India has delivered a notable impact at FOCUS London 2025, one of Europe’s leading international trade events for the media and entertainment sector, as the country advanced its efforts to position itself as a preferred global destination for creative collaboration and investment.

Through its flagship initiatives — the WAVES Bazaar and the India Cine Hub (ICH) — India underscored the growing scale and ambition of its creative economy.

According to a government press release, this year’s participation also marked a significant step forward in the international outreach of the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES), which made its debut in Mumbai in 2025 with over 100,000 industry professionals and representation from more than 75 countries.

The WAVES global outreach activities at FOCUS London, organised on December 8 and 9, were hosted at the Business Design Centre, where the BHARAT Pavilion featured prominent exhibition branding for both WAVES and the India Cine Hub. The pavilion served as a hub for international business discussions, including interactions with producers, directors, screenwriters and global film commission representatives.

These engagements deepened India’s creative partnerships and added momentum to the branding of the WAVES Bazaar. UK-based filmmaker and actor Rajdeep Choudhury lauded India’s production agility, while former MP and filmmaker Eric Ollerenshaw described the institutional support from NFDC during their production process as “invaluable.”

The inaugural day included the WAVES India Reception at Shadowbox Studios Private Lounge, bringing together industry leaders, studio executives and government representatives. Additional networking sessions and meetings continued at the India Pavilion throughout the event.

A dedicated WAVES India presentation highlighted India’s rapidly expanding media and entertainment sector and outlined its goal to emerge as a USD 100 billion creative economy by 2030, supported by single-window facilitation through the India Cine Hub and strengthened by policy reforms and investment opportunities.

The outreach activities concluded with Bharat Parv, a cultural and networking event hosted by the High Commission of India in London, which celebrated India’s diverse storytelling traditions and its rising global collaborations.

Industry voices praised the transformation underway. Harshad Bhagwat, promoter of the International Indian Film and Television Club (IIFTC), said, “What the government is doing now is bringing those stories alive. This was not the ecosystem over 10 years back. We’ve seen things changing with NFDC and now WAVES Film Bazaar.”

National Award-winning filmmaker Nila Madhab Panda emphasised India’s deep creative ethos, noting, “Everything is possible in India. We don’t make films just as a profession. We do it out of love and passion because we love cinema so much.”