pickle iffi goa issue 2019

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VISIT FILM OFFICES AT FILM BAZAAR

FILM BAZAAR

A BOOSTER S, FESTIVAL R E L L E S , S NVERGE IN ERE BUYER HERE’S WH S AND PRODUCERS CO MS. AT FILM ER FIL PROGRAMM PPORT INDEPENDENT ORARY INDIAN SU MP SEARCH TO E OF THE TOP CONTE OVERED IN THE M C BAZAAR, SO TAKEN WINGS AND DIS FILM BAZAAR ’S FILMS HAVE STIVAL CIRCUIT. NFDC THAT ALLOWS GLOBAL FE HED AN ECO-SYSTEM REAMS OF THE D LIS ND SUSTAIN KERS HAS ESTAB A E IV R H T MA Y TO ORIGINALIT W INDIA’S YOUNG FILM NE

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India’s only film biz magazine for the world markets INDIA’S ONLY FILM BIZ MAGAZINE FOR THE WORLD F e bruary 2019

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INDIA AT BERLINALE/EFM ISSUE

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Village Rockstars is India’s ofďŹ cial selection for the best foreign language ďŹ lm category of the 2019 Academy (Oscar) Awards

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Hearty Congratulations to the entire IFFI Team on its Golden Jubilee

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FROM THE EDITOR

W

e are delighted to present the latest issue of Pickle on the 13th edition of NFDC’s Film Bazaar.

This is the first time we are bringing out an issue for delegates at Film Bazaar, which is happening on the sidelines of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Goa. This year is a momentous occasion as IFFI celebrates its 50th anniversary.

Highlighting best moments of IFFI in the past 50 years, we have brought out another special edition of Pickle.

We are extremely thankful to the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and Managing Director of NFDC for their support in distributing the magazine to delegates. It is a memorable edition for us as during our existence of 13 years it’s for the first time that we were able to achieve this feat.

Even as we reach out to delegates at European Film Market (EFM) and Berlin International Film Festival, Berlinale (Feb), MIPTV, Cannes, France (April), NABSHOW, Las Vegas (April), Cannes Film Festival and Cannes Film Market, Marche du Film (May) and Annecy and MIFA (June), Toronto International Film Festival/Market (September), MIPCOM, Cannes (October), American Film Market (November) positioning India media & entertainment sector, the feeling of adding Film Bazaar to our list of markets is huge.

Our cover story discusses in details how the Film Bazaar is the nerve centre for independent filmmaking in India, where they converge and network with buyers,

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sellers, festival programmers and producers.

As an incubator of new film projects in India and the rest of the subcontinent, the NFDC Film Bazaar, has rendered yeoman service by engendering an eco-system that allows originality to thrive without losing the sight of proven ground rules.

Besides, it is a platform for filmmakers to grasp the new ecosystems and reach out to global markets.

We are glad that IFFI and Film Bazaar are being organized at a time when India’s vibrant media and entertainment industry opening up exciting growth opportunities for global and domestic companies.

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Pickle Business Guide 2019 Copyright 2019 by Pickle Media Pvt Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Pickle is an ad supported business guide tracking the filmed entertainment business in India.

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FILM BAZAAR

A BOOSTER The Lunch Box, the most successful film from the Film Bazaar

The greatest strength of the Film Bazaar, now in its 13th edition, is that it serves as a platform where there is a constant churning of ideas happening, which serves as a booster dose for filmmakers to grasp the nitty-gritty of an evolving world cinema and develop synergies through free exchange of ideas

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THE LUNCHBOX WAS CONCEIVED AND DEVELOPED AT THE FILM BAZAAR. AFTER ITS WORLD PREMIERE IN CANNES CRITICS’ WEEK IN 2013, IT TRAVELLED TO TIFF AND KARLOVY VARY. THE LUNCHBOX WAS DISTRIBUTED IN MORE 50 COUNTRIES – A RECORD FOR AN INDEPENDENT INDIAN FILM

Bhaskar Hazarika’s Aamis (Ravening) was part of the Film Bazaar’s Co-Production Market in 2017

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n a globalised world, the value of socio-cultural rootedness is of utmost importance. But nowhere more so than in cinema, where market forces tend to impose saleable and proven templates on individual stories and styles. Nothing could be more counter-productive. Film funds and script labs must necessarily guard against straitjacketing of the medium so that fresh voices bursting through the system and keen to be heard above the din are not forced to fall in line and follow established practice.

As an incubator of new film projects in India and the rest of the subcontinent, the NFDC Film Bazaar, now in its 13th year, has rendered yeoman service by engendering an eco-system that allows originality to thrive while not losing sight of tried and tested ground rules that have proven beneficial.

It isn’t surprising, therefore, that many of the subcontinent’s most applauded and well-travelled contemporary films have taken shape – and wings – on this platform that has made mentoring and networking facilities available to them. Think Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox, Chaitanya Tamhane’s Court, Paobam Paban Kumar’s Loktak Lairem bee and Ashim Ahluwalia’s Miss Lovely and you cannot help but recognise the assistance that these acclaimed Indian films have received at the Film Bazaar where buyers, sellers, festival programmers and producers converge in search of the next lot of support-worthy films.

It isn’t unusual for veteran screenwriters and directors (such as Govind Nihalani and Kamal Swaroop) to turn up in this dynamic marketplace with the intention of exploring co-production possibilities, the Bazaar is numerically dominated by younger filmmakers, a large percentage of them being first-timers.

Film Bazaar is held on the sidelines of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), but it is a hub of activity so intense that it often overshadows the main event. The greatest strength of the Bazaar is the youthful energy that propels it and the range and depth of international participation that the annual event com-

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Kislay’s Aise Hee is currently the most successful Indian film in the global film festival circuit. It came out of 2018 Film Bazaar

BOMBAY ROSE HAS HAD THE LONGEST GESTATION OF ALL THE TITLES THAT HAVE EMERGED FROM THE FILM BAZAAR. IT WAS IN THE SCREENWRITERS’ LAB IN 2015, CO-PRODUCTION MARKET IN 2016 AND THE WIP LAB IN 2017. IN 2019, IT PREMIERED AT THE 76TH VENICE FILM FESTIVAL AND THEN TRAVELLED TO TIFF, BUSAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL AND BFI LONDON FILM FESTIVAL

ASHIM AHLUWALIA’S MISS LOVELY (FILM BAZAAR WORK IN PROGRESS, PREMIERED IN CANNES UN CERTAIN REGARD) DID NOT, HOWEVER, MAKE IT TO THE INDIAN PANORAMA – A SIGN OF THE GROWING DISCONNECTION BETWEEN THE GLOBAL APPETITE FOR CINEMA THAT BREAKS THE RULES AND THE DOMESTIC TENDENCY TO STILL JUDGE CINEMA BY CONVENTIONAL YARDSTICKS

Gitanjali Rao’s animation film Bombay Rose is the darling of global film festivals today

mands. The result is a space where a free exchange of ideas and synergies take place and yields salutary results.

Filmmakers from across the subcontinent have benefitted immensely from the time and energy they have spent in Goa in reaching out to the world and pushing their ideas, films and screenplays.

A majority of Indian films that have played in the leading international festivals – The Lunchbox, Miss Lovely, Titli, Chauthi Koot, Thithi, Killa and Ship of Theseus, to name only a few – have participated in Film Bazaar at crucial stages of their development.

Assamese director Bhaskar Hazarika’s Aamis (Ravening), which coincidentally will go into theatrical distribution across the country on the third day of the 50th edition of IFFI, was part of the Film Bazaar’s Co-Production Market in 2017. It returned to the Viewing Room – Film Bazaar Recommends in 2018 and went on to screen in the Tribeca Film Festival in 2019.

Geetu Mohandas’ Moothon (The Elder One), which had its world premiere at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September, opened in Indian multiplexes in the second week of November. The film had started its journey in Film Bazaar’s CoProduction Market in 2016 (the title back then was Insha’allah).

Moothon was in the Work-in-Progress (WIP) Lab the very next year alongside several other Indian films that got picked by international festivals – Ere Gowda’s Balekempa, Dominic Sangma’s Garo-language Ma’Ama and Ivan Ayr’s Soni.

Mohandas, an actress-turned-filmmaker also owes the rise of her debut film, Liar’s Dice, to Film Bazaar. The film was in the CoProduction Market in 2011. It premiered in the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival in 2013 before being screened in the Sundance Film Festival and 2014. Liar’s Dice was India’s official nomination that year for the Best Foreign Language film Oscar.

Besides a host of films that have come out of the country’s many filmmaking centres, projects conceived and developed in Mumbai have enjoyed a lion’s share of the spoils in Film Bazaar.

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Born out of Film Bazaar 2018, Prateek Vats’ Eeb Allay Ooo! has won the Mumbai Film Festival’s Golden Gateway Award and premiered at the Pingyao International Film Festival

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The most notable among them is The Lunchbox. After its world premiere in Cannes Critics’ Week in 2013, it travelled to TIFF and Karlovy Vary. The Lunchbox was distributed in more 50 countries – a record for an independent Indian film.

