Desibel is a two-year grant from the French embassy and the French Institute in India, with no value published
Desibel is backed by a two-year grant of unstated value, introduced by the Embassy of France in India and the French Institute in India [5]. Its three Indian partners work in libraries, publishing and animation [6]. The India-France joint statement of 17 February 2026 does not name it [4].
By AVGC-XR Desk ·
The Pioneer reported the launch on 27 August 2026 [5]. The programme was highlighted during President Emmanuel Macron's official visit to India [5]. That visit ran from 17 to 19 February 2026, and the joint statement issued during it was published by the Press Information Bureau [4]. The statement records the elevation of relations to a Special Global Strategic Partnership and lists Cultural and Creative Economy among the themes of the 2026 India-France Year of Innovation, and it names no programme called Desibel [4].
Thierry Mathou, France's ambassador to India, said at the launch that "France has emerged as a pioneering partner in building cooperation with India in the AVGC-XR industry" [5].
What the grant funds
Three Indian organisations carry the work [6]. The Kutumb Foundation, with the Free Libraries Network as knowledge partner, distributes comics in multiple local languages and trains librarians [6]. Westland Books is commissioning 24 Indian artists to adapt literary classics into graphic novels, under a newly established imprint called Lattis, with first titles due to release in late 2026 [6]. The Aniverse & Visual Arts Foundation runs the AniMela festival and the International Mifa Campus pitch lab [6].
AniMela is an initiative of the Aniverse & Visual Arts Foundation, and its third edition ran at Whistling Woods International in Mumbai from 19 to 22 February 2026 [7]. Its inaugural South Asia competition for student and professional animated short films selected 26 films [7]. Five projects were selected for the International Mifa Campus workshop at AniMela 2026 [7]. The Foundation runs that Campus in collaboration with the MIFA-Annecy Festival, and the projects it selects are pitched to producers, distributors and investors at the Namaste MIFA showcase during the Annecy International Animation Film Market [8].
What a studio can claim
Outlook Business carried the same account of the two-year grant and the same four stated values, access, capacity-building, preservation and international exchange [3]. The Pioneer's account describes library, publishing and festival activity only, and names no co-production fund, tax rebate or market-access scheme [5]. The grant's value has not been published, and the launch accounts give its duration only [5].
Sources
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