Suparn Varma was born on 24 September 1974 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India. He is a writer and director, known for The Family Man (2019), Janasheen (2003) and Acid Factory (2009).

Prof. Sekhar Mukherjee is an alumnus of NID Ahmedabad, where he also acted as a senior faculty of communication design from 2002 to 2018. As a commerce graduate, he decided to pursue his passion for the profession and started his career being a newspaper cartoonist, illustrator and info-graphic artist for the Economic Times, Kolkata. Afterwhich, he joined NID to study Animation Film Design in 1992. In 2000, he trained the first 2D animation studio in Dhaka, Bangladesh, which is one of his most cherished projects to date. From 2002, for the next 12 years, he headed the Animation Department at NID Ahmedabad.

Under his mentorship, his students won much national and international recognition. He was also the chairman of NID Film Club and the Artistic Founder Director of the iconic Chitrakatha event-A biennial International Student Animation Festival since 2007. He regularly contributes and practices cartoons, comics, illustrations, murals, graphic experiments, etc. He is often invited as a delegate, jury member, and expert to other design schools and various animation and comics festivals across the globe. In 2009, he received the Best Animation Teacher Award from CNBC-TV18 for his “outstanding contribution to the cause of animation education in India”. He celebrates design as a problem-solving and opportunity creation tool in his 25 plus years of professional journey. He is also an editorial board member of 123 Animation- An Interdisciplinary Journal, SAGE, UK and Longform Graphic Storytelling Collective.

A doyen in the animation industry, Milind D. Shinde’s career boasts of close to two decades of experience and is spread over diverse domains namely Project Management, Production and New Studio Set up. He was part of the core team involved in setting up the production of the India business unit of DreamWorks Animation Studios. During his stint with DreamWorks Animation Studios, Milind played a crucial role in the production work executed in India for some of their successful movie franchises such as Madagascar, Puss in Boots and How to Train Your Dragon to name a few. He also was one of the key members involved in setting up the production for Dreamworks Animation Studios in Shanghai called as Oriental DreamWorks and worked on Kung Fu Panda 3 which was one of the highest grossing animated features in China.

Through his astute management skills, unflinching vision and a zeal for quality and creativity, Milind has successfully established 88 Pictures as a key player in the arena of Animation and premium content delivery services with several reputed projects to their credit. Their clientele boasts of studios such as Dreamworks Animation Studios, Warner Bros Animation, Nickelodeon, Lucas Film, Gaumont and Netflix to name a few. The company recently made a successful foray into the domain of VFX with the Siddharth Malhotra and Rashmika Mandanna starrer Mission Majnu.

Prior to starting his entrepreneurial journey with 88 Pictures in the animation field, Milind also worked in various industries and comes with a degree in engineering and management.

Born and Bought up in Mumbai, Karan at the age of 17 started working as a production assistant compiling show reels for other Television Commercial Directors. By the age of 24 he had produced over 500 television commercials filming all over the globe.

He took a leap of faith and Applied to Bond University Australia, securing a full scholarship, pursuing a Masters degree in Film and TV. His short film 'La fourchette' (on the life of a kitchen fork) premiered at the NY Short Film Festival and was a runner up at the competition.

His debut feature length documentary "That Healing Feeling" was screened at the Sheffield DocFest and Hot Docs. At 27 he was the youngest board member for the Indian Documentary Producers Association.

In 2016, Karan got his first big break - being one of the directors of the Indian adaptation of acclaimed American Tv show "24" starring Anil Kapoor. The show ran for two successful seasons, comprising 48 episodes.

In 2018, Karan Directed and Executive Produced a Netflix Series - Selection Day which is based on the book of the same name written by Booker Prize winning author Arvind Adiga. This show was one of the first Netflix Shows in India and gathered considerable critical acclaim.

His debut feature, 'Thank You For Coming' was a part of the Official Selection at the Toronto Film Festival 2023 and has opened world wide on 6th October as one of the most highly rated films of the year.

Who Can Participate: This invitation is open to directors, creative artists, and filmmakers with unique story ideas. If you are passionate about the Indian Animation Industry and have a compelling vision, we encourage you to participate.

Submission Details:
Deadline: Submit your first pitch deck by 25th July.

Inviting all Filmmakers (Writers, Directors, Cinematographers, producers) to participate in the creators Pitch.

Requirements:

• 1. Minimum 500 words story summary
• 2. 3 Character descriptions of 100 words each
• 3. The story should be submitted in English

Step 1 Submitting Pitch deck: Your pitch deck should include a short story pitch, a pitch bible with details about the story arc, characters, set pieces, and visual arc, original artworks representing the story, and background information about yourself

Step 2 Jury screening: The Jury will screen the entrants purely on the basis of the idea of the story and character descriptions.

• 1. 5 panel jury will be set up of experienced storytellers. These would be Directors & Writers and Studio heads like Sujoy Ghosh, Imtiaz Alli, Milind.D.Shinde, Suparnn Verma, etc
• 2. The goal would be to shortlist the stories to top 30 by scores
• 3. A second round of Jury screening will be undertaken in case the stories count are still higher than 30

Step 3 Animation & More Summit:

• 1. The Top 30 selected will make a 10 minute presentation on the story and the characters similar to an elevator pitch
• 2. Another 10 mins will be kept for the Q & A
• 3. The participants. will be given a week to prepare, thus the presentation should be kept to a minimum duration of 10 mins
• 4. Two 2 stories will be selected from 30 pitches and announced as winners. These stories will be produced as short films.

This is a fantastic chance to bring your animation projects to fruition under the guidance of top creators in India. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to make your mark in the animation industry!

Who Can Participate: This opportunity is open to students who are passionate about the animation industry and have unique story ideas. We encourage you to let your imagination run wild and submit your best pitches.

Submission Details:
Deadline: Submit your pitch deck by 15th June.
Requirements: Your pitch deck should include a short story pitch, a pitch bible with details about the story arc, characters, set pieces, and visual arc, original artworks representing the story, and background information about yourself and any team members.

Process:

• 1. Submission: Students must submit their pitch deck by 15th June.
• 2. Shortlisting: Pitches will be reviewed and shortlisted by the creative people from the studios.
• 3. Development: Shortlisted candidates will convert their pitch into a short film by 20th August under the guidance of a team of mentors in their institute.
• 4. Showcase: The completed short films will be showcased during a n m summit and ann awards on 4th Sept in Mumbai.
• 5. Awards: The Best of the two short films will receive a cash prize 25k each along with official software license and high end Tablet and the opportunity to showcase their short film in international film festivals.

This is an incredible opportunity to bring your animated ideas to life and gain recognition in the industry. Don’t miss out!