Ashim Ahluwalia’s Miss Lovely, set in Mumbai’s sexploitation movie industry of the 1980s, was part of the Film Bazaar Works-in-Progress lab in 2011, premiered in Cannes Un Certain Regard in 2012. The film won the Golden Gateway Award of the Mumbai Film Festival and was also in the official selection of TIFF and the International Film Festival of Rotterdam (IFFR).

Miss Lovely did not, however, make it to the Indian Panorama – a sign of the growing disconnection between the global appetite for cinema that breaks the rules and the domestic tendency to still judge cinema by conventional yardsticks. The constant churn of ideas that takes place in the Film Bazaar is a huge advantage for filmmakers who pass through the process – they are aided in the process of grasping the directions of world cinema and acknowledging and the need to eschew old habits.

Interestingly, the Film Bazaar has over the past decade and a bit mentored films that have subsequently taken on commercial trappings and gone on a different tangent. Sharat Katariya’s Dum Laga Ke Haisha, starring Ayushmann Khurrana and

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THE FILM BAZAAR IS NUMERICALLY DOMINATED

BY YOUNGER FILMMAKERS, A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THEM BEING FIRSTTIMERS

Behl’s Titli, Shanker Raman’s Gurgaon,Pushpendra Singh’s Ashwatthama, Amit V. Masurkar’s Newton, Devashish Makhija’sBhonsle, Dipesh Jain’s In the Shadows and Ridham Janve’s The Gold-Laden Sheep & the Sacred Mountain – is a Film Bazaar product. The event helps these filmmakers not only to evolve into outstanding films but also to find a place on the radar of the spotters that are sent out by major festivals.

Two films from the 2018 Film Bazaar, Prateek Vats’ Eeb Allay Ooo! and Kislay’s Aise Hee, are proving to highly popular on the festival circuit. Eeb Allay Ooo! has won the Mumbai Film Festival’s Golden Gateway Award and premiered at the Pingyao International Film Festival. Aise Hee bowed in Busan and, like Eeb Allay Ooo!, was in the India Gold section of the Mumbai Film Festival.

In a nation that produces more films than any other in the world, Film Bazaar has created a climate in which young filmmakers can dare to attempt transcending geographical boundaries. The Mumbai movie industry in particular is notoriously insular and cannot see beyond box office collections. But filmmakers working outside the pale of the mainstream are compelled to think of the wider world – the Film Bazaar fulfils that needed admirably, helping independent filmmakers engage with the world on an equal footing.

One of the biggest contributions of the Film Bazaar is manifested in the support it has extended to filmmakers from other countries of the subcontinent. Bangladesh’s Mostafa Sarwar Farooki, Rubaiyat Hossain and Golam Rabbany Biplob, Sri Lanka’s Prasanna Vithanage and Prasanna Jayakody, Pakistan’s Mehreen Jabbar and Sabiha Sumar, Nepal’s Deepak Rauniyar, Bhutan’s Khyentse Norbu and Afghanistan’s Siddiq Barmak have been part of the Film Bazaar over the years.

No wonder, for indie filmmakers in this part of the world, all roads lead to Goa come November.

Parth Bhalerao and Archit Deodhar’s Killa came out of Film Bazaar

Sharat Katariya’s Dum Laga Ke Haisha, starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar, which came to Film Bazaar as a work in progress, was powered later by Yash Raj Films

Geetu Mohandas’ Moothon (The Elder One), which had its world premiere at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) began its journey in Film Bazaar’s Co-Production Market and Work in Progress

Bhumi Pednekar, which came to Goa as a work in progress, went mainstream with Yash Raj Films throwing its weight behind the film.

Films such as Shanghai and Nil Battey Sannat, among others, have found similar theatrical outlets. In the case of Alankrita Shrivastava’s Lipstick Under My Burkha, Prakash Jha Productions was involved from the very outset. It was part of Film Bazaar’s WIP Lab in 2015. Completed in 2016 and released in 2017 after a protracted run-in with the censors, the film earned critical accolades and substantial commercial success.

Gitanjali Rao’s animation film Bombay Rose has had the longest gestation of all the titles that have emerged from the Film Bazaar. It was in the Screenwriters’ Lab in 2015, Co-Production Market in 2016 and the WIP Lab in 2017. In 2019, it premiered at the 76th Venice Film Festival and then travelled to TIFF, Busan International Film Festival and BFI London Film Festival. It now scheduled to screen in the Doha Film Institute’s Ajyal Film Festival and Marrakesh International Film Festival.

Not every film that participates in the Film Bazaar soars into the stratosphere. In fact, a chunk of the entries that have been listed on the Viewing Room roster run into dead-ends. But that does not diminish the significance of the exercise. Over the last decade, almost every film that is regarded as fine specimen of Indian indie cinema – among them Nagraj Manjule’s Fandry, Rahi Anil Barve’s Tumbbad, Kanu

THE GREATEST STRENGTH OF THE BAZAAR IS THE YOUTHFUL ENERGY THAT PROPELS IT AND THE RANGE AND DEPTH OF INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPATION THAT THE ANNUAL EVENT COMMANDS

Kanu Behl’s Titli was in Film Bazaar Recommends, where the 2014 Cannes Film Festival selection committee first saw the film and selected

Anand Gandhi’s Ship of Thesus began its journey in Film Bazaar

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Laila AurSatt Geet (The Shepherdess And The Seven Songs) 96 min, Gojri Director - Pushpendra Singh

WONDERFUL WORK IN PROGRESS

Producer(s) - Gulab Singh, Sanjay Gulati, Ajit Singh Rathore

AT FILM BAZAAR 2019

Out of five selected films for this year’s ‘Work in Progress’ lab, four are debut features. The director and editor of the selected film screen their rough cuts to the panel of mentors and receive an in-depth one-on-one feedback

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edition of Film Bazaar, organised by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), has announces five selected projects for its Work-InProgress Lab 2019.

The selected projects include Laila Aur Satt Geet (The Shepherdess And The Seven Songs) directed by Pushpendra Singh (Gojri), Pedro directed by Natesh Hegde (Kannada), Shankar’s Fairies directed by Irfana Majumdar (Hindi), Swizerland directed by Ajitpal Singh (Hindi) and Uljhan (The Knot) directed by Ashish Pant (Hindi).

The Work-in-Progress Lab is open only for fiction features aiming for a theatrical release. A maximum of five films are selected for this Lab. The director and editor of the selected film screen their rough cuts to the panel of mentors and receive an indepth one-on-one feedback. The international editor assigned to the film guides the director and editor of the selected film through two sessions of the editing lab, which takes place at Film Bazaar itself.

The international mentors include a film festival director, producer and film editors. They provide valuable feedback

(Debut feature)

Swizerland 100 min, Hindi Director – Ajitpal Singh Producer - Ajay Rai, Alan McAlex (Debut feature)

on the edit with the aim of helping the filmmaker achieve an accomplished final cut of the film.

Since its inception in 2008, the Workin-Progress Lab has moulded films, which have gone on to premiere at top international film festivals and receive critical acclaim.

This is the first time WIP lab projects will show their clips and pitch their films to potential investors, producers, sales agents, distributors, festival programmers in an Open Pitching session at the venue.

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outstanding films

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Director - Natesh Hegde Producer - Rishab Shetty

OUT OF FIVE SELECTED FILMS, FOUR ARE DEBUT FEATURES - PEDRO

BY NATESH HEGDE, SHANKAR’S FAIRIES BY IRFANA MAJUMDAR, SWIZERLAND BY AJITPAL SINGH AND ULJHAN

BY ASHISH PANT

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Shankar’s Fairies 85 min, Hindi Director - Irfana Majumdar Producer – Dr. Nita Kumar (Debut feature)

THE MENTORS OF WIP LAB 2019 ARE PHILIPPA CAMPBELL, DEREK MALCOLM, OLIVIA STEWART, MARCO MÜLLER, JACQUES COMETS, LIZI GELBER

Your perfect match 16

Pedro 160 min, Kannada

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Uljhan (The Knot) 135 min, Hindi Director – Ashish Pant Producer – Kartikeya Singh (Debut Feature)

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FILM BAZAAR PAVES WAY FOR CO-PRODUCTIONS

FOUR DAYS OF SHARING AND LEARNING AT

FILM BAZAAR 2019

Fourteen projects have been selected to participate in the Co-Production Market. The selection presents 14 projects from India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, France, Nepal, Singapore and USA. The line-up is an eclectic mix of stories in Hindi, English, Bengali, Malayalam, Assamese, Nepali, Dzongkha (Bhutanese) and Gujarati from established filmmakers as well as new talent.

Aamar Xokolure Bhaalpowa

I, the Song | Dzongkha | Bhutan, France

(All Our Loves) | Assamese | India Director- Mehdi Jahan Producer- Heer Ganjwala, Human Trail Pictures

Director - Dechen Roder, Dakinny Productions Producer- Thinley Choden, Dakinny Productions

Anantah (Eternity) | Nepali | India

The four-days of intense deliberations and discussions at Film Bazaar 2019 are set to help participants analyse the magnitude of disruptions happening in the Media and Entertainment space and prepare them for the impending future

T

he four-days of intense deliberations and discussions at Film Bazaar 2019 are set to help participants analyses the magnitude of disruptions happening in the Media and Entertainment space and prepare them for the impending future Film Bazaar 2019, the leading CoProduction Market for independent filmmakers in India where they converge and network with buyers, sellers, festival programmers and producers, will be kickstarted on November 21 with the aptly named session ‘Open Pitch’ where selected projects will present their video pitches to delegates interested in co-production, funding, sales, and distribution .

