ROOT.AX
An annual creative media accelerator that connects philanthropic and institutional capital with high-quality cultural work.
Image or Video of projects, accelerator etc.
Root.ax brings together curated cohorts of impact media projects to receive development, production, and circulation support.
ANNUAL THEMES
Our Three Tracks
Each annual edition supports projects in one of three thematic tracks.
Track 1
Science
& Technology
Media projects exploring how technology shapes culture, power, labour, governance, and everyday life.
Track 2
Communities & Livelihoods
Storytelling rooted in labour, ecology, craft and local economies—with an emphasis on work and lived experience.
TRACK 3
New Media & Creative Technology
Projects and start-ups expanding how culture is made, experienced, and distributed using new media tools and platforms.
FOCUS AREAS
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Digital Inclusivity
FOCUS AREAS
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Informal and Formal Labour
FOCUS AREAS
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Participation-First Narratives
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Open Futures
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Heritage Preservation & Tech
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Craft Economies & Artisan Communities
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Reimagining Civic & Social Engagement
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Ecology & Community Resilience
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Locality & Neighbourhoods
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Startups at the Culture–Tech Frontier
Through Root.ax, participants receive exclusive access to spaces and networks embedded within industry and impact sectors.
Learn from leading voices in media, impact, philanthropy & technology.
Access flagship events and showcases.
Meet a tight-knit peer community of ambitious creators and builders
Find hands-on collaboration or support with our partners
Past accelerators have been launched in collaboration with partners such as
PROCESS
Program Flow
Each edition follows a 4-phase process.
PHASE 1
Curation of Talent
Open calls and targeted sourcing, with selection based on narrative strength, thematic fit, stage of development, and circulation potential.
PHASE 3
Impact Acceleration
Streamlined impact campaign strategy and defined outcomes to catalyse the media's thematic issue areas.
PHASE 2
Project Enrichment
Phased incubation across creative development, impact, and distribution through mentorship and expertise run at industry events. Select projects receive funding and production oversight.
PHASE 4
Amplification
Select projects receive support with festival circulation, platform releases, institutional partnerships, and public engagement.
A quick glimpse into the partnerships root.ax is now assembling:
CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT
Dharamshala IFF
Cinevesture IFF
When East Meets West (WEMW)
Waves NFDC Film Bazaar
CultureCon India
Animela India
THEMATIC TRACK
Kula Conclave
Mozilla Festival
RightsCon 2026
SXSW Innovation Conference
Indian Games Developer Conference (IGDC)
IMPACT & DISTRIBUTION
Dasra Philanthropy Week
Alternativa Film Festival
Good Media Lab & Pitch
AVPN Impact Week
Movies that Matter
Games for Change Festival
Sustaina, CEEW
Tasveer Film Festival
EyeMyth Festival
PORTFOLIO
Projects Accelerated
Humans in the Loop
Feature Film + Global Impact Campaign
Tribal Communities | Women & Labour | AI Bias
A film by Aranya Sahay examining AI bias and invisible labour through the story of an Adivasi woman who begins a job as a data labeller in Jharkhand. Developed through the Museum of Imagined Futures Accelerator.
Partners: Omidiyar, Urbz, Doc Society, IFFLA, MAMI, G5A, BIC, UNESCO, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Film Independent, Gates Foundation, Third Eye Portal, Aapti Institute, IT for Change, Columbia University, Brown University, Tasveer, Feminist Approach to Technology (FAT)
TAAK
Short Film + Impact Campaign
Privacy | Women & Labour | Surveillance
A tech-noir film set in Delhi, exploring surveillance through the life of a nightclub bouncer whose employers force her to wear a tracking device. Developed through the Museum of Imagined Futures accelerator.
Partners: Omidiyar, Urbz, Internet Freedom Foundation, Tactical Tech (Berlin), MAMI, Quest Alliance, BIC, Aapti Institute, Bot Populi, Jaipur Centre for Art, NYIFF, MAP Bangalore, DIFF
Queer Calls
Queer Acceptance + Social First Series
Queer Acceptance | Social First Series
An Instagram-native series launched through a participatory installation at Chennai Pride 2025, in partnership with local NGOs and Tamil queer creators.