The five-day Animation Masters Summit, where Aabid Surti and Biren Ghose will be honoured by Toonz, will include sessions by a galaxy of stalwarts from diverse fields of media and entertainment across the world

Artist, writer and activist Aabid Surti, and animation industry veteran and Country Head, Technicolor Creative Studios, Biren Ghose will be honoured at the 2022 edition of Animation Masters Summit. Organised by Toonz Media Group, the virtual Summit will be held from May 23 to 27, 2022 over the Zoom platform.

Surti, 87, has made significant contributions towards popularising cartoons and graphic novels in Indian languages in a career spanning over six decades. He is the creator of several memorable characters such as Dhabbuji, Inspector Azad, Doctor Chinchu and the much-loved Indrajal comic superhero Bahadur. A prolific author, he bagged the National Award in 1993 for his short story series titled `Teesri Aankh’. Having passed out of one of India’s oldest art institutions the JJ School of Art in Mumbai, Surti is also an acclaimed painter known for experimenting and developing innovative and critically acclaimed painting techniques.

The Animation Master Summit Jury was Chaired  by industry veteran Ashish SK. Announcement to the key AMS Legends Award &  AMS Indian Animation Special Contribution Award was done at the Closing ceremony of GAFX 2022 at Bangalore on the 29th April 2022. At this GAFX Show in Bangalore the AMS jury Chairman declared the two prestigious awards the AMS Legend Award this year is being bestowed on veteran artist, writer and activist Aabid Surti. Mr Surti is noted for creating and popularizing cartoons and graphic novels in Indian languages through colourful characters like Dhabbuji, Bahadur, Inspector Azad, Doctor Chinchu and many more. Mr Surti has also made significant contributions to water conservation through his organization Drop Dead Foundation.

We will also be honouring a leader from the Indian AVGC industry with the Special Contribution to the Indian Animation Industry Award. And I am elated to let you all know that this year we are honouring Technicolor India chief Biren Ghose with this award. Biren is a prominent figure in the Indian AVGC scene. As a thought leader and business head of some of the most prominent entertainment companies, Biren has made invaluable contributions in the growth and development of the AVGC ecosystem in India over the years. It is our privilege to honour him with the AMS Special Contribution to the Indian Animation Industry Award. In picture P Jayakumar, Ashish SK and Biren Ghose during GAFX Valedictory

In recent years, Surti has made a mark with his activism in water conservation through his organisation 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 contributions to art and society Aabid Surti will be awarded the Legend of Indian Animation Award at Animation Masters Summit 2022.

Biren Ghose is a prominent figure in the Indian AVGC (Animation Visual Effects Gaming and 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 honoured 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.

P Jayakumar, CEO – Toonz Media Group, said, “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 of art and entertainment.

The AMS awards have been instituted to honour legends in the field of art. Mr Aabid Surti is a true legend in this regard, having made his mark in multiple 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. It is a privilege for us to present this year’s Legend Award to Mr Surti.”

He added: “Mr Biren Ghose, who is being awarded the Special Contribution Award, has helped build the AVGC ecosystem in India with his visionary leadership. As a mentor and industry spokesperson he also played a significant role in fostering a strong and cohesive animation and VFX community in India.”

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 who has worked on shows like Mission Force One, The Rocketeer and the Rugrats series and movie; Emmy Award-winning composer Wendell Hanes who is 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.