The Open Pitch session will be followed by three knowledge sessions – Script to Screen - Empowering Youth with Skill Development, MoMa - In Conversation with Josh Siegel, and Indian Cinema inspiring Entrepreneurs. The sessions will witness some intense discussions and deliberations covering topics ranging from creating an impactful training ecosystem for the youth to acquire technical skill sets required in the M&E sector; creating diversity in programming and how MOMA could be a catalyst to the experience of independent cinemas from India; and how Indian cinema can inspire entrepreneurs to bring innovations to the sector.

Leading experts and decision makers who will analyses and present their useful insights on the topics include Sunit Tandon, Director, India Habitat Centre; Amit Khare, Secretary Ministry of Information & Broadcasting; Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog; Prasoon Joshi, Chairman, Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC); Film Critic Anupama Chopra; Josh Seigel, Curator, Department of Film, The Museum of Modern Art; Vani Tripathi TIkoo,

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Member, CBFC; noted film director Vishal Bhardwaj; and Shobu Yarlagadda, CEO & Founder, Arka Media Fireworks.

Day Two will start with the session ‘Film Bazaar Recommends – Pitches’, where filmmakers of FBR films are invited to Film Bazaar to pitch their first look trailers/film clips and to introduce themselves to the market delegates.

There are three knowledge sessions to be held on Day Two – ‘Eye on India A Global Perspective of the Indian Film Industry’, Beyond borders - Exploring the Exciting New World of International OTT/VOD Business with Wendy Bernfeld, and ‘The Changing Landscape of Indian Cinematography’.

The sessions have been designed to throw some light on how the world views the dynamic and vibrant Indian film Industry; how filmmakers can go beyond local borders and traditional big players (such as Netflix/Amazon); and how growth of various platforms and screens are defining the boundaries of visualisation, how consumption is driving innovation in the world of cinematography today, and the role of sophisticated technology in pushing this innovation.

Among the leading voices who will express their views on the topics under discussion include International Media & Entertainment Consultant Rick Ambros; Kilian Kerwin - Head of Production, South Asia and Latin America, SK Global; Producer Kayvan Mashayekh; Marten Rabarts, Head, EYE International; Kyoko Dan, Programmer, Tokyo Film Festival; Actor and Producer Sanjay Suri; Wendy Bernfeld, Founder, Rights Stuff; and Cinematographers Shanker Raman, Tapan Basu, and Fowzia Fathima.

Day Three will start with Filmmaker’s Pitch, where filmmakers whose feaLIKE PICKLE IN FACEBOOK

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Director- Saurav Rai Producer- Sanjay Gulati, Crawling Angel Films

IndreniPari (Across The Rainbow Bridge) | Nepali | Nepal Director - Niranjan Raj Bhetwal, Icefall Productions Producer - Ram Krishna Pokharel, Icefall Productions

Ayna (The Mirror) | Hindi | India

Sabras (Salt) | Gujarati, English | USA, India

Director- Alka Raghuram, Junoon Pictures Producer - Celine Loop, Travelling Light Productions

Director - SushmaKhadepaun Producer - Andrea Kuehnel, Leitwolf Film produktion GmbH

Eka (Solo) | Bengali | India, Bangladesh,

Sand City | Bengali | Bangladesh

France

Director - MahdeHasan Producer- RubaiyatHossain, Khona Talkies Producer- Aadnan Imtiaz Ahmed, Cinema Cocoon Producer- François D'artemare, Les Films de l'Après-Midi

Director- SumanSen Producer- Bijon Imtiaz &Arifur Rahman, Goopy Bagha Productions Limited

Ettamedam (The Deathplace ) | Malayalam | India Director- Jiju Antony Producer- Shaji Mathew, Niv Art Movies

Feast | English, Hindi | Singapore, India Director - Leon Cheo Producer - Jen Nee Lim, Pilgrim Pictures Pte Ltd

Home Of The Rain Catcher | Hindi | India, USA

The Displaced | Hindi | India Director - Vijay Jayapal Producer - Mathivanan Rajendran, Stray Factory

Schirkoa| English | India Director/Producer -Ishan Shukla, Ishan Animation

Varna Heights (Varna Heights) | Hindi |

Director - VikasKhanna Producer - Jitendra Mishra, Bindu Khanna& P Kaul, House of Omkar

India, USA Director - Rajan Khosa, Elephant Eye Productions Pvt. Ltd. Producer - MerajShaikh, Wingman Pictures Pvt. Ltd.

ture films (in-progress or completed) are in the Film Library section of Viewing Room and Industry Screenings are given the opportunity to pitch their first look trailers/film clips.

The day will see unfolding of sessions on ‘Celebrating 50 Years of IFFI’, ‘Decoding Co-productions: International Partnerships and Film Funds’, ‘Navigating Film Festivals’, and ‘The Evolving Narrative - A View from the Writer’s Desk’.

Among the moderators and speakers are: Vikramjit Roy - Head - Film Facilitation Office, National Film Development Corporation, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Govt of India; Shri Chaitanya Prasad, Director IFFI, Additional Director General, Directorate of Film Festival; Naman Ramachandran – Asia Corre-

spondent, Variety; Anup Singh, Director, The Wandering Film Company, Promoter and Director Aditi Anand; Teresa Hoefert de Turégano, Funding Advisor; Liz Shackleton , Screen International, Asia Editor; Nashen Moodley, Director, Sydney Film Festival, among others.

The highest number of knowledge sessions have been reserved for Day Four, which will see six sessions taking place – ‘The New Matrix of OTT Business’; ‘Cinemas of India - Many Stories: Many Nuances, Many Languages’; ‘Harnessing the power of engagement - the FFO model’; ‘Hitting the right notes - A Guide to Music Rights’; ‘The Multiple Hues of the LGBT Narrative in India’; and ‘The new leadership dimension - Women Producers’.

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he international film festival of India (IFFI) is one of the most-awaited events for film fanatics, theatre artists, aspiring actors and industry professionals. The film extravaganza brings the best of craft and cinema from across the world, under one roof. Needless to say, besides a chance to witness great cinema, the event is a reservoir of knowledge.

Organised by the government of India, the event is planned and executed by a Steering Committee which consists of industry leaders and big wigs who can be credited with the event’s success. This year, the Steering Committee includes members like Union Minister Prakash Javadekar; Chief Minister of Goa Pramod Sawant; I&B Secretary Amit Khare; Chief Secretary, Goa, Parimal Rai; Vice Chairman, Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG), Subhash Phal Dessai; representatives of the film community including Shaji N Karun, Shri AK Bir, Rahul Rawail, Manju Borah, Ravi Kottarakara and Madhur Bhandarkar; senior officials of Directorate of Film Festivals, Entertainment Society of Goa, I&B Ministry and Goa Government. Besides, Bollywood leaders like Karan Johar, Siddharth Roy Kapoor, Feroze Abbas Khan and Subhash Ghai will also be part of the Steering Committee.

FANTASTIC IFFI IS BACK, THIS TIME IN A MUCH BIGGER AND BETTER WAY. FOR, THIS YEAR MARKS ITS GOLDEN JUBILEE. A LOT OF INTERESTING THINGS ARE IN STORE, FROM SPECIAL SCREENING FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED TO SCREENING FILMS THAT HAVE TURNED 50 AND BEST OF OSCAR WINNING MOVIES. HERE’S A TRAILER OF IFFI THAT KICKSTARTS ON NOVEMBER 20 IN GOA. 20

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This year, IFFI, slated to happen In Goa from November 20 to 28, 2019, is marking its golden jubilee. The event has got bigger and better this year as it enters its 50th edition.

Internationally acclaimed French actor Isabelle Huppert would be conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award. Huppert, who has worked in films like The Lacemaker, Violette Nozière, La Cérémonie, among others, has appeared in more than 120 films since making her debut in 1971.

She is the most nominated actress for the César Award, the national film award of France, with 16 nominations, and has won it twice. She was a regular with some of the most acclaimed filmmakers of the French New Wave, including Claude Chabrol and Bertrand Tavernier.

Like stated earlier, IFFI not just gives you a chance to experience unforgettable cinematic treat, but also provides you a platform to network, learn and enhance your knowledge about the nuances of film making. This year, the event will have multiple masterclasses, In-Conversation sessions and workshops from the industry people from all across the globe.

For instance, ace Indian filmmakers Madhur Bhandarkar and Priyadarshan will share their experiences and teach nitty-gritties of film direction, actors like Rishi Kapoor, Anil Kapoor TaapseePannu, Rakulpreet Singh will talk about their career highlights and industry experiences, along with Meghna Gulzar, Imtiaz Ali, Rahul Rawail and others talking about the art of filmmaking. Besides, there’s lots more into these masterclasses.

