NEW DELHI: Jaipur, which now hosts the Jaipur International Film Festival annually, is launching the competitive ‘Pink Eye’ Jaipur Animation Film Festival in October this year.

As a part of the build-up to this new venture, both JIFF and JAFF are to be showcased at the Cannes International Film Festival in France this month.

The announcement about the new festival to be held on 12 and 13 October was made in the Pink City by the Jaipur International Film Festival Trust at a press meet addressed among others by Ram Mohan, the father of Indian animation.

Mohan said though the Indian animation industry had still a long way to go, it had been proved that there is great scope for animation in the country. The Festival would provide a new platform to makers of animation films.

Awards will be given in ten categories: best Animation Film, modelling and Texturing, 2D animation, 3D animation, lighting and Compositing, best animation, VFX, Sound Track, Student Animation Film, and best film by critics’ choice.

The duration of films for competitive category would be one minute to 30 minutes. The films with longer duration would be kept in the non-competitive category.

The films produced between 1 January 2008 and 15 September would be eligible for the festival. The last date for submission of films would be 15 September.

Festival spokesperson Dharm Pal said though the world is now globalised, creation and development has remained regional and localised.

He said it was interesting that Jaipur contributes around 1000 to 2000 young animators every year, out of the approximate one million animators that get trained every year. The number of animation films produced in the country has been increasing every year.

Pal said attempts were being made to associate renowned director James Cameroon of ‘Avatar’ with Pink Eye.