Noted Indian artist, writer and activist Aabid Surti, and animation industry veteran Biren Ghose will be honored at the 2022 edition of Animation Masters Summit. Organized by Toonz Media Group (toonz.co), the virtual Summit will be held from May 23-27 over Zoom.
“Animation Masters Summit is Toonz’s flagship annual event where we provide a platform for young artists and students to interact with veterans in the field art and entertainment. The AMS awards have been instituted to honour legends in the field of art,” noted P. Jayakumar, CEO of Toonz Media Group.
Biren Ghose (India Country Head, Technicolor Creative Studio) is a prominent figure in the Indian AVGC (Animation Visual Effects Gaming & Comics) scene. As a thought leader and business head of some of the most prominent entertainment companies, Ghose has made significant contributions in the growth and development of the AVGC ecosystem in India over the years. He also holds several important roles in government and quasi-government agencies, institutions and trade bodies.
Ghose will be honored with the Special Contribution to the Indian Animation Industry Award at the Summit for his overall contributions to the industry. Both the awards will be presented at the inaugural session of Animation Masters Summit on May 23.
“Mr. Biren Ghose, who is being awarded the Special Contribution Award, has helped build the AVGC ecosystem in India with his visionary leadership,” said Jayakumar. “As a mentor and industry spokesperson he also played a significant role in fostering a strong and cohesive animation and VFX community in India.”
Award-winning painter, cartoonist, author, playwright and environmental activist Aabid Surti, 87, has made significant contributions towards popularizing cartoons and graphic novels in multiple Indian languages over his six-decade career. He is the creator of several memorable characters such as Dhabbuji, Inspector Azad, Doctor Chinchu and the much-loved Indrajal Comics superhero Bahadur. A prolific author, Surti bagged the National Award in 1993 for his short story series titled Teesri Aankh. Having passed through one of India’s oldest art institutions, the Sir J.J. School of Art in Mumbai, Surti is also an acclaimed painter known for experimenting and developing innovative and critically acclaimed painting techniques.
In the recent years, Surti has made a mark with his trailblazing activism in water conservation through his organization Drop Dead Foundation, which was started as an initiative to provide free plumbing service for residents in suburban Mumbai. Surti personally leads his NGO in fixing an average of around 400 taps a year after visiting close to a thousand homes. For his invaluable contributions to art and society Aabid Surti will be awarded the Legend of Indian Animation Award at Animation Masters Summit 2022.
“Mr. Aabid Surti is a true legend in this regard, having made his mark in multiples streams of art from painting to cartoon, to writing. After a scintillating career of more than 60 years, he continues to work tirelessly focusing more on social and environmental issues now. He is an inspiration for not just artists but for everyone,” Jayakumar added. “It is a privilege for us to present this year’s Legend Award to Mr. Surti.”
The five-day Animation Masters Summit will include sessions by a galaxy of stalwarts from diverse fields of media and entertainment across the world. Google India Country Head and Vice President Sanjay Gupta will deliver the keynote address at the inaugural session.
Master sessions in the following days will be led by renowned artists and creators including Belgian director-producer Paul Demeyer, whose credits include Mission Force One, The Rocketeer and the Rugrats series and movie; Emmy Award-winning composer Wendell Hanes, best known for supervising the music for the Netflix sitcom Family Reunion; Ravishankar Venkateswaran, maker of the first-ever Sanskrit animation feature Punyakoti; Chief Creative Officer at Ogilvy India Sukesh Nayak; and Arjun Reddy, co-founder and CTO of India’s biggest NFT ecosystem, GuardianLink.
The theme for this edition of the Summit is “Creativity for Good.” The Summit will also have two panel discussions — one centered on the Summit theme and the other on creating joy for kids through the medium of animation.
Register to attende the virtual Animation Masters Summit for free at animationsummit.in.
