As India’s AVGC-XR industry pushes toward global scale, GAFX 2026 arrives in Bengaluru at a decisive moment. With its theme Evolution Unloaded, this year’s edition signals a maturing ecosystem, one that is no longer just celebrating craft, but actively aligning capital, policy, technology and original IP ambition.
From blockbuster breakdowns and behind-the-scenes filmmaking sessions to IP launches, games craft workshops, and high-voltage policy presence, this edition is designed to feel less like a “show” and more like a strategic convergence of talent, technology, commerce and governance. Alongside, Ministers of Karnataka Government and other senior leadership members, Indian actor-director cum producer Sudeep Sanjeev, who primarily works in Kannada cinema is all set to grace the occassion.
As the seventh edition of the Bengaluru GAFX arrives, Astra Studios founder & CEO and ABAI president Biren Ghose shares an indepth view on what this annual gathering represents and why this year’s programme, the overall event panorama is built to take creators, producers, investors, and professionals “behind the scenes, into the method, and closer to the market.”
As India’s AVGC-XR industry pushes toward global scale, GAFX 2026 arrives in Bengaluru at a decisive moment. With its theme Evolution Unloaded, this year’s edition signals a maturing ecosystem, one that is no longer just celebrating craft, but actively aligning capital, policy, technology and original IP ambition.
From blockbuster breakdowns and behind-the-scenes filmmaking sessions to IP launches, games craft workshops, and high-voltage policy presence, this edition is designed to feel less like a “show” and more like a strategic convergence of talent, technology, commerce and governance.
As the seventh edition of the Bengaluru GAFX arrives, Astra Studios founder & CEO and ABAI president
Biren Ghose shares an indepth view on what this annual gathering represents and why this year’s programme, the overall event panorama is built to take creators, producers, investors, and professionals “behind the scenes, into the method, and closer to the market.”
Q: GAFX has been growing over the years. What does it really represent today?
GAFX is no longer a calendar event. It’s a convergence point- where India’s creative ambition meets real capability. You see it in the mix:
- masterclasses from global leaders,
- creators learning the tools shaping the next decade,
- studios and producers breaking down how the year’s biggest stories were actually built,
- curated B2B conversations that shorten the distance between idea and distribution,
- and policy makers aligning incentives with ambition- with more than a dozen states coming together in one place.
That’s not “programming.” That’s momentum. And the bigger point is this: we’re not here only to celebrate what we’ve already done. We’re here to accelerate what India can become.
“In the Orange Economy, capability is built when craft, capital and policy stand in the same room.”
Q: This year’s theme is “Evolution Unloaded.” What does that mean in real terms?
It means the industry is stepping into a new chapter where technology isn’t an add-on, it’s becoming native to how we ideate, design, produce, market and distribute stories. Evolution Unloaded speaks to the intersection of creativity and humanity, because as pipelines become AI-assisted and workflows become real-time, the key question becomes: what do we keep sacred?
We want creators to leave with more than inspiration. We want them to leave with practices, methods, and direction. We’ll talk about AI, real-time, new tools and new business models. But we’ll also ask:
- What kind of stories will define us?
- What kind of artists will we become?
- What kind of cultural power can India build?
“Technology may compress time- but meaning still takes craft.”
Q: Masterclasses are a big draw. What do they truly do for local creators, especially young talent?
They demystify excellence. When global studio leaders unpack how a blockbuster was engineered- animation, VFX spectacle, performance, cinematic language, cross-platform storytelling, they show the method behind the magic. And that’s crucial because young creators don’t just need motivation. They need repeatable pathways.
“Global success is not magic. It is a method.”
This year, we’ve built sessions that take creators right into the engine room. For example:
- Celebrate the cinematic magic behind Kantara with Arvind Kashyap (cinematographer)- a rare lens on how scale, mood, texture and realism are designed, not accidental.
- Making of Deadpool & Wolverine VFX with Prashant Nair (Framestore)- the kind of behind-the-scenes detail that turns a student into a professional.
- Making of Netflix animated hit Kurukshetra with Ashish Thapar (Hitech Animation)- a direct look at long-form animation execution.
- Making of Oscar-nominated animated short Cardboard by DNEG Animation- where craft discipline meets emotional storytelling.
- VFX for Oscar-nominated feature The Lost Bus with Arnab Sanyal (ILM)- the global pipeline in full view.
- Behind-the-scenes VFX of Saare Jahaan Se Accha by PhantomFX.
- Building superhit character IP franchises with Grace Hamilton (Blue Zoo Animation)- because character is a business model now.
- Making an IP: Suppandi Tales by Zebu Animation.
