Film Production
NFDC signs landmark film tie-ups with Australia for global collaborations
MUMBAI: Lights, camera, collaboration! India and Australia are ready for a cinematic crossover as the National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC) has inked two landmark Letters of Intent (LOIs) with Screen Producers Australia (SPA) and the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA). Together, they’re rolling out a red carpet for co-productions, preservation and partnerships.
With Screen Producers Australia, the spotlight is on India Connect, a marquee initiative that will see a delegation of Indian producers fly to the Gold Coast in 2026 for Screen Forever, the country’s biggest screen conference. Think project-matching forums, structured networking, and fresh avenues for cultural exchange, a power-packed script designed to spark creative and commercial collaborations across borders.
The second LOI with NFSA is all about safeguarding cinema’s soul. The partnership will focus on film restoration, digitisation, and archival expertise, ensuring that the legacies of both nations remain intact for future generations of cinephiles. Knowledge-sharing and joint preservation practices will form the spine of this alliance, giving old reels a new lease of life.
The curtain rises on these collaborations in late 2025, with timelines rolling into Screen Forever 2026 and beyond. The partnerships will also extend to Waves Bazaar, NFDC’s flagship content and co-production market, hosted alongside IFFI in November. With Australian participation bolstering the line-up, Waves Bazaar promises to be a buzzing hub where stories, ideas and partnerships take centre stage.
As I&B Secretary Sanjay Jaju put it, the moves “reaffirm NFDC’s commitment to building global bridges for Indian cinema.” From the Gold Coast to Goa, the script is set for a blockbuster partnership that brings filmmakers, audiences, and archives together in one global reel.
Film Production
Arka Mediaworks onboards 88 Pictures as animation studio partner on ‘The Eternal War – Part 1’
Arka Mediaworks announces that 88 Pictures, the acclaimed animation and visual storytelling studio known for its cutting-edge CGI and cinematic artistry, is on board as the animation partner for the highly anticipated Baahubali: The Eternal War, a groundbreaking two-part 3D animated feature film set in the globally beloved Baahubali universe.
Baahubali: The Eternal War represents a bold new chapter in the Baahubali saga envisioned for national and international audiences and crafted with the ambition of delivering one of India’s most ambitious and globally benchmarked animation projects to date.
88 Pictures will execute the animation production, bringing to life the film’s richly detailed worlds, epic battle sequences, and larger-than-life characters with its signature blend of artistic vision, performance-driven animation, and advanced production pipelines. Working closely with the film’s creative leadership and technical partners, the studio aims to set new benchmarks in animation quality, cinematic storytelling, and global scalability.
This animated epic follows the successful re-release of Baahubali: The Epic (the combined theatrical version of the original live-action films) on 31 October 2025 across India and the USA. During the film’s interval, legendary creator and director S.S. Rajamouli (Baahubali 1 & 2, RRR) stunned audiences with a surprise teaser for The Eternal War – Part 1. The video immediately went viral, garnering widespread national and international acclaim across LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube for its ambitious visual style and scale.
Produced by Arka Mediaworks and led by co-founder and CEO Shobu Yarlagadda – producer of the iconic Baahubali duology, The Eternal War brings together fantastic storytelling and cutting-edge animation.. The film is directed and written by acclaimed animation filmmaker Ishan Shukla (Schirkoa: In Lies We Trust, Star Wars: Visions – “The Bandits of Golak”) and screenplay by Scott Mosier (The Grinch). Mihira Visual Labs, the studio co-founded by Yarlagadda anchors the film’s animation, visual development, and execution.
The partnership with 88 Pictures brings significant pedigree to the project; the studio is well-regarded for its work on high-profile international titles including DreamWorks’ series Trollhunters, the HBO Max original series Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, Disney’s animated short An Almost Christmas Story to name a few.
Yarlagadda shared, “We are happy to onboard 88 Pictures as the animation studio partner for our prestigious and most expensive animated film from India. We believe that their expertise and capabilities will allow us to produce a first-of-its-kind, world-class animated feature film from India.”
88 Pictures founder & CEO Milind D. Shinde said, “Baahubali changed the way cinema is perceived and became a defining milestone that turned the tide for Indian live-action filmmaking. Expanding the franchise into an entirely new universe—at a never-seen, never-done scale—through an animated feature created in India for a global audience is set to redefine how the world views Indian animation. We are truly thrilled to be part of this landmark project and to bring it to life under the visionary direction of Ishan Shukla, guided by the experience and leadership of acclaimed producer Shobu Yarlagadda.”
Shukla expressed, “Eternal War requires a level of visual and emotional precision that can only come from teams who truly understand both craft and intent. Working with 88 Pictures, alongside Mihira Visual Labs, has been a deeply collaborative experience. This association brings together technical excellence and creative sensitivity, enabling us to translate an ambitious vision into a compelling cinematic reality.”
Baahubali: The Eternal War – Part 1 is scheduled for release in 2027
