Animation
More than 200 animators to collect for Anifest 05
MUMBAI: Its celebration time for animators, as Mumbai hosts Anifest 05 this Saturday. Organised by TASI & ASIFA India in association with Indiantelevison.com’s Animation ‘xpress, Anifest 05 is an attempt at collecting Indian animators under one roof.
Being held at Ramada Plaza Palm Grove, Juhu, the festivities include a special screening of the best 45 minutes of the 37 original short films sent in. Besides the special screening, the panel discussion features prominent animators like Neelesh Gore, Jai Natarajan, Prashant Kadkol, Priyam, Gitanjali Rao, Sameer Kulavoor and Debbie Pashkoff. The spirit of art and animation shall be further heightened by JAM sessions, rock n roll and doodling and caricature corners.
Says TASI President Ram Mohan, “Anifest 05 is a significant step forward for Indian animation professionals who wish to make their presence felt and their voice heard. The enthusiastic support and sponsorship received by TASI and ASIFA so far gives us reason to believe that is the first of many more such celebratory events in the years to come.”
ASIFA India President Bill Dennis tells Indiantelevision.com, “It was really the artists and animators who came up with the idea for this festival format. At last year’s International Animation Day event in Mumbai, several artists came up to me and commented they would like a forum or an event where they could express their own views and discuss their own ideas instead of always listening to the views and concerns of management and production executives. So, that’s what we’ve tried to do with Anifest 05.- an event by and for the artists. It’s really been great for ASIFA India working with TASI and I hope we’ll be able to team up on many projects in the future.”
While globally animation festivals are a norm, for Indian animation to have a festivity like Anifest is an indicator of the way the scene is evolving in India too.
MUMBAI: History is getting a fresh rewrite this time with code, creativity and a longer arc in mind. Lens Vault Studios has announced its first original production, Bal Tanhaji, marking the official entry of the newly launched, tech-driven studio into India’s evolving entertainment landscape.
Arriving six years after the box-office success of Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, the new project expands the universe rather than revisiting familiar ground. Bal Tanhaji explores uncharted narrative territory, signalling a clear shift from one-off cinematic spectacles to long-format, world-building storytelling designed for digital-first audiences.
At the heart of this ambition is Prismix Studios, the in-house generative AI and technology arm powering the creative engine behind the show. The studio’s approach blends storytelling with next-generation tools, aiming to reimagine how Indian IPs are created, scaled and sustained beyond theatrical releases.
For Lens Vault Studios chairman Ajay Devgn the new venture represents a deliberate step beyond traditional cinema. The focus is firmly on building long-form intellectual properties across fiction and non-fiction, tailored to changing viewing habits and platform-led consumption. He said the studio intends to explore formats that remain largely untapped, while drawing on the team’s experience with large-scale cinematic storytelling.
Lens Vault Studios founder and CEO Danish Devgn echoed that sentiment, describing Bal Tanhaji as the studio’s first generative-AI-led IP and the starting point of a broader vision. The aim, he noted, is to carry forward the legacy of the Tanhaji universe while connecting with younger audiences through a blend of powerful narratives and emerging technologies.
With Bal Tanhaji, Lens Vault Studios is planting its flag early not just launching a show, but signalling a larger play for cinematic universes that live, grow and evolve across platforms. If this debut is any indication, the future of Indian storytelling may be as much about imagination as it is about innovation.