- Just a Minute-The magic behind TVCs by E-Suresh
- Feature animation spotlight: Stitch Head by Assemblage Studios.
- And a fun, craft-led track from Saffronic Studios: Trolls- Fun, Fair and Surprise and George Martin’s Mary Margaret Road Grader.
This range covers the full spectrum: cinema, streaming, shorts, character IP, and global studio-grade VFX.
“If you can see how it’s built, you can begin to believe you can build it.”
Q: Gaming occupies quite a prominent position when it comes to the AVGC conversation. How does GAFX reflect that?
Gaming is no longer adjacent, it’s foundational. This year we have a keynote fireside chat around gaming and the creative economy featuring:
- Rajan Navani (JetSynthesys Founder & CEO)
- Sean Hyunil Sohn ( Krafton CEO)
That’s a powerful pairing, because it brings together ecosystem capital, platform thinking, community building and global scale. And we’re backing it with practical craft: workshops by art directors from Krafton, and Technicolor Games.
“A serious gaming industry is not just about play- it’s about pipelines, IP and global communities.”
Q: You’ve also built sessions around story universes and IP thinking. What’s the intent?
India has long been a global powerhouse in services. The next leap is sovereignty through original IP- in comics, animation, games, audio fiction, interactive formats and cross-media franchises. We’re very intentional about spotlighting multimodal storytelling and new-era IP economics:
- Mythology: a treasure trove of stories with Anand Neelakantan- because India’s civilisational narrative reservoir is unmatched.
- AI-driven animation and VFX by Teevra Studios- where new tools compress iteration cycles.
- Multimodal storytelling by Pratilipi- because stories are now born “format-fluid.”
- Rethinking IP creation in a new era by Pocket FM- because audio fiction and narrative consumption patterns are reshaping how IP gets tested and scaled.
And alongside these, we have multiple IP launches across comics, animation, and gaming companies- because this isn’t just talk; it’s a launchpad.
“In the Orange Economy, intellectual property isn’t an outcome, it’s an industrial strategy.”
Q: The marketplace dimension has always been part of GAFX. How important is it now?
It’s critical- because commerce and creativity have to shake hands if we want the ecosystem to scale. We have a curated B2B marketplace with around a dozen buyers, and over the years we’ve seen how real deals often begin not on stage, but in the breakout areas and informal mixers.
Why? Because curated rooms create clarity: producers discover demand, studios explore co-productions, investors assess scalability, and buyers find what’s “ready.”
“Visibility creates velocity. Velocity creates valuation.”
Q: Competitions are drawing record participation. Why do they matter beyond the trophies?
Because talent needs visibility- and visibility changes psychology. When young animators, game designers, XR innovators step forward and are celebrated, something shifts: they stop seeing themselves as “aspirants” and start seeing themselves as contenders. This year, we’re seeing the highest number of participants across categories, and that tells you something important: the talent pipeline isn’t thin- it’s waiting to be platformed.
“Industries scale when talent feels visible. Ecosystems strengthen when merit is amplified.” And I’ll add this: “Confidence is the first currency of innovation.”
Q: Government presence is unusually strong this year. What does that signal?
It signals that AVGC-XR is being seen not as a niche industry- but as an economic and cultural growth engine. We’re expecting the chief minister and deputy chief minister, alongside the minister for IT/BT, the minister of education, senior leadership including the secretary (ITBT), and the MD of KITS and they’ve been personally driving key elements of this. They mobilised the city through propagating GAFX at key locations in the city and were generous of their time and resources to support this endeavour. It matters because when the government shows up at this level, it moves the conversation from “events” to “ecosystems.”
“When policy and industry align, talent stops leaking and starts leading.”
Q: What makes this 2026 edition special, in one sentence?
It feels like a ‘milan’- a coming together with intent. We stand this up with impossibly short deadlines every year- but what’s special now is the density of purpose. Creators, technologists, producers, investors, educators, startups, policy leaders, all in the same arena, asking the right questions. We’re not chasing relevance. We’re building resonance.
“The next decade will not belong to those who make the most content. It will belong to those who build the most meaning and own the most IP.”
Q: Could you share a final message as GAFX opens its doors?
First: gratitude. To global industry leaders travelling across continents to share wisdom. To sponsors backing ambition with belief. To institutions that invest in skills and access. And to the Government of Karnataka- for clarity of vision and ecosystem leadership. It’s not easy to build something at this scale, and yet the commitment keeps growing year after year. Because when you see creators, capital, craft and governance assembled with shared intent, you realise something profound:
“When imagination gathers with intent, industries are born.” And that, in many ways, is what Bengaluru GAFX 2026 is here to do.
