BRICS WAVES Bazaar Draws 900 Delegates and New Global Media Deals

The Bazaar extended beyond conventional cinema, reflecting the growing commercial importance of animation, gaming, immersive entertainment and artificial intelligence within the global content industry.

The BRICS WAVES Bazaar 2026 has concluded in Mumbai after bringing more than 900 industry delegates from 20 BRICS member and partner countries together for two days of business meetings, international project announcements and discussions covering film, television, animation, gaming and digital content.

Hosted by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting through the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), the event recorded more than 275 curated business-to-business meetings involving producers, studios, broadcasters, investors, film commissions, technology companies, government representatives and AVGC enterprises. Many of those conversations are expected to develop into co-productions, commercial partnerships and institutional relationships connecting creative businesses across participating countries.

India and Brazil Deepen Film Cooperation

One of the major international developments came through an exchange of a Letter of Intent between NFDC Managing Director Prakash Magdum and Rio Film Commission Head Daniel Celli, creating a framework for stronger audiovisual cooperation between NFDC and RioFilme while supporting Brazilian participation at WAVES 2027.

Archival cooperation is also expanding, with NFDC-NFAI and Russia's Gosfilmofond exploring opportunities to formalise their relationship, while representatives from South Africa, Russia, Thailand and Kazakhstan announced plans for a Global South Film Festival in 2027.

India and Vietnam moved towards deeper film cooperation through a Record of Meeting between the Media & Entertainment Association of India and Vietnam's Cinema Department, with both sides working towards a formal bilateral agreement.

Cross-Border Films Add Momentum to Co-Productions

Several international film projects were announced during the Bazaar, giving producers a practical route to turn industry networking into cross-border content.

The feature film Portuguese Man 'O War' will bring together partners and co-producers from India, Brazil, Portugal and France, while KOROVA, produced by Kartina Entertainment and VEGA Films, will expand India-Russia co-production activity.

Czech production company Movie s.r.o. and India's Cinema4Good also announced an international historical epic centred on entrepreneur Tomáš Baťa, with collaborators from India, the Czech Republic, China, South Africa and the UAE.

These projects show how producers are increasingly looking beyond bilateral partnerships and assembling creative, financial and production expertise from several countries for a single project.

AI, Anime and Gaming Expand the Creative Mix

The Bazaar extended beyond conventional cinema, reflecting the growing commercial importance of animation, gaming, immersive entertainment and artificial intelligence within the global content industry.

South Korea's nCORE Inc. and UAE-based VisionX announced Calivision AI Studio in India, an AI-first production operation focused on cinematic and immersive storytelling. Vaibhavi Studios revealed its upcoming anime feature TRIO, while ETV unveiled the poster for an Indian anime series planned for television broadcast.

KLIP also presented its plans for a premium micro-drama platform, highlighting the growing interest in shorter digital storytelling formats designed for changing viewing habits.

The Assam AVGC-XR Development Association signed agreements with industry bodies covering game development, comics, international market access and intellectual property distribution.

BRICS Producers Build Permanent Collaboration Network

Industry participants unveiled the BRICS Independent Producers Alliance, or BIPA, as a permanent platform designed to connect producers through investment, education, innovation and collaborative projects rather than limiting engagement to individual events.

The Indian Institute of Creative Technologies and Graphiti Multimedia also signed an MoU covering content creation, academic programmes, industry partnerships, innovation and talent development, while other agreements focused on comics, intellectual property and international market access. Magdum said the discussions initiated at the Bazaar could lead to stronger co-productions and business relationships across BRICS and partner countries.

With its combination of commercial meetings, project announcements and institutional agreements, BRICS WAVES Bazaar is positioning India as a meeting point for creative businesses seeking access to markets across the Global South while giving Indian creators new routes into international production and distribution networks.