Women In Animation Mixer At Bengaluru GAFX 2026 Highlights Returnships, Upskilling And Women Entrepreneurship

The Women in Animation – “Her Frame. Her Future.” Mixer at Bengaluru GAFX 2026 convened artists, studio professionals, entrepreneurs, policymakers and students for a focused dialogue on strengthening women’s participation in the Animation, VFX, Gaming and Comics (AVGC-XR) ecosystem.

Designed as a dedicated and supportive platform, the mixer enabled curated mentor roundtables, lightning talks and structured networking, alongside a live Opportunity Wall featuring job openings, internships and collaboration pathways. The initiative aimed to create meaningful career visibility while reinforcing Karnataka’s inclusive AVGC-XR growth vision. The session was led by Dr. Manjula N., Secretary, Department of Electronics, IT & BT and S&T, Government of Karnataka along with women industry leaders and emerging talent from across the country.

Addressing the gathering, Dr. Manjula N. said: “Today’s discussion with women professionals in the animation sector was both insightful and necessary. We heard firsthand about the structural challenges they face — from career breaks and limited access to skilling opportunities to the need for stronger mentorship and institutional support.

As a Government, our focus is on facilitating structured and scalable solutions. Through our Centres of Excellence, we will explore targeted interventions — including capacity-building programs for women returning to the workforce, and upskilling initiatives for those already employed but seeking greater access to advanced training and growth opportunities.

We will further encourage participation through programs such as Elevate and our Deep Tech initiatives, while creating structured mentorship networks to enable industry connect and leadership pathways. Importantly, we intend to take this forward in a focused manner and scale these efforts across the ecosystem.

Women’s participation in animation is currently less than 25%, significantly lower than in several other sectors. Yet women bring a distinct creative edge and are exceptionally wellsuited to thrive in this industry. The opportunities within the creative economy are immense, and enabling and facilitating women’s contribution will be a priority takeaway from today’s engagement.”

B.S. Srinivas, Convenor, ABAI & Co-chair, Bengaluru GAFX said, “When women creators rise, the entire AVGC-XR ecosystem becomes stronger, more innovative and globally competitive.

”Madhurima Manyara, Indian Digital Gaming Society (CII), said: “It was fantastic to see how many women are committed to growing in the AVGC-XR industry. The discussion focused on how we can bring women back into the workforce and create stronger opportunities for women entrepreneurs in this space. What stood out was the spirit of collaboration — women supporting each other across the nation. The beauty of this forum was to connect, network and embrace each other’s growth.”

The Women in Animation Mixer at Bengaluru GAFX 2026 reaffirmed that inclusive participation is central to Karnataka’s long-term AVGC-XR roadmap, positioning women as critical drivers of innovation, creativity and global competitiveness.