Indian Animation Achieves Global Milestone with 'Desi Oon' Victory
A film born from a government initiative to foster local talent has achieved a monumental victory on the world stage, signaling a new chapter for India's creative industry. Desi Oon, an animated film by acclaimed filmmaker Suresh Eriyat, has won the prestigious Jury Award for Best Commissioned Film at the 2025 Annecy International Animation Festival in France. This rare and significant honour, secured at what is widely considered the "Cannes of animation," firmly places Indian storytelling and craftsmanship in the global spotlight.
A Springboard for National Talent
The film's success is a direct outcome of the "Create in India Challenge," a flagship program launched by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting at the WAVES 2025 summit. This initiative was designed to identify and elevate India's talent in the AVGC-XR (Animation, VFX, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality) sector. The challenge attracted a massive response, with entries from over 60 countries competing across 32 distinct categories. Desi Oon was first celebrated at home, winning Best Film at the WAVES Awards of Excellence 2025 before making its international mark. This trajectory from a national competition to global recognition highlights the success of the government's strategy to build a robust ecosystem for content creation.
A Cascade of International Honours
The Annecy award is the latest in a series of accolades for Desi Oon, cementing its status as a benchmark for creative excellence. The film has also been shortlisted at the 2025 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in the highly competitive Film Craft Lions category. Furthermore, its impact has been recognized at the AICP Show, with the film being selected for archiving in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York—an honour reserved for the most influential works in global advertising. These achievements, alongside multiple wins at the Kyoorius Creative Awards and a D&AD Wooden Pencil, underscore the film's exceptional quality and universal appeal.
A Victory for Authentic Indian Storytelling
At its core, the success of Desi Oon is a demonstration to the power of authentic, culturally rooted narratives. The film's ability to resonate with international audiences demonstrates that stories deeply embedded in the Indian ethos can achieve global acclaim when told with technical finesse and emotional depth. Shri Sanjay Khimesara, President of ASIFA India, noted, "This win is not just Suresh Eriyat’s; it is India’s. Desi Oon reflects the soul of India." This sentiment was echoed by Ministry officials, who reaffirmed their commitment to nurturing the AVGC-XR sector. Through platforms like WAVES, the vision of positioning India as a global content creation powerhouse is steadily becoming a reality, inspiring a new generation of creators to tell local stories for a global audience.