Besides showcasing 200 landmark films that have been lauded all across the world, the event also has an impressive line-up of previous movies, including the ones that have bagged the Golden Peacock Award.

There is also a section that will showcase incredible Oscar winning movies like the Godfather, Forest Gump, Gone with the Wind, among others.

That apart, special arrangements will be made for the visually impaired to let them also enjoy cinema, along with sections like World Panorama and Kaleidoscope, that will leave cine buffs asking for more.

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INDIAN PANORAMA IS A FLAGSHIP SECTION OF IFFI, WHICH SHOWCASES THE BEST OF CONTEMPORARY INDIAN FEATURE AND NON-FEATURE FILMS OF THE YEARS. THIS YEAR, THE FEATURE FILM JURY IS HEADED BY ACCLAIMED FILMMAKER AND SCREENWRITER PRIYADARSHAN. THE JURY HAS CHOSEN THE FILM HELLARO (GUJARATI) DIRECTED BY ABHISHEK SHAH AS THE OPENING FEATURE FILM OF INDIAN PANORAMA 2019 So, while you have been waiting for the event to begin, with a bated breath, here’s a sneak peek of what this year’s edition has in store for you.

BEST FICTION FILMS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE Under the section ‘World Panorama’, the event will showcase 64 award-winning feature-length fiction films, that are produced between 1st September 2018 to 31st August 2019, from around the globe. Adam, A First Farewell, far From Us, Give Me Liberty, among others, are some of the films under the section.

THE BEST OF INDIAN CINEMA IFFI 2019 will be a golden chance for you if you want to witness the best of contemporary Indian Feature and Non-Feature Films of the years. The jury, including industry bigwigs like ace

French actor Isabelle Huppert to be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Golden Jubilee edition of IFFI

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filmmaker Priyadarshan and well-known documentary filmmakerShri Rajendra Janglay, have chosen films like Hellaro (Gujarati), Pareeksha (Hindi), Ek Je Chhilo Raja (Bengali), Uri : The Surgical Strike (Hindi), Gully Boy (Hindi), Super 30 (Hindi), to name a few, which will be displayed under the section.

IMPRESSIVE LINEUP FOR THE ‘GOLDEN PEACOCK’ The section consists of line-up of extra ordinary work from all across the world, in the run up for the much coveted ‘Golden Peacock’ award. The trophy, that will come along with a cash prize of Rs 40 lakh this time, will be given to one out of 15 movies have been produced and coproduced by 22 countries. Movies that will fight against each other include names like Balloon (China), Antigone (Canada), Jallikattu (India), among others.

MISSED MUMBAI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL? IFFI IS HERE TO HELP! IFFI works hard to showcase the best of cinema to its audience. This year, it will showcase 17 award-winning films, from Mumbai International Film Festival, made in the last 10 years which includes documentaries, short fiction and animation films across the globe including Germany, Russia, Romania, United Kingdom and South Korea apart from India.

TREAT FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED IFFI aims to reach out as many as people as it can to let them explore and experience the kind of cinema that it offers. And considering movie watching is not easy for the visually impaired, the event has done its bit so that this section of audience doesn’t feel left out. It will organise special screenings of 3 brilliant films; Lage RahoMunna Bhai (Hindi), M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (Hindi), and Questao De Confusa (Konkani); along with audio description that translates images, visual information or non-dialogue portions of film into spoken words so that visually impaired people can access, and enjoy the films.

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Legendary actor Rajinikanth to be conferred with ‘Icon of Golden Jubilee of IFFI’

HONOURING LIVING LEGEND AMITABH BACHCHAN The 50th edition will honour megastar Amitabh Bachchan with the prestigious DadasahebPhalke Award, for his stupendous work and immense contribution to the Indian cinema.

Highlighting his work, the event will showcase 6 of his films; Deewaar, Badla, Paa, Piku, Sholey and Black; that made a mark in the world.

FILMS THAT HAVE TURNED 50!

As IFFI marks its Golden jubilee, it has crafted a special section ‘The Golden Lining’ as part of which it will screen best films that have completed 50 years, from across the world.

The package includes Films in Odiya, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, Assamese and Malayalam. Some of the iconic movies to be shown are Aradhana by Shakti Samanta, Satyakam

IFFI ALSO HOSTS MANY RETROSPECTIVES, TRIBUTES, MASTER CLASSES AND SPECIAL SECTIONS, WHICH ENHANCE THE VARIETY AND DEPTH OF THE EVENT. THE MASTER CLASSES HAVE EMERGED AS A HIGHLIGHT OF THE FESTIVAL, ESPECIALLY FOR FILM SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO CONVERGE IN GOA DURING THE EIGHT-DAY EVENT

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by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Stree

by Siddharth and Nanak Nam Jahaz Hai by Ram Maheshwary, among others.

ICONIC WORK BY 18 NATIONAL AWARDS WINNER MRINAL SEN This year, a new section‘Indian New Wave Cinema’ is dedicated to 12 films produced in India from the late 1950s to the late 1970s that were distinct in the narrative, style and budget, compared to those being produced in the mainstream cinema. This includes work of filmmaker Mrinal Sen, who has won 18 National Film Awards 18 times, the Padma Bhushan (2008) and the DadasahebPhalke Award.

Brothers, Costa Gavras, Wernor Herzog, HirokazuKoreeda, Fatih Akin and more.

FINEST WORK BY KEN LOACH The event will showcase some of the finest works by two-time Palme d’Or winner Ken Loach is widely acclaimed across international cinema as an independent filmmaker and documentarian.

Some of the landmarks films that will be shows as part of Ken Loach: Retrospective section are Kes, sweet Sixteen, Fatherland, Sorry We Missed You, and more.

YOU MISSED OSCARWINNING MOVIES? IFFI IS HERE FOR YOU! This year, it is Oscar raining at the IFFI. The event has shortlisted the best of Oscar-winning movies to be showcased at the do.

These include names like Monos (Columbia), Stupid Young Heart (Finland), Adam (Morocco), Beanpole (Russia), System Crasher (Germany), and many more. Get set to witness the best of world cinema and some of the stellar performances.

GOLDEN PEACOCK FILMS OF LAST 49 YEARS! Golden Peacock award has been a coveted title conferred by IFFI, to the world class cinema. In an effort to let cine aficionados enjoy and witness the stupendous award moving movies, in case they missed any one, the event will showcase all the Golden Peacock movies of the last 49 years under the section Golden Peacock retrospective.

DATE WITH MASTER FILMMAKERS Like every year, this year too, the event will bring to you work by master filmmakers, under its section Master frames. The section has the section has 17 films, like By The Grace Of God, Adults in the Room, The Golden Glove, to name a few it by filmmakers of international repute like Pedro Almodovar, Lav Diaz, Xavier Dolan, Dardenne

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RESTORING INDIAN CLASSICS IFFI aims to cherish rich cinematic heritage and sharing it with new set of audience and introducing to them the glories of the past. The “Restored Indian Classics’ sections aims the same with showcasing two of the finest Indian films, Kalpana

by Uday Shankar and TitasEkti Nadir Naam.

THE BEST FROM ASIA This year, IFFI has curated films that have made their mark from across various Asian countries and filmmakers. Titled as ‘Soul of Asia’, the section includes movies like Chinese films FeelLIKE PICKLE IN FACEBOOK

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ings to Tell by Wen LI, Taiwanese film Ten Years Taiwan, Japanese film Ten Years Japan, Wet Season directed by Anthony Chen coproduced by Singapore and Taiwan, and more.

THE ‘GANDHIAN’ FILM IFFI, in association, with the International Council for Film, and Television and Audio-Visual Communication Paris (ICFT) will present a UNESCO Medal to a selected film which upholds the values exhibited by Mahatma Gandhi for his immense contribution to the society for preserving peace & non-violence. Indian film BahattarHoorain, along with other movies like Oray, Rwanda and Sanctorum, among others, are in the running for the title.

THE POWER OF SILENCE! Before movies were made with dialogues, films at their nascent stage were released without any dialogues. They still left an impact, solely because of superb acting and emoting skills of the actors, background skills and excellent direction. This year, IFFI will bring back the lost era and mark the stupendous art of filmmaking by showcasing classic silent movies, played with live music. The charismatic experience with be a part of the section ‘Silent Film with Live Music’.

ter, the event will this time focus on Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike by dedicating an entire section ‘filmmaker In Focus’ to him. This will include showcasing five of his finest films like First Love, Ichi the Killer, Audition, Dead or Alive, 13 Assassins.

Miike is often considered as one of the most outstanding filmmakers from Asia and around the world with a cult status due to his films often mixing distinctly different genres and creating movies which stand out due to their mind-bending nature.

DEBUTANTS LIKE NEVER BEFORE IFFI has always been a platform for budding filmmakers. This year too, it will see the best of debutants showcasing their work and fighting it out to be on the top under the Debutant Competition Section.

20 HANDPICKED WORLDRENOWNED FILMS Festival Kaleidoscope, one of the most loved and important sections of the festival, brings hand

THE SYRIA MASSACRE Immigration is one of the major problems that we face today.

