Event Coverage
Shirley Maclaine, Sam Neill to lend star presence at MipTV
MUMBAI: Actors Shirley MacLaine and Sam Neill will join the new Miss World – Miss Zi Lin Zhang – and a clutch of international talent at the forthcoming television trade event MipTV featuring Milia in Cannes, which runs from 7 to 11 April 2008.
UK-American producer and distributor Alchemy Television will host a media event on 7 April to launch their slate of four miniseries to the international marketplace. MacLaine will present the new mini-series Coco Chanel, in which she stars as the influential French designer.
The event will also feature Neill talking about his character in Iron Road while Sir Derek Jacobi and Louise Rose will present Diamonds and Bradley Whitford will promote Burn Up.
Zhang, the new Miss World, representing the People‘s Republic of China, will also be at MipTV for Zeal Entertainment who distributes the Miss World Festival internationally.
British comedy will be at the forefront during this edition of MipTV. Actress, humorist, singer and dancer Tracey Ullman is bringing her new show State of the Union. Sanjeev Bhaskar will showcase the series Mumbai Calling, and comedian-presenter Brian Conley will host the International Interactive Emmy Awards ceremony which takes place at MipTV on 8 April with several international stars.
Carla Peterson and Luciano Castro, the glamour couple in Lalola, will be in Cannes to mark the international success of this Argentinian telenovela.
The mentalist Uri Geller will return to MipTV to support his new show Staya Erusa: Find the Book of Knowledge and his Israeli hit show The Successor.
On the French production front, the artists of Sisterhood will be on hand in the shape of Thea Boswell, Charlotte Becquin, Emmanuelle Boidron, Julia Cecilion and Pierre Deny (Marathon). Singer-actress Priscilla will be in town with on-screen partner Alexia Degremont to present their new musical series Chante.
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.
