Animation's New Vanguard: 42 AFC Finalists Set to Shine at WAVE Summit 2025

The WAVE Summit 2025, scheduled from May 1–4, 2025, in Mumbai, promises to be a watershed moment for India's animation and immersive media industry.

In a vibrant showcase of talent and creativity, Dancing Atoms Studios, in partnership with the Union Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, has officially unveiled the 42 finalists of the Animation Film Makers Competition (AFC) — a flagship event of the Create in India Challenge Season-1, under the prestigious World Audio-Visual and Entertainment (WAVE) Summit 2025. The finalists were declared in the second week of April 2025, after an intense nine-month evaluation process that filtered out the best from thousands of entries across India.

The WAVE Summit 2025, scheduled from May 1–4, 2025, in Mumbai, promises to be a watershed moment for India's animation and immersive media industry. These 42 winning projects, now celebrated in a comprehensive creative catalogue launched by Dancing Atoms Studios, are a testament to India's burgeoning creative power, innovation, and global ambition.

A Rigorous Selection Journey

Spanning traditional animation, VFX, Augmented Reality (AR)/Virtual Reality (VR), and virtual production, the competition emphasized original storytelling, technical finesse, and cross-cultural resonance. Finalists were chosen from hundreds of submissions, reflecting the full diversity of India's vibrant storytelling traditions — from mythology and folklore to contemporary social narratives.

The breakdown of the 42 shortlisted projects is:

• 12 Feature Films

• 18 Short Films

• 9 TV/Limited Series

• 3 AR/VR Experiences

Each project now has a prime opportunity to be showcased to a global assembly of producers, investors, and distributors, fostering collaborations that transcend geographical and linguistic barriers.

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Spotlight: 18 Exceptional Short Films

Short films continue to be the soul of experimental storytelling, and the 18 finalists reflect this ethos:

Creator	Project Title
Shreya Sachdev	Vani
Shrikant S Menon	Odiyan
Prasanth Kumar Nagadasi	Best Friends
Shweta Subhash Marathe	Melting Shame
Anika Rajesh	Achappam
Martand Anand Ugalmugle	Chandomama
Kiruthika Ramasubramanian	A Dream's Dream
Harish Narayan Iyer	Karabi
Triparna Maiti	The Chair
Arundhati Sarkar	So Close Yet So Far
Gadam Jagadish Prasad Yadav	Symphony of Darkness
Vetrivel	The Last Treasure
Gargi Gawthe	Godva
Shreeyaa Vinayak Pore	Kali (Bud)
Harshita Das	Luna
Sandhra Mary	Missing
Richa Bhutani	Climatescape
Hirak Jyoti Nath	Tales From The Tea House

These projects bring stories from ancient tales, rural life, personal journeys, and futuristic visions, each imbued with artistic individuality.

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Animation Feature Films: A New Golden Era

India’s long-aspired dream of producing globally impactful animated feature films is closer to reality, thanks to creators like:

Creator	Project Title
Catharina Dian Wiraswati S	Fly!
Shubham Tomar	Mahzun
Srikanth Bhogi	Rudhra
Anirban Majumder	Babar Aur Banno - A Friendship Saga
Nandan Balakrishnan	The Dream Balloon
Jacqueline C Ching	Lykke and the Trolls
Rohit Sankhla	Dwarka - The Lost City of Shree Krishna
Bhagat Singh Saini	Red Woman
Abhijeet Saxena	Arise, Awake
Vamsi Bandaru	Ayurveda Chronicles - Search for the Lost Light
Piyush Kumar	Wrong Programming..The Unleashed Wars of AI
Khambor Batei	Kharjana - Lapalang - A Khasi Folklore Reimagined

These films explore genres ranging from mythology and folklore to futuristic dystopias, positioning India on the global stage with both cultural authenticity and universal appeal.

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TV/Limited Series and AR/VR Innovations

Animation for television and streaming platforms is rapidly expanding, and India's creators are keeping pace with cutting-edge projects like:

TV/Limited Series Finalists

Creator	Project Title
Jyothi Kalyan Sura	Jackie & Jilal
Tuhin Chanda	Chupi: Silence Behind Laws
Kishore Kumar Kedari	Age of the Deccan: The Legend of Malik Ambar
Bhagyashree Satapathy	Pāśa
Rishav Mohanty	Khatti
Sukankan Roy	Sound of Joy
Atreyee Poddar, Sangeeta Poddar, Bimal Poddar	Moray Kaka
Prasenjit Singha	The Quiet Chaos
Segun Samson, Omotunde Akiode	Maapu

AR/VR Experience Finalists

Creator	Project Title
Sundar Mahalingam	Ashvamedha - The Unsealed Fate
Anuj Kumar Choudhary	Liminalism
Isha Chandna	Toxic Effect of Substance Abuse on Human Body

These projects reflect the new frontiers of storytelling through immersive technologies, education, and social change narratives.

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A Word from the Organizers

Saraswathi Buyyala, Founder and CEO of Dancing Atoms Studios, expressed profound pride, stating:

"Bringing these 42 exceptional projects together in one creative catalogue showcases the immense pool of talent we have discovered. It's a historic step toward placing Indian animation and immersive storytelling on the global map."

She further emphasized the massive economic potential of the animation sector:

• Short Films: ~$20 billion globally (2024 figures)

• Feature Films: ~$30–32.3 billion global box office and ancillary markets

• TV Animation Series: ~$512 billion in production and licensing revenues

• AR/VR Entertainment: ~$22.12 billion (AR) and ~$79.36 billion (VR), with strong growth forecasts, particularly across the Asia Pacific.

Ms. Buyyala added that North America remains the largest market, but Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the coming years, driven by surging demand for immersive content, expanding streaming platforms, and cross-sector innovations.

With WAVE Summit 2025 just around the corner, the global industry will soon witness the next generation of Indian animation talent making its mark. Creativity, technology, and collaboration are the watchwords of this revolution — and with these 42 brilliant projects leading the charge, the future looks nothing short of spectacular.