Producers Xavier Yamamoto and Simon Barrionuevo have joined Neelu, an animated feature that marks an important milestone in director Saraswati’s four-year passion project, through an international co-production agreement spanning Spain, France and Belgium.
“We are thrilled to have signed the deal and hired Saraswati as our director,” said Barrionuevo, who is teaming up with Yamamoto to officially announce their collaboration on an animated feature.
The deal brings together producers from three European countries to support a story set in India that follows a 19-year-old tribal girl from South India who moves to India to pursue her dreams. After marrying the man she loves, she uncovers a femicide plot that threatens her friends and is forced to choose between marrying and saving her unborn child when her husband takes bribes to keep quiet about his illegal gender-based pregnancy plans.
Saraswati, known professionally as Vani, first pitched ‘Neeru’ in Film Bazaar’s co-production market in 2023, where it received early support from industry figures like Anu Singh, Vivek Mirchandani, Dora Babu and Mike Yattam. The director is a recognized leader in the animation and VFX fields and was instrumental in founding the Academy Award-winning studio Rhythm & Hues in India, Malaysia and Taiwan. Her credits include visual effects work on “The Hunger Games,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “RIPD” and “Snow White and the Huntsman.”
Her production company, Dancing Atoms, has raised about $225,000 in angel investment from Los Angeles to help finance the project.
Mr. Yamamoto is the CEO of French and Belgian production companies Cinema Libre and Sunyata Films, respectively. His credits as a producer include “The Dance of Reality,” “Il Padrone delle note: Josquin Desprez,” and “Waorani Omede Beye Ante Nee Adani.”
Barrionuevo has worked on several productions as an animator and producer.
With the addition of an international producer, the French-Belgian team is preparing to expand its work beyond feature films. They are preparing to convert ‘Neelu’ into a graphic novel and webtoon series in 2026 to build out the world of the characters. As part of a strategy to secure additional funding, the film’s script is currently being translated into French.
Saraswati participated in the 2025 WAVES Film Bazaar, also known as the market component of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI). She credits her success to a strong support system of fellow filmmakers who “support her and root for her and her projects.”
Pavan Balagam is the executive producer and VFX director on this project. His extensive visual effects credits include “The Rundown,” “Assassin’s Creed,” “Superman Returns,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” and “Robin Hood.”