The Syrian immigrant crisis has found cinematic voice through master filmmakers over the last few years as an acknowledgement to this ongoing crisis. IFFI, in its own way, is working to solve the menace. This edition will see the special screening of the film ‘I’m Gonna Tell God Everything’ that narrates the heart wrenching story of Syria between 2011 and 2018.

FRENCH HOMAGES IFFI will pay homage to filmmakers Bernardo Bertolucci and Agnes Varda, who passed away in November 2018 and march 2019. The Dreams and Varda are the two French films that will be screened under this section.

FOCUS ON TAKASHI MIIKE With IFFI going bigger and bet-

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Celebration time at IFFI

picked films that have already made a mark in the world. This year 20 such films have been curated from all across the world.

So, in case you have missed the ‘not be missed’ cinematic experience, you have a reason to cheer.

THE BEST FROM RUSSIA Every year IFFI features ‘Country of Focus’ by picking up the best cinematic work and contribution of a particular country.

This year, the country in focus is Russia. You will get to witness some of the best Russian films like Abigail by Aleksandr Boguslavskiy, Acid by Alexander Gorchilin, Great poetry by AleksandrLungin, to name a few.

THE GOAN STORY! Held in Goa, IFFI, every year, dedicates a section that displays the best work from the Konkan film industry, that has been grow-

ing fast in the past few years.

This year too, the festival has picked the best Konkani films that have made a mark across the globe. the list includes names like A rainy day, Amori, Digant, and more.

THE AWARDS THAT THE COMPETITIVE FESTIVAL OFFERS ARE SIGNIFICANT IN MONEY TERMS. IFFI HANDS OUT PRIZE MONEY TO THE TUNE OF US$ 200,000. THE WINNER OF THE GOLDEN PEACOCK FOR THE BEST FILM TAKES HOME $80,000. THAT APART, THE BEST DIRECTOR AND THE SPECIAL JURY PRIZE WINNER BAG $30,000 EACH, WHILE THE TWO ACTING PRIZES COME WITH A CASH COMPONENT OF $20,000 EACH

The Best IFFI Jury of this Century

IFFI HAS MOVED UP A FEW NOTCHES SINCE COASTAL GOA BECAME ITS PERMANENT VENUE IN 2004. IFFI NOW HAS A FAR MORE SETTLED FEEL THAN EVER BEFORE, WITH EACH IMPROVEMENT IN TERMS OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND PROGRAMMING INITIATIVES ADDING VALUE TO BOTH THE EVENT AND THE LOCATION

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The jury is an integral part of any film festival. And IFFI takes care that it ropes in the best from the industry to judge and select the movies it wants to show. This year John Bailey, Cinematographer and Ex. President of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences will chair the International Jury of 50th International Film Festival of India (IFFI). French filmmaker Robin Campillo who was also a member of the Cannes International Jury 2019, renowned Chinese filmmakerZhang Yang and Lynne Ramsay, who is one of the leading lights of young British cinema will be the co-jurors. Eminent Filmmaker, Ramesh Sippy is the Indian member in the International Jury.

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FILM OFFICES AT FILM BAZAAR

FILM FACILITATION OFFICE (FFO) www.ffo.gov.in The Film Facilitation Office (FFO) set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in NFDC is going all out to ensure that foreign and domestic filmmakers don’t face any hassle while shooting their movies in the country. It acts as a single-window facilitation and clearance mechanism that eases filming in India, as well as endeavouring to create a film-friendly ecosystem and promoting the country as a filming destination. FFO acts as a facilitation point for the foreign producers and production companies along with their Indian Producer/Line Producer in assisting them to get requisite permissions, disseminate information on shooting locations and the facilities available with the Indian film Industry for production/post production and works closely with State Governments in assisting them to set up similar facilities.

HUES OF INDIA AT FILM BAZAAR-2019

MADHYA PRADESH www.mptourism.com

The 2019 edition of Film Bazaar will see participation from 10 states, which seek to promote the endless variety of cultures, landscapes, monuments, and places--spread across India from the lofty, snow-clad Himalayas to the sandy beaches on Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean--as world-class shooting locales for the film industry.

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Winner of Indian government’s national award for the ‘Most film-friendly state’ in 2017, the ‘heart of India’, Madhya Pradesh, offers a wide variety of locales, eliminating the role of a set designer. From famous forts, marble rocks of Bheraghat, to the green hills of Pachmarhi, the options are rich and many. The temples of Khajuraho are UNESCO heritage sites. Other shooting locales include Bandhavgarh and Kanha National Parks Gwalior, Orchha, Bhopal, Sanchi Stupa, Satpura National Park, and Ujjain. The state offers a number of incentives to establish Film Studio and undertake Filmmaking in the state. Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. runs its own hotels/motels which are available to the film units for film shooting on subsidized rates. Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation (MPSTDC) is the nodal agency for film shooting clearance, incentives and subsidies in the state.

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ODISHA

UTTAR PRADESH

www.odisha.gov.in

www.filmbandhuup.gov.in

Odisha is becoming an increasingly popular destination for ‘start, camera, action.’

The Puri Jagannath temple or the chariot-shaped Sun shrine can give modern architecture a run for its money. The Sambalpur waterfalls and the Paradip port mesmerize one, with the confluence of river Mahanadi and the Bay of Bengal, at its backdrop. Odisha Film Development Corporation (OFDC) is the nodal organization for providing single window clearance for shooting feature films in Odisha.

The incentives offered by the state include assistance of Rs. 10 crores to filmmakers for making the first three Hindi or international language films; all feature films produced fully or partly in Odisha are exempted from entertainment tax; and producers of films who utilize the facilities of Kalinga Studio Limited, Film & Television Institute of Odisha and Kalinga Prasad Colour Processing Laboratory are eligible to get incentives in the shape of subsidy. Among popular shooting locales are: Bhubaneshwar, Konark Marine Drive, Puri, Chilika Lake, Chandipur Beach, Hirakud Dam, Bhitarkanika, among many others.

Uttar Pradesh is the rainbow land where the multi-hued Indian Culture has blossomed from times immemorial. Taj Mahal in Agra, the symbol of love, has attracted filmmakers to Uttar Pradesh since the black and white era. The temple town of Varanasi offers a never-seen-before cultural experience for the international viewer, while the Buddhist relics at Sarnath and Lucknow are other places that could double up as props for a film catering to a wide audience. The Government of Uttar Pradesh offers a maximum subsidy of Rs. 1 crore for the films which have been shot for at least a half of its total shooting days in Uttar Pradesh. Besides, the units doing outdoor shooting in the state will be given 25 percent concession in room rent on their stay in hotels/motels of the UP State Tourism Development Corporation. Some of the famous shooting locales include Lucknow, Agra, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Chitrakoot, Ayodhya, Sarnath, and Mathura, among others.

UTTARAKHAND

DELHI

www.uk.gov.in

www.delhitourism.gov.in

Uttarakhand with beautiful hills of Nainital, Mussoorie’s waterfalls, accompanied by the divine bells at Rishikesh and Badrinath, is the right destination for filmmakers. Action scenes are bound to get racier, if shot at the skiing mountains at Auli and Munsiyari. The animals at Jim Corbett Park too, await their 10 seconds of fame. The state government offers incentives in the form of no entertainment tax for indigenous films, National Centre of Films for Children and Young People (NCYP)-produced children’s films and national and international award-winning films. Any filmmaker can shoot in Uttarakhand without any shooting charge/fees and there are many attractive financial incentives for films made in regional languages/dialects of Uttarakhand. The Government of Uttarakhand is also focusing on development of a film city at selected location and selection and development of places for outdoor shooting. Among the popular shooting locales are: Nainital, Dehradun, Mussoorie, Ali Bugyal, Ranikhet, Chopta, Auli, Almora, Gwaldam, Chamoli, Munsiyari, Rishikesh, among many others.

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The capital of India, with its unique historical and cultural heritage, has formed the backdrop of many iconic films. Sprinkled with ruins that exist alongside modern infrastructure, Delhi is undoubtedly a cinematic delight embracing two contrasting worlds. The city is home to three World Heritage sites -- Qutub Minar, Red Fort and Humayun’s Tomb. Besides the availability of new talent, lower production cost, international connectivity and better infrastructure, there are more than 200 locations to shoot at. The city has much to celebrate as it has already reached the milestone of completing 100 years as a capital. Initiatives taken by Delhi for promotion of films include a film manual with details of filming locations, etc, film events and festival, like National School of Drama’s Summer Theatre Festival, Delhi International Arts Festival, Osian’s Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema, Cinemala Film Festival and Delhi International Film Festival, etc.

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RAJASTHAN

GUJARAT

www.tourism.rajasthan.gov.in

www.gujarattourism.com

The capital of India, with its unique historical and cultural heritage, has formed the backdrop of many iconic films. Sprinkled with ruins that exist alongside modern infrastructure, Delhi is undoubtedly a cinematic delight embracing two contrasting worlds. The city is home to three World Heritage sites - Qutub Minar, Red Fort and Humayun’s Tomb. Besides the availability of new talent, lower production cost, international connectivity and better infrastructure, there are more than 200 locations to shoot at. The city has much to celebrate as it has already reached the milestone of completing 100 years as a capital. Initiatives taken by Delhi for promotion of films include a film manual with details of filming locations, etc, film events and festival, like National School of Drama’s Summer Theatre Festival, Delhi International Arts Festival, Osian’s Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema, Cinemala Film Festival and Delhi International Film Festival, etc.

JHARKHAND www.jharkhandtourism.gov.in Jharkhand is a nature lover’s paradise. It is home to countless waterfalls -- Hundru Falls, Lodh Falls, and Johna Falls. The State’s locales include forests, hills, valleys, waterfalls, wildlife, history, culture, charming towns and vibrant cities. Incentives offered by Jharkhand include a grant of a maximum of 50 percent of the total costing involved in making films in Jharkhandi languages and films made in Hindi, Bangla, Oriya, and other languages are granted 25 percent maximum of the total costing. There is also entertainment tax exemption on films made or acquired by Children Film Society, National Award winner, best Indian film in the international festival, documentary films produced by Central government’s Film Division, etc. Among the initiatives taken by Jharkhand for the promotion of films are: single table system for the successful implementation of film policy and to provide better facilities to the people associated with films.

Winner of the Indian government’s national award for the ‘Most film-friendly state’ in 2016, Gujarat is increasingly becoming the most preferred spot for the tinsel world. Filmmakers wishing to offer the audience an ‘eastern’ experience can land in Gujarat.

Incentives offered by Gujarat include incentives to Producers in the form of direct cash subsidy between Rs. 5 lakhs and 5 crores. Film producers and their crew are also given priority booking privilege and 50% rebate over the prevailing rates of rooms at government-owned Toran hotels across Gujarat. The state provides incentives on offer for winning an Oscar and other shortlisted prominent international film festivals. The initiatives taken by state for the promotion of films include a dedicated facilitation unit TCGL Film Shooting Cell; and single window clearance for film shooting permissions for all kinds of films. Among most prominent shooting locales are: Saputara, Champaner, Mandvi, Bhuj, Gopnath beach, Bhavnagar, Somnath, Dwarka, Adalaj ni vaav, Modhera, Great Rann of Kutchh, and Little Rann of Kutchh, among many others.

LAKSHADWEEP www.lakshadweeptourism.com

MAHARASHTRA www.filmcitymumbai.org Home to Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood, Maharashtra is a director’s delight, as his/her search for locations ends right here. It boasts of a huge variety of options, seeking to be dissected with a camera. The incentives offered

by Maharashtra include 100% entertainment tax exemption on Marathi films’ theatrical release in Maharashtra. Marathi films also enjoy concession/rebate in Film/TV shooting charges at various government-owned sites/locations. Every year State government declares State Film awards, wherein the 1st best movie gets prize money of Rs. 4 lakh. The initiatives taken by the state for the promotion of films include a single-window facilitation cell as an agency to facilitate all film shooting approvals in an integrated manner from a single location; creation of the Film Tourism Promotion Council under the aegis of Maharashtra Tourism.

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Beautiful Lakshadweep is a paradise in itself and the simplicity of life here is what can make it a wonderful backdrop of some of the unique stories that need to be told. This tiniest Union Territory of India is situated in the Arabian Sea and is considered to be among the most beautiful beach destinations of the country. There are 27 islands in total and each is about 220 to 440 km away from the coast of Kerala. The Department of Tourism Development, UT Administration of Lakshadweep is engaged in the development of Film Tourism in the UT of Lakshadweep. Though until recently Lakshadweep was out of reach for the film industry, considering the importance of film tourism, it has been declared as one of the key elements of Lakshadweep Tourism Policy. As part of this endeavor, the Department will be initiating various projects for the promotion of film tourism in Lakshadweep.

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CII-BCG Report -- The Trillion (And Growing) Touchpoint Story– Recognizing the Modernization Conundrum capturing the drivers of growth in the industry while revealing a path towards a more sustainable future even in uncertain times was released during 8th edition of CII Big Picture Summit 2019

INNOVATION CRITICAL FOR FUTURE OF INDIAN M&E The CII-BCG Knowledge Report on future of the Indian Media & Entertainment industry, which was released at the recently concluded 2019 edition of CII Big Picture Summit, outlines some of the critical areas based on an extensive research, which can spark action as the industry looks to outpace its past success in the challenging times ahead

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A

s Indian Media and Entertainment Industry has set the bar high on generating compelling content, creating new experiences for both their viewers and advertisers, it has led to the growth of trillion touchpoints along with the advertising dollars. But to ensure a steady rise in the Industry’s growth trajectory in future, the stakeholders will have to keep on raising the bar to meet the ever growing expectations and brace for challenges ahead, says a report prepared by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Confederation of Indian Industry.

Released at the recently held Big Picture Summit from November 14 to 15, the report titled ‘The Trillion (and Growing) Touchpoint Story-Recognizing the Monetization Conundrum says: “The coming year is truly pivotal for the industry as they seek to raise the bar once again in possibly chal-

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lenging times ahead.”

The authors of the report applaud the achievements of the industry. “We are proud & delighted to say that the industry has come out with flying colors on the consumption front to maintain the growth momentum with our trillion touchpoints increasing steadily. The increasing monetization levels and growth of advertisement dollars are also strong testaments to the high levels of engagement between the industry and its stakeholders, the value being created,” they say.

However, they also caution that “we do need to be cognizant of the possible uncertainty up ahead in the coming days”. They go on to outline some of the critical areas “which can enhance the value disproportionately”. The report hopes that the insights provided by it would help “structure the imperatives and sparks action as we move towards a new tomorrow which is better than today”.

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India continues its unique multi-modal growth pattern with video as the growth driver over the last 2-3 years riding on the back of continuous increase in smartphone penetration.

There has been increased investment in original content for the Indian market, which is based on data & analytics apart from creative aspects

Strong regional audiences and their demand for content in local languages have been the recent defining trends

SVOD adoption being driven by benefits and “digital age” – base much wider than the traditional 3M’s (metro, male & millennials).

Awareness and trials increasing but overall base still low.

The report has been divided into four sections, giving useful insights into: consumption patterns, consumer engagement drivers and trends, advertising trends and key recommendations to take the industry forward.

Digital video consumpAccording to the report, the consumption tion has increased from pattern present a positive picture as video 11mins/day to 24mins/day continues to gain share within the digital over the past 2 years pie; a favourable macro environment providing tailwinds that has been leveraged by the industry to fuel growth; steady growth of the trillion touchpoints especially with tendency to pay with the spend on media share of digital increasing; and a highly expected to follow the “lipstick effect” even engaged set of consumers being witnessed. in challenged environments”.

“While traditional media is growing at a “Video viewing seems to be largely econosteady pace, digital media is driving overall my agnostic, and consumers are expected growth with at a 16% CAGR over the past 2 to increase spending in the near future,” years,” it says. Digital video consumption the report notes. has increased from 11mins/day to 24mins/ When it comes to advertisers, the report day over the past 2 years. Over 2018, this says that they “understand and appreciate has been driven by: 10-15% increase in the manifold advantages - better targetnumbers of sessions; 15-25% increase in ing, lesser wastage, ability to drive brand average time per session, according to the building through interactive experiences, report among others”.

Steps taken by industry, such as offering But the report also points out that quesaffordable plans, forging partnership to tions on effectiveness and efficacy still provide free content, large breadth of “relremain in the absence of transparent and evant” content, and creating interesting verifiable data, as concerns are getting ads on different platforms have also played louder. “The advertisers do want to the ina crucial role in increasing content condustry to quickly fix some of the inherent sumption.

“The high levels of engagement are starting to address the issue of monetization which traditionally has been AVERAGE DIGITAL VIDEO the proverbial elephant in the room. CONSUMPTION IN THE COUNTRY Consumers are increasingly looking HAS INCREASED OVER TWO to move beyond trials but the funnel flow is still small compared to the large FOLD IN THE PAST TWO YEARS scale investments being made by play- TO 24 MINUTES PER DAY FROM 11 ers to both acquire and retain consumMINUTES PER DAY. AN INCREASE ers,” says the report.

However, the report goes on to add that OF 10-15 PER CENT IN THE the consumer research suggests that NUMBER OF SESSIONS (HOURS “the path being taken is the right one as users proclaim high stickiness and PER DAY). CONSUMPTION GROW

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Digital video is able to get more eyeballs for dvertisers.

But advertiser spend on digital is increasing at a slower pace compared to viewership growth.

55% viewers use TV advertising time in multitasking, switching screens or skipping content. In comparison, mobile advertising commands viewer attention.

Digital has become the medium of choice for industries like FMCG, Auto requiring psychometric information to drive brand building through interactive experiences.

issues like transparent measurement of ROMI (return on marketing investment).”

Psychometric approach of targeting needs a deeper understanding of consumer behavior, which is facilitated through digital, it says. “Possible challenging environment ahead may impact status quo and lead to tough decisions,” the authors of the report caution.

The report calls for “deep introspection and high levels of innovation”, as the coming year will be a pivotal one for the industry which looks to balance the imperative of growth and helping translate the trillion (and growing) touchpoints into a more sustainable & value accretive proposition for all the stakeholders.

The M&E growth till now has been made possible by the embracement of disruptions like digital and increased internet usage and turning it to an advantage. “There has been a common agenda and cohesion of imperatives across all the stakeholders– broadcasters, publishers, media agencies, advertisers, regulators, government agencies, among others, to make this possible,” the report notes, adding that if the past is anything to go by then the industry will not only rise to the expectations but turn the adversity into an advantage.

57% of digital video advertising in India spend is expected to have shifted to programmatic by 2023.

Advertising has become much more of a science, requiring technical and analytical capabilities.

INDIA HAS THE SECONDLARGEST BASE OF SMARTPHONES IN THE WORLD, SETTING UP A MASSIVE PLATFORM FOR DIGITAL VIDEO CONSUMPTION. MOREOVER, INDIA HAS WITNESSED A DRAMATIC REDUCTION IN DATA COST OVER THE PAST 2-3 YEARS. THIS IS LEADING TO HIGHER DATA USAGE -- INDIA HAS THE HIGHEST PER-CAPITA CONSUMPTION OF DATA AT 9.8 GIGABYTES PER MONTH

Two out of every three phones sold in India are smartphones now.

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IT’S HIGH TIME CONTENT CREATORS, SALES

COMPANIES GET REALISTIC Owing to huge corrections happening in the market, high production costs are likely to keep the buyers away, feel Manish Dutt and Krishi Dutt, Directors at VR Films & Studios, which is the first dubbing company in India to be listed on BSE SME platform and is looking to play a larger role in the industry in coming years

M

anish Dutt along with his brother Krishi Dutt runs India’s biggest dubbing company, managing over 900 artistes who lend their voices in several languages to keep his pipeline engaged. Even after clocking 50,000+ hours of dubbing and witnessing 80 percent year-on-year growth, Manish’s VR Films is hungry for more.

“India is emerging as a hub to dub for Hollywood and European language films,” says Manish, Managing Director, VR Films. “We are positioning ourselves to be a one-stop shop for all dubbing and sub-titling requirements. Our dubbing company is making Hollywood in India.”

VR Films is a “Limited” company now… with shares listed on BSE SME Platformfirst dubbing company in India and second in the world to achieve this.

You have returned back from AFM? How was your experience? How do you see the market for new content creation and distribution?

Yes we are back from AFM. The market was very slow with not so interesting content. There is a huge correction happening in the market. Buyers are very price sensitive at the moment, a fact which the sellers/content creators are beginning to realize. Anything overpriced remains unsold. It is high time content creators and sales companies get realistic on the production costs, as high costs will keep the buyers away. I have never seen sellers requesting buyers to help them out and were willing to cut their asking price by 50-60%. It is an interesting phase

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CO-PRODUCTION TIE-UPS, SOURCING AND FUNDING INTERESTING SCRIPTS AT THE FILM BAZAAR PRODUCERS LAB IS OUR MAIN FOCUS

How does your film production pipeline look like? Are you working on regional films?

We are working on a few projects at the moment. These include an international co-production in English to be shot in Ukraine. We are negotiating acquisition of another international project (Academy Awards and Golden Globe nominated film) remake in Hindi for the Indian audience. Also in development are a few scripts. We are looking to start production in the third quarter of 2020. But it depends on the scripts getting locked and availability of cast accordingly.

guages for sure. For the global market, Indian content besides the local language is getting dubbed in international languages as well as Mandarin (Putonghua), Spanish, Thai, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Malaysia, etc, to name a few.

How 2019 has been for you?

2019 is a milestone year for VR Films and Studios Limited. Getting listed on BSE SME platform (oversubscribed 1.70 times) was a dream come true. Being the first dubbing company in India to be listed is a big achievement. Feel happy to have unlocked our assets and created wealth for our investors with double the listed price in a short span of five months. With this exposure, we are looked upon as a serious player in the market and are the first choice of clients for localization.

Suddenly we realize it has been a long journey from a single dubbing studio to 65+ studios across India attached to us clocking 400+ odd hours of dubbing per month and with over 50,000+ hrs dubbed exposure since the year 2000; it surely is a huge achievement.

As we move into 2020 what are your plans?

How’s your service, dubbing business doing?

Dubbing and localization services are doing extremely well at the moment.

There is a huge demand for localization due to the OTT platforms and quest for maximum reach by all concerned platforms. Besides, just the three popular local languages -- Hindi, Tamil, Telugu (for Theatrical)-- there is a huge demand for localization in Native English, Kannada, Malayalam, Bangla, Marathi, Urdu, and Bhojpuri on digital platforms.

Sub-titling and close captioning is another service getting very popular with the OTT platform majors.

International content is getting dubbed/ localized in the above-mentioned lan-

We have a three-year plan to work on...

We will add up a few more studios in Bengaluru (around 5 studios) for Kannada dubs. We also plan to roll out at least two Hindi film productions every year starting 2020, besides our Hollywood acquisitions (10 -12 films a year). Plans are afoot to start our own Pay/Free TV and integrated OTT platform. In 2022, we plan to migrate to NSE Main Board and get listed among the major players to supplement and fund our activities multi-fold.

A challenging vision, but true to our name Visual Reality, ‘We Visualize You Realize.’

Manish Dutt and Krishi Dutt

where long-term players and actual buyers will only co-exist.

Film Bazaar has emerged as one of the finest markets for discovering talent. What are you looking for in the 2019 edition of Film Bazaar?

Co-production tie-ups and sourcing/funding interesting scripts at the Film Bazaar Producers Lab is our main focus. There are lots of interesting projects being pitched. If the price is right and expectations are reasonable, it can be a fruitful market.

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INDIA OPPORTUNITY

INDIA BY NUMBERS Films Produced

1500

1.3 BILLION PEOPLE

TV Channels

Internet Connections

Smart Phones

900 650mn 500mn INDIA THE WORLD’S AUDIO VISUAL FACTORY

Fastest Growing Audio Visual Market in the World Ease of Doing Business Excellence in Entertainment Services Massive Digitizaiton Innovation Driven Technology Expertise Champion Sector

OTT PLATFORMS

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1

BILLION MOBILE PHONES

GET READY

for

EUROPEAN FILM MARKET 2020 Berlinale beckons you. The European Film Market 2020 has lot of things in store. Prepare now for the grand event where you can explore, connect and do business SCREENING FACILITIES EFM offers top quality screening facilities for several high-end formats in comfortable state-of-the-art cinemas. Most EFM venues are conveniently located within walking distance in and around Potsdamer Platz. The EFM’s free shuttle service ensures quick connections between EFM venues and the cinemas.

3 LOCATIONS To accommodate the traffic of up to 110,000 visits during the 8 days of the Market, the EFM offers three exceptional locations, the prestigious Gropius Bau neighboring Gropius Park and the modern Marriott Hotel at Potsdamer Platz.

EFM LANDMARK EFM Landmark will offer plenty of options to present new trends, the tax rebates and incentives du jour, as well as changes in co-production funding opportunities and showcases of the best locations for film and drama series to producers looking for the right fit. Additionally, an important aspect of EFM Landmark will be a matchmaking service on its two consecutive days.

ALL UNDER...

Events will take place both in and around Gropius Bau, as well as in the Berlin House of Representatives, where

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EFM Landmark, Locations & More If you are scouting for global locales, look at EFM, the first market of 2020. Two days at EFM landmark will get you networked with Film Commissioners across the world and your search for best place to look for locations for your next script will end here.

EFM Landmark 2020 offers a new platform to international film commissions to present and discuss trends and opportunities for producers from all over the world. Following up and asking for more details to ensure a match is made is crucial to a successful event.

EFM Landmark therefore provides an exclusive meeting space for film commissioners and registered producers on 24-25 February in the new Business Lounge in the Gropius Bau. Events will take place both in and around Gropius Bau, as well as in the Berlin House of Representatives, where the Berlinale Co-Production Market takes place. Like with all other business platforms at EFM, access to “EFM Landmark” is with a Market Badge only.

the Berlinale Co-Production Market takes place. Like with all other business platforms at EFM, access to ‘EFM Landmark’ is with a Market Badge only.

CONNECTING PEOPLE

for ongoing networking and individual meetings.

CHILE, THE COUNTRY IN FOCUS

At the centre of one of Europe’s most exciting startup hubs - Berlin - the European Film Market selects 10 leading tech entrepreneurs and connects them with the film and media industries under the banner of EFM Horizon. Once more in 2020, companies from around the globe will be represented.

During the 70th Berlin International Film Festival in 2020, Chile will be “Country in Focus” at the European Film Market (EFM). EFM’s “Country in Focus” programme was launched in 2017 and aims to present in depth the film industry and filmmakers of a country and offer them a special platform.

INTERNATIONAL START-UPS

DIFFERENT ASPECTS

As part of this innovative platform, 10 selected international Startups will participate in 3 days of meetings, networking and presentations to the international industry. The companies selected to participate in EFM Startups will be carefully

curated to showcase new ideas in the intersection between media and technology - be it in development, production, distribution or marketing - which are essential to the industry’s survival and future growth in a rapidly changing landscape.

