India formally invited global partners to deepen audio-visual cooperation at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) Ambassadors’ Roundtable held on November 21, 2025. Top officials positioned India as the emerging ‘Studio of the World,’ emphasizing the nation’s vast talent pool, technological strengths, and robust content creation environment.
The roundtable, held at the Taj Cidade de Goa Heritage Hotel in Dona Paula, brought together diplomats to explore new pathways for growth through co-production opportunities, enhanced cultural exchange, and regulatory harmonization.
Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), delivered the welcome remarks, highlighting India’s rapidly expanding media landscape.
He stressed that the session was designed to “help in strengthening cultural ties and deepening partnerships.” Jaju asserted that India is emerging as a “studio of the world, where global stories can be imagined, produced, and shared” due to its strengths, which include:
- A massive multilingual talent pool.
- Highly diverse filming locations.
- Advanced animation and VFX studios.
Jaju encouraged delegates to utilize the WAVES Film Bazaar, IFFI’s flagship platform, and emphasized that partnering with India offers seamless access to an expansive global diaspora, enabling stories to travel across cultures and markets.
Dr. L. Murugan, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, who chaired the roundtable, highlighted co-production as “the most powerful avenue for strengthening audio-visual cooperation.” He noted the significant economic size of the sector, projecting India’s media and entertainment sector to touch USD 31.6 billion in 2025. This growth is fueled by exponential expansion in VFX, animation, and next-generation production technologies.
Dr. Murugan detailed the benefits of bilateral agreements:
- Enabling joint development ventures.
- Simplifying permissions and regulatory processes.
- Facilitating smoother mobility of talent and resources.
To ensure a safer ecosystem for global projects, he also highlighted India’s strengthened measures against piracy, achieved through inter-ministerial collaboration with MeitY, MHA, and the Ministry of Law. Shruti Rajkumar, Consultant, NFDC, followed the address with a presentation detailing India’s evolving anti-piracy framework, including technological interventions and policy-level mechanisms.
Ambassadors and senior diplomats from nations including Cuba, Nepal, Israel, Guyana, Australia, Ireland, Morocco, Togo, and Côte d’Ivoire participated in the discussion.
The dignitaries collectively expressed strong optimism regarding collaboration, specifically praising India’s creative workforce and access to its technological strengths. They looked forward to exploring co-production avenues that promise to mutually enrich their cinematic ecosystems.
The session concluded with a reaffirmation of India’s commitment to fostering a collaborative global audio-visual environment, marking a significant step toward building stronger bilateral ties and a shared vision for the future of storytelling.
Key Highlights:
- IFFI Roundtable: India hosted an Ambassadors’ Roundtable at IFFI on November 21, 2025, to discuss deepening bilateral audio-visual cooperation through co-production and cultural exchange.
- India as Global Studio: Secretary Sanjay Jaju declared India an emerging “Studio of the World,” leveraging its multilingual talent, diverse locations, and advanced VFX/animation capabilities.
- Economic & Policy Push: MoS Dr. L. Murugan highlighted co-production as the “most powerful avenue” to tap into the Indian M&E sector, which is projected to reach USD 31.6 billion in 2025. He also emphasized strengthened anti-piracy measures.
- Global Participation: Ambassadors from several nations, including Cuba, Nepal, and Australia, expressed enthusiasm for collaborating with India’s creative workforce and accessing its technological prowess.