Animela Film Festival

A Celebration of Animation, Gaming, VFX, Comics, XR & Visual Storytelling. AniMela is India’s first International Animation, VFX, Gaming, Comics & XR (AVGC-XR) Festival, dedicated to advancing visual arts and emerging technologies through cinema, storytelling, and creative exchange.

Now in its third edition, AniMela brings together filmmakers, artists, students, industry professionals, and enthusiasts to explore the ever-evolving worlds of animation, VFX, XR, gaming, and comics.

Conceived as a platform by the industry, for the industry, the festival champions original voices, bold experimentation, and future-facing creativity.Designed as a world-class annual festival, AniMela showcases cutting-edge works through curated screenings, conversations, and community engagement while actively supporting Indian filmmakers and young talent within the AVGC-XR ecosystem.

Saturday 17th Jan - Contemporary Animation

A curated selection of Indian and French animated shorts exploring identity, memory, travel, conflict, and social change.

Best suited for adult audiences, students, filmmakers, artists, and animation enthusiasts interested in bold, experimental, and thought-provoking storytelling.

Ideal for viewers curious about how animation engages with the real world beyond children’s narratives.

Indian Animated Shorts

• Bon Voyage Pour Mon Voyage: An experimental animated travelogue capturing the filmmaker’s journeys across Indian cities in 2023.
• April: A woman returns to her hometown in Manipur after a year in the city, reconnecting with rural life, food culture, and memory during a brief stay.
• Home (Ghar Aangan): An animated chronicle drawn from the lucid memories of the filmmaker’s 90-year-old mother, reflecting on home, displacement, and the Partition of India in 1947.
• Kalar Pancils: Four vignettes where childlike innocence collides with the adult world.
• The Girl Who Lived in the Loo: A deeply personal coming-of-age story of a girl whose lifelong obsession with toilets becomes a lens to navigate loneliness and identity.
• Maatitel: A domestic evening spirals into conflict as a family argument escalates in front of two children.
• Anyday Everyday One Fine Day: A poetic exploration of childhood social anxiety through metaphor, everyday struggles, and the healing power of friendship.

French Animated Shorts

• GiGi: From a tormented little mermaid to a fulfilled woman, GiGi narrates a journey of gender transition with warmth, humour, and sensitivity.
• The Great Arc: A reflective essay film discovering monumental artworks hidden in plain sight within Paris’s La Défense district.
• Kaminhu: A young Western traveler exploring Cape Verde meets a fisherman who invites her to slow down and stay.
• La Bestia: A harrowing animated journey aboard a freight train carrying migrants toward the United States—where injury alters perception and fate.
• Un Genre de Testament: A chilling exploration of digital identity theft, anonymity, and mortality in the online age.

Sunday 18th Jan - Family and all age animation

A joyful and thoughtful mix of Indian and French shorts suitable for children and families.

Perfect for audiences looking to experience animation as an emotionally rich, visually immersive, and shared cinematic experience.

Family-Friendly Shorts:

• Yuck!: A playful and tender look at first crushes, embarrassment, and affection through a child’s eyes.
• Lucky Dog: A satirical tale of an Indian pet dog dreaming of immigrating to Canada, poking fun at visa systems and migration fantasies.
• Dans Le Danse: Four friends reunite for an expressive freestyle dance session.
• Basha: Two brothers’ carefree adventures take a darker turn, opening into reflections on nature, consequence, and redemption.

Family Feature Film:

• Calamity
• 1863, United States of America: On a westward wagon journey, Martha Jane must take charge after her father is injured. As she learns to drive the wagon and care for the horses, she discovers independence, resilience, and freedom in an unforgiving frontier.