PITCH PRESENTATIONS The selected companies will be introduced to the industry in a formal group pitch and presentation at EFM Horizon headquarters - Berliner Freiheit on Potsdamer Platz. Pre-arranged one-on-one meetings with hand-picked top-level industry professionals, as well as in group meetings with various catalyst organisations will round out the program. On 24 and 25 February, the EFM Startup companies will be present at their stands in the prestigious Gropius Bau, headquarters of the European Film Market,

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The EFM will present Chilean filmmakers and filmmaking under different aspects. The main programme will provide many opportunities to network with Chilean producers, distributors, investors and creators, and to get to know Chilean productions. Supported by ProChile

– Chile’s Exports Promotion Bureau “Chile in Focus” will also mark the tenth anniversary of CinemaChile, the organisation that has successfully promoted Chilean cinema worldwide.

BERLINALE SERIES The Berlin International Film Festival has been emphasising series in the official programme since 2015 with Berlinale Series. The programme is curated by Carlo Chatrian, Artistic Director of the Berlinale. He has appointed Julia Fidel as the new head of Berlinale Series. Julia Fidel has previously worked for the sections Panorama and Generation - including as a member of the selection committee in the latter. In addition to her festival work, she has contributed to numerous film productions, and works as a film choreographer and press agent.

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POWER 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL IN INDIAN MEDIA AND SHOWBIZ. WATCH OUT FOR PICKLE 2020 NEW YEAR ISSUE. Pickle’s goal is to help you buy, sell and distribute content from overseas territories, find co-production partners, offshore with best of the Indian service companies and track media and entertainment business in India.

TAKEAWAYS FROM AMERICAN FLIM MARKET 2019

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Curtains came down on the American Film Market (AFM) on a high note with participation of industry professionals from across the world. Pickle presents you thoughts and takeaways from the eight-day event

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7,000 from 70 countries

Every genre and subject

The annual American Film Market (AFM) closed on Wednesday in the US city of Los Angeles with over 7,000 entertainment industry professionals from 70 countries and regions attending the eight-day event. The AFM is one of the world’s largest and most important transaction-based film markets, where an estimated one billion dollars in production and distribution deals are transacted each year.

Films of every genre and subject -- highend period dramas, family fare, slasher thrillers, animated kid pics and more -- all rub elbows in screening rooms that show up to 300 movies each year. Valinda Rothman, a book publisher and newly-minted film producer, arrived at the AFM to sell the IP rights to a trilogy of children’s fantasy books, ‘Alex and the Circus of Secrets’. Kids and family films are box

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desires to be, is the little pop-outs you see in history textbooks.”

First ever TV conference AFM’s first-ever Television Conference was a sold out event with more than 600 attendees and featured executives from Disney, Lifetime, The History Channel, MarVista, and more and featured two session

Boom time Brad Krevoy, Producer, A Christmas Prince franchise, said, “There is a reason why the Hallmark Channel has increased ratings. Because they have a brand, and their movies fit that brand.” “Because of the economics [in Canada] we can shoot more days at a time.” Krevoy added: “In the 80s it was Pay TV, and in the 90s, there was the DVD, and now we have the streaming services…As a filmmaker you should assess each one of the streamers and see what each is looking for.” “These 5 years are going to be boom time. We have been spending a large amount of time researching to figure out what each of these streamers want and that’s where you come in...”

Clash for eyeballs

Jonathan Wolf, Executive Vice President and MD of The American Film Market , Jean Prewitt, President and CEO of IFTA and Chris Lo, Los Angeles HKTDC at the ribbon cutting ceremony for Hong Kong day at AFM

office gold in every territory in the world and proven IP in those genres is on everybody’s Christmas list this year.

From well-dressed to naked Some 400 production and distribution companies and thousands more independent filmmakers plied their wares in the rarefied atmosphere of Santa Monica’s beachfront hotel row, touting completed films, packaged projects and naked scripts (scripts with no talent or money attached) in search of financing, talent and distribution.

Christopher Sean, an Asian American actor best known for his work in ‘Star Wars Resistance’ and ‘Hawaii 50’, hit the AFM with producing partner Paul Hanson to sell their latest film, ‘Stage Fright’. It’s a horror thriller that also promotes an awareness of mental health.

The Rise of AVOD AFM wrapped its five-days of Conferences with the dedicated 90-minute session, The Rise of AVOD, with all the major players in the space and moderated by Bruce Eisen, President, Digital Advisors.

Counter-intuitive model Jeff Shultz, Chief Business Officer, Pluto TV, said, “The counter-intuitive model of television is most people don’t know what they want to watch. They stumble upon our James Bond channel or on Unsolved Mysteries. We identify the catalogue, we turn it into a linear channel and immediately it [the James Bond channel] was one of the top 5 channels of our 200 channels. Who would have known?”

Live TV experience

said, “We’re offering a live TV experience for the non-cable subscriber. Xumo is creating an AVOD substitute for cable.

We are seeing certain channels coming over and performing well on a space that was previously only on MVPDs.”

The tech beneath According to Adam Lewinson, Chief Content Officer, Tubi TV, “We are a technology based company. We have to talk about the tech beneath the VOD world and about discovery. What I love about our tech is machine learning... the more we have a viewer watching, the more we understand their viewing behavior, the easier it is for us to feed recommendations and that’s where discovery happens. On Tubi every single day when I look at our data or internal ratings I see tons of indie movies performing at an incredibly high level and sometimes that’s a higher level than the brand name TV show or big studio feature.”

Free stuff Julian Franco, Senior Director, AVOD, Vudu, said, “Most people go for free over paid…if you offer 10,000 movies available for free, chances are that most people just want to watch something to relax and unwind with.” He added: “People go for the free stuff, but a lot of our partners like Disney and Warner Bros. do a great job of creating demand for big blockbuster tent poles as well as independent films. They’re still really smart about how they release them so they will day-and-date them on TVOD sometimes and we will come in and license an AVOD window exclusively so we’ll take it on day 91 after the Home Entertainment window. This is the first year that we’ve seen that more people are engaging with free over a transaction, but the transaction is still a much larger piece of the overall revenue.”

Lauren Kisilevsky, Vice President, Original Movies, said, “Relateability, optimism, wish fulfillment, and emotional impact are goals for a DCOM.” “In an increasingly cluttered marketplace, we are competing for eyeballs against streaming services.”

He added: “Made for TV movies is a clash of two cultures. We need to make content that appeals to both ends of our demographics.” He also said: “We are looking to make 3x the amount of movies we have made in the past...There is a greater need for more content to remain competitive.”

Urban titles Chevonne O’Shaughnessy, President, American Cinema International, said, “What we found as a niche...for Netflix is urban titles. They want thrillers. Those stories that were already made with white actors, now for black audiences.”

Appointment audience Tia Maggini, Vice-President of Programming, Lifetime Original Movies, said, “Lifetime has been around for 35 years. We have a very strong brand. They [the audience] know what they are going to get when they go to Lifetime...We are looking for appointment viewers. We are still measured by what we can bring in on Saturday nights.” “We are tasked with making up to 50 movies a year. Our target audience is women ages 25-54... they want to be inspired, they want to go deeper into the stories, they want to relate to the characters. They want to go on an emotional rollercoasters.”

Netflix, Disney & Fox Tony Vassiliadis, Chief Operating Officer, MarVista Entertainment, said, “8-12% of the content on Netflix is Disney or Fox. That content that is going to go to Disney+. So we’ve been thinking how we fill those slots, fill in the gaps that start existing when all the major start to take their content exclusively for their streaming platform.”

Creating ‘History’

Good news

Mike Stiller, VP, Development & Programming, The History Channel, said, “History Channel is 25 years old this year. It is a huge accomplishment in television. We originally started as a spin-off of A&E.” According to Stiller, “We have done research--our viewers see themselves as explorers...What History

Pierre David, ReelOne/Lance Entertainment (major producer of movies for Lifetime), said, “The good news is - you know ahead a time exactly what your movie is going to bring back. So you know what you can spend. Then you go foreign. You have a very specific marketplace and you

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have to make it with a certain margin of profit.”

Diversity in projects The AFM in partnership with ReFrame, gathered leading independent executives and producers Glen Basner, CEO, FilmNation Entertainment, Zanne Devine, CEO, Pacific Northwest Pictures & President, Montana Pictures, producer Cassian Elwes, and Monica Levinson, President of Production, ShivHans Pictures, and Jane Fleming, Partner, Court Five Productions, moderated a candid conversation on bringing diverse projects to the marketplace and audiences, the ability to get these stories financed, produced, and distributed whether theatrically or with a streaming platform, as well as what each is doing in their own companies and productions to change unconscious bias.

Financing model Glen Basner kicked off the conversation saying, “the independent financing model has shrunk but within the newer smaller pool, this year in particular, it feels like it’s coming back and is quite vibrant but vibrant in a different way because the traditional ways that international distributors are analyzing films has really changed.”

Basner also talked about measures he’s taken within his own company, saying, “We’ve created a diversity committee at FilmNation to progress our company.

We’ve had the entire company take on unconscious biased training…we have revamped our hiring process to address unconscious bias.”

Future business Producer Cassian Elwes