to meet professionals, to trade, to exchange ideas, and to project the capabilities of the Indian audio-visual industry in animation, VFX, films, editing, story writing, sound recording and promoting attractive shooting locales in India.
The Marché du Film is the most important event of the film industry and the meeting point of more than 10,000 professionals, including 3,200 producers, 2,300 distributors’ rooms, 1,500 sellers and 790 festival organisers.
Apart from facilitating pre-fixed B2B meetings, the meet will have Special Session with the minister of state for information and broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore which will be conducted by eminent producer Bobby Bedi. Others present at this meet will be Indian Ambassador to France Mohan Kumar; SEPC DG Sangeeta Saxena; eminent producer and Hyde Park Entertainment Chairman Ashok Amritraj; celebrity chef Vikas Khanna; and Hollywood film producer Andrei Severny.
Meetings have been arranged with the Canadian and Australian delegations. There will be also be a discussion on Opportunities of Regional Cinema Going Global.
The meet will conclude with a Session at the India Pavilion on “Export of Indian Film Services to the world” conducted by Special Treats Production CEO Colin Burrows.
Participants at this meet will include Ms Saxena of SEPC, I and B Ministry Joint Secretary (films) Ashok Kumar Parmar; Trinity Pictures . (Eros International’s Motion Pictures Production division) CEO Ajit Thakur; and Content Policy and Standards Strategist at Intel Corp Ravi Velhal.
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.
