The inaugural edition of Waves Bazaar, held from 1 to 3 May 2025, in Mumbai, concluded with resounding success, establishing itself as a premier platform for international business collaboration in the creative industries.
Organised under the World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES), the marketplace generated over ₹1300 crore in business discussions spanning multiple sectors, including films & TV, animation & VFX, XR & VR, live events, gaming, comics, and music & radio, from the Media & Entertainment (M&E) industry. Waves Bazaar has firmly positioned itself as a vibrant platform for global collaboration, innovation, and the creation of high-impact cross-border partnerships.
The Key Highlights of Waves Bazaar 2025 are:
B2B Buyer-Seller Meetings and Exhibitions: The Buyer-Seller Market emerged as the event’s most successful vertical, facilitating over 3,300 B2B meetings and generating more than ₹900 crore in business transactions. Major buyers, including Netflix Global, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Amazon MGM Studios, participated in dynamic discussions that are expected to lead to future collaborations and new content ventures. With momentum continuing, this vertical is on track to further accelerate growth, reinforcing its pivotal role in Waves Bazaar’s success.
Viewing Room & Market Screenings: 100 Projects showcased in the viewing room and 15 market screenings. The intimate 80-seat venue was a focal point for global buyers, offering exclusive screenings and fostering meaningful conversations about future collaborations. The films showcased, received critical acclaim, adding significant value to the event and highlighting its potential to shape global trends.
Pitch Room & Exhibitions: Creators from around the world presented their intellectual properties, opening the door to fresh collaborations and establishing Waves Bazaar as a key hub for groundbreaking ideas and innovation.
In a major achievement in international collaborations between India and New Zealand, Film India Screen Collective and Screen Canterbury NZ, led by Petrina D’Rozario, announced a collaborative proposal, inspired by Waves, to launch the first-ever Indian Film Festival in New Zealand, aimed at deepening tourism, cultural exchange and co-production ties between the two countries.
Paving the wave for an India-Russia collaboration, Only Much Louder (OML) CEO Tushar Kumar and Gazprom Media CEO Alexander Zharov have begun early talks on a potential Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on cross-cultural festivals and co-produce comedy and music shows in Russia and India.
The announcement of the Prime Video & CJ ENM multi-year collaboration was a key highlight of the Bazaar as the strategic partnership was unveiled to distribute premium Korean content globally. With its launch expected in June 2025 with Head Over Heels, the deal includes streaming in over 240 countries, featuring 28 subtitle languages and 11 dubbed versions. The initiative highlights Asia’s growing creative presence on global streaming platforms.
Another initiative that added value to the Bazaar was the announcement of the film Devi Chowdhurani, which became India’s first official Indo-UK co-production. Backed by the Ministry of I&B, NFDC, FFO, and Invest India, a pre-teaser of the film was unveiled at the Bazaar. The historical epic, set during the Sanyasi-Fakir rebellion, stars Prosenjit Chatterjee and Srabanti Chatterjee, with music by Pandit Bickram Ghosh.
The announcement of the launch of the feature film Violated was another initiative that vindicated the purpose of Waves Bazaar. A bold psychological thriller, Violated marks the directorial debut of Dimple Dugar. Celebrated for its strong female-led narrative, the film is co-produced by Fusion Flicks from the UK and JVD Films, signalling Dugar’s transition from commercial to feature filmmaking.
Other notable deals and projects from Waves Bazaar include:
- Khidki Gaon,a film selected as a ‘Top Selects’ project: Secured a major post-production and VFX deal with the Asian Cinema Fund (Busan International Film Festival).
- Indo-European Animation Alliance (€30 Million): Broadvision Perspectives (India) and Fabrique d’Images Group (Europe) signed a co-production deal for four animated features.
- Jahaan: A short film starring Tiger Shroff and directed by Rahul Shetty received an overwhelmingly positive response, sparking international interest for future screenings and collaborations.
- UK-India Co-Production Milestone: The Bridge (UK) and Graphiti Studios (India) signed an MoU to co-produce factual television series under the India-UK audiovisual co-production framework, bringing rich Indian history to global audiences.
With its impactful debut, Waves Bazaar has not only positioned itself as a global hub for creative collaboration but also set the stage for a new era of cross-border storytelling and industry transformation.
