MAAC (Maya Academy of Advanced Creativity), has concluded the 24FPS Creators Fest and 22nd edition of International Animation Awards 2025 at the Jio World Centre, BKC, Mumbai. This year’s edition brought together a large community of young creators, industry professionals, studio representatives, and global M&E experts.
24FPS Creator Fest was designed as an immersive platform that offered insights into emerging opportunities across sectors and new technologies. With over 6000 submissions from India and abroad, the awards recognised work that demonstrated originality, technical proficiency, and storytelling capabilities. Over the years, the 24FPS International Animation Awards has attracted entries from more than 100 countries, including Vietnam, the United Kingdom, France, South Africa, and multiple eastern European countries and more, reflecting MAAC’s growing presence in the creative space.
The fest opened with a keynote address by Punnaryug ArtVision founder Ashish Kulkarni who highlighted the evolving AVGC-XR landscape and the opportunities transforming the creative ecosystem.
This year’s fest featured knowledge sessions, including a segment on decoding Creators. Cameras. Content. The Future of the Video Value Chain, featuring content creator Shweta Mahadik; Canon India Product, B2B Business & Strategic Alliances- Image Communication Business senior marketing manager Gaurav Markan; and experienced Director of Photography and ISC member Kiran Deohans. The session was moderated by WhiteApple founder & managing director Rajeev Rastogi.
A panel discussion titled New Era of Storytelling with GenAI brought together Balaji Telefilms AI and VFX department head Chetan Hansraj; Eleventh Door Studio co-founder & chief creative technologist Nishith Dayal; and Kalpanik Films founder & CEO Vishal Yoman. The session, moderated by Autodesk Media & Entertainment lead solutions engineer Samit Shetty, emphasised the importance of integrating AI literacy into creative education to support talent for production environments. MAAC has integrated GenAI-powered across its career courses to enable learners to work in human-AI environments.
A highlight was the panel titled Players to Creators: Career Pathways in XR & Gaming Industry, which featured an assembly of leaders from Maharashtra’s gaming ecosystem. Moderated by Nilee Games CEO Anand Jha, the session included insights from Apar Games CEO Laxmi Khanolkar; GodSpeed Games managing director Ranbeer Singh Hora; and Dot9 Games CEO Deepak Ail. These industry professionals provided a roadmap for aspiring creators, emphasising the transition from consumers to architects of the XR and gaming sectors.
Parallel to the main stage, the Creative Mandapam track delivered masterclasses led by studios, including 88 Pictures, CineVisualFX, and Framestore India. These sessions offered attendees a look into the technical prowess behind projects, such as the VFX of Deadpool & Wolverine, and the nuances of acting and phonetics in animation.
24FPS Creator Fest took a stand in representing the ‘C’ (comics) in the AVGC-XR spectrum. By hosting a panel on visual design for sequential storytelling, featuring professionals from Mugafi and Indusverse- the fest highlighted the role of comic creation alongside animation and gaming.
Diving into the ecosystem of India’s creator economy, Kulkarni moderated a panel discussion on the topic, India Rising: The New Age of IP Creation, featuring Ice Candy director Sanjeev Waeerkar; 88 Pictures Founder & CEO Milind Shinde; Vaibhav Studios Founder Director Vaibhav Kumaresh; and Nodwing Gaming co-founder Akshat Rathee.
The awards ceremony recognised student and professional projects across Best Animation Short-film (2D/3D), Best Visual Effects Feature Film, Best Animated Short Film, Best Unreal Cinematic Film and Best VFX shot, among a host of other categories. A jury comprising leading studio heads, creative directors, and industry veterans evaluated the entries against artistic and technical benchmarks.
In the Movers and Shakers category, awards were presented to:
- GenZ Youth Inspiration Award- Rahul Chahar
- Creative Innovator of the Year Award 2025- Shweta Mahadik
- Breakthrough start of the year 2025- Reenu Debnath
- Comedy Creator of the Year 2025 – Female- Devika Khade
- Comedy Creator of the Year 2025- Male- Harsh Rane
- Game Changer Creator of the Year 2025- Hamza Syed
- Reality Icon of the Year – 2025- Arbaz Patel
- Music Creator of the Year-2025- Zaid Darbar
The evening featured performances by Indian dance crew MJ5, singer Juilee Joglekar, and comedian Joel D’souza. MAAC also recognised 40 alumni under the age of 40, i.e., 40 Under 40, for their contributions to the AVGC-XR ecosystem.
The participation at 24FPS Creator Fest reflected the ongoing growth of India’s AVGC-XR sector, with creators presenting work across Animation & VFX Short films, Live action short format content, new age film making using real-time engines, AI-driven design, immersive media, and digital-first production workflows. On the occasion of completing 25 years, MAAC has introduced two new learning tracks for its upcoming students—namely Career X and Creator X. These are not just new courses; they are academic pathways designed to bridge the gap between industry and academia, and support the next generation of creative professionals.
Speaking on the culmination of the event, MAAC, Aptech Limited and Brand Custodian Global Retail Chief Business Officer Sandip Weling, said “24FPS Creator Fest this year has once again spotlighted the talent, and creativity of MAAC students. The sessions, industry conversations, and compelling storytelling showcased today reflect a generation fully prepared to redefine the global AVGC-XR landscape. MAAC remains committed to empowering this talent through world-class training, meaningful exposure, crucial skills, and future-ready opportunities that strengthen India’s creative economy.”
As a well-known platform in the Media & Entertainment education ecosystem, 24FPS continues to support emerging creative professionals in the expanding media & entertainment sector. MAAC aims to strengthen this legacy through deeper academic–industry collaborations, creator-first initiatives, and audience engagement in the years ahead.
