Centre for 'Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics' courses to be set up: Javadekar

NEW DELHI: Asserting that 'Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics' is a "sunrise sector", Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar on Wednesday announced the government will set up a 'Centre of Excellence' in cooperation with IIT-Bombay which will offer courses in AVGC.

Addressing the CII Big Picture Summit virtually, the minister said this centre will undertake initiatives to promote entrepreneurship and encourage start-ups in the sector. "We are a country where the growth of communication technology is phenomenal.

This presents a tremendous scope for the entertainment and media industry," Javadekar said. "Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) is a sunrise sector and our experts are providing back-end support to top filmmakers of the world," he said. It was time that these professionals started doing more of this for our own films so that the use of animation and graphics in Indian films grows manifolds, he added.

Javadekar said the government is setting up a 'Centre of Excellence' in cooperation with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay where courses in AVGC will be offered. The minister also invited the attendees to participate in the 51st International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa in January 2021.

He announced that India will set up a special pavilion at Cannes in 2022 as the Cannes Film Festival celebrates 75 years. He also announced that India will host a Global Media and Film Summit next year. Speaking on the occasion, Prasar Bharti CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati said various channels under the public broadcaster created content to generate mass awareness during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The efforts reflected in Doordarshan's standing among the top social advertisers during the period, he said. By airing shows like 'Ramayan' and 'Mahabharat', Doordarshan has highlighted that there is still an audience for wholesome family content, he added. Vempati said efforts like DD Free Dish are trendsetting initiatives across the world. On the same note, emerging technologies like 5G provide an opportunity to take broadcasting to smartphones and this opportunity is being tapped by startups in India.

The Big Picture Summit is the flagship summit and leadership forum of the media and entertainment industry. It brings together M&E stakeholders from the Indian government, the industry as well as internationally renowned experts on a single platform to navigate a successful growth path at a time when digital transformation, convergence of technology and artificial intelligence are changing the rules of the game.

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