India and France are strengthening their partnership with the introduction of 'Desibel', a multi-year initiative aimed at elevating India's AVGC-XR (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics and Immersive Content) industry on the global stage.
The initiative has been introduced by the Embassy of France in India, the French Institute in India (IFI), along with support from the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.
Thierry Mathou, Ambassador of France to India, stated, "France has emerged as a pioneering partner in building cooperation with India in the AVGC-XR industry. The talented Indian creators involved in the Desibel project are true Passeurs of culture, carrying stories, ideas, and innovation across borders. France is honoured to contribute to showcasing and amplifying their work on the international stage." Backed by a two-year grant, the Desibel programme brings together some of India's leading cultural organisations, spanning community libraries, publishing, and the animation and XR industry, reflecting the diversity and depth of India's visual storytelling ecosystem.
Desibel is anchored in four values. These include access: ensuring visual storytelling reaches communities beyond major cities; capacity-building: equipping librarians, artists, and creators with new skills; preservation: documenting India's visual storytelling heritage; and international exchange: building sustainable pathways between Indian creators and the global, especially French, creative ecosystem.
In every programme, Indian and French mentors, artists, curators, publishers, and institutions work together, whether it involves training librarians or mentoring animators, or shaping the future of Indian publishing.
The French organisers have united three Indian partners, including Kutumb Foundation, Westland Books, and Aniverse & Visual Arts Foundation (AVAF), to drive impact from grassroots communities to the global stage.
The programme was highlighted during President Emmanuel Macron's official visit to India earlier this year.
At the grassroots level, the Kutumb Foundation, with the support of knowledge partner the Free Libraries Network, is transforming library engagement across India by distributing comics in multiple local languages and training librarians to make reading a community experience.
Meanwhile, Westland Books is implementing a new publishing endeavour with the India Comics Project, commissioning 24 Indian artists to adapt literary classics into graphic novels.
"This ongoing programme, which is being published under the newly established imprint Lattis and will release its first titles in late 2026, is set to position Indian graphic storytelling on the international literary map," a release stated.
Besides, Aniverse & Visual Arts Foundation is opening international doors for Indian animation, gaming, and XR talent through the AniMela Festival and the International Mifa Campus pitch lab.
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