India’s biggest Visual and Media Summit (VAM) 2025, hosted by AnimationXpress, delivered a spectacular blend of creativity, technology, and cinematic magic, celebrating the very best in the world of VFX and animation. The two-day summit, a radiant celebration of VFX and animation, embodied the pinnacle of excellence, honouring the artistic ingenuity driving India’s thriving media and entertainment industry.
On the second day, the summit reached even greater heights, assembling an extraordinary constellation of visionaries, directors, masterful artists, and trailblazing tech experts whose pioneering work continues to redefine storytelling and visual experiences on a global scale. From groundbreaking innovations to mesmerising showcases, the event epitomised the synergy of imagination and technology, leaving an indelible mark on the future of visual media. Held as a full-day extravaganza, the summit brought together leading visionaries, directors, artists, and tech experts who are shaping the future of media and entertainment.
The VAM Summit 2025 gold partners were ARK, Autodesk, Foundry and Maxon. It was co-powered by Adobe, Assemblage Entertainment and BenQ; associate partner was Acer; industry partners were CyberPowerPC, Eizo, Green Gold VFX studios, Goodbye Kansas, Huion, NY VFXWaala, Disk Archive Corporation, SideFX, Tathastu Techno Solution, Workflowlabs and White Apple; outdoor partner was Bright Outdoor Media; community care partner was GenS Life, community partners were Asifa India, Middca, Vegas and VES India; education partner was Tron Animation and an initiative by AnimationXpress. The VAM Summit is executed by ITV 2.0 Productions.
The day opened with a panel discussion titled Then, now and vision ahead with the amazing personalities of the VFX world talking about their journey into the field of VFX, their most admired work and future scope of the VFX industry that will shape the evolution in coming years. The panel featured Annanpurna Studios chief technology officer CV Rao, Knack Studios co-founder Harish Ram, Digital District CEO Rutul Patel, Digikore Studios vice president-animation and executive producer-VFX Satyajeet Kumar and CyberPowerPC India COO Vishal Parekh. The discussion was moderated by White Apple managing director and founder Rajeev Rastogi.
The event was then advanced by a keynote titled Powering pixels: A showcase of Foundry’s software. The speakers for this session were Foundry chief revenue officer Alex Foulds and Foundry head of creative services EMEA Martin Mayer. Their presentation demonstrated how Foundry’s software seamlessly integrates advanced functionality with user-friendly design, empowering creators to push the boundaries of imagination and transform pixels into stunning visual masterpieces.
In a making-of session Behind the madness of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, One of Us VFX Supervisor Lars Andersen unraveled the creative challenges that culminated in the visual spectacle of this production, leaving the audience spellbound.
In a fireside chat titled Use of artificial intelligence in making of the feature film Naisha, the film Naisha‘s director Vivek Anchalia spoke to AnimationXpress founder, chairman and editor-in-chief Anil NM Wanvari about AI reshaping the storytelling canvas.
From high-end feature films to episodic TV content, streamlining processes can make all the difference in delivering high-quality visuals on time and within budget. In a panel discussion titled Streamlining content and workflows, leading tech innovators and content creators explored cutting-edge solutions for optimising post-production and VFX workflows. The speakers Disk Archive Corporation data preservation strategist Bhavik Vyas, Maddock Films VFX producer Deepak Bhatia, The Viral Fever (TVF) head of post-production Gaurav Rungta, Acer national manager-presales Amit Dwivedi and Workflowlabs co-founder Sunil Gangappa and Resolution Media and Entertainment founder/ director Salil Deshpande discussed key challenges and advancements in storage solutions, cloud-based collaboration, hardware efficiency, and workflow automation.
During the Visual Alchemy: Crafting the World of ARM, the film’s director Jithin Lal, Envision VFX director and creative head Aniruddha Mukherjee, assistant VFX supervisor and tracking HOD Aman Khan, and concept artist and environment generalist Kishal Sukumaran spoke about the making of the film’s cosmic elements and other visually brilliant scenes. The discussion was moderated by Framestore India managing director Akhauri Sinha. They walked attendees through the creative process, from initial concept art to the final on-screen effects. They explicitly explained the tools, techniques and artistic insights that brought together the story and efforts that powered the film’s gripping visuals.
The session ahead was a presentation by Houdini titled Stylised looks and speedy slap comps with Houdini 20.5. The presentation was conducted by SideFX technical consultant Hijaz Ahmed. He demonstrated how Houdini 20.5 offers a robust and flexible toolkit for artists and studios aiming for stylised, non-photorealistic visuals. Its enhanced real-time capabilities and streamlined slap comp workflows not only speed up iterations but also empower creative decisions early in the pipeline.
Another interesting panel discussion Director’s and DOP’s insights on cinema and achieving the dream featured Laal, The Night Manager and The Royals director Priyanka Ghose, Chhorii and Chhorii 2 director Vishal Furia, and Queen and Trapped cinematographer Siddharth Diwan. The moderator for this session was Bot VFX co-founder and director Sreyans Bardia. They explored various interesting instances, incidents and learnings in their filmmaking journeys.
In a making-of session titled Exploring the action sequences of Thandel, PhantomFX senior creative head-VFX Asif Bhushan unraveled the VFX behind the heavy water simulation work in the romantic action film.
In the fireside chat titled Bridging creativity and technology in VFX, the speakers, Foundry chief revenue officer Alex Foulds and Futureworks CEO and founder Gaurav Gupta, delved into the challenges and opportunities of blending creativity with cutting-edge technology, revealing how this synergy is driving the evolution of VFX and empowering creators to envision and deliver spectacular visuals.
For the first time at VAM Summit, producers took the stage to tell their side. In Art of storytelling on celluloid, Red Chillies Entertainment producer Aashish Singh, Friday Filmworks CEO Devendra Deshpande, Colour Yellow COO Harini Lakshminarayan, and media and entertainment advisor Maansi S Darrbaar engaged in a discussion with Wanvari. They highlighted the importance of striking a balance between creativity and commercial viability and provided insightful commentary on emerging trends and the evolving audience landscape. The panel was a masterclass in storytelling, offering invaluable insights into the art of crafting unforgettable cinematic experiences.
The next session was yet another fireside chat but a spookier version titled Evolution of horror in bollywood before and after OTT. Chhorii 2 director Furia spoke to TellyChakkar managing editor Russel D’Silva, illuminating the creative liberties and opportunities that streaming services have brought to the genre, allowing filmmakers to push boundaries and cater to evolving audience preferences.
During the making-of ReDefining VFX for Munjya: Creating the notorious ghost – from folklore to hilarious horror, DNEG India head of creative operations Pranay Agarwal. This session offered an exclusive glimpse into the artistry and innovation behind the film’s visual effects. Agarwal unraveled the journey of transforming a folkloric ghost into a comedic yet mischievous character, sharing the creative and technical processes that brought this unique vision to life.
The last session for the day was a presentation titled Beyond Animation: Green Gold’s leap into live action VFX. This presentation was conducted by Green Gold Animation VFX company head Laxman Ghumla, who gave a glimpse into Green Gold’s journey.
The day culminated with the much-awaited VAM Awards 2025. The awards night celebrated excellence across categories, honoring the unseen heroes behind the screen—the VFX supervisors, VFX producers, pre-vis artists, post-production specialists, students and storytellers whose imaginations are shaping cinema’s new era.
With laughter, applause, and cinematic admiration, the event closed with a lavish dinner and networking evening. The VAM Awards 2025 was a tribute to the boundless creativity and technological prowess defining the future of visual storytelling.
Here are the highlights from Day 1: VAM Summit 2025 day 1 ends with a bang with engaging VFX breakdown sessions and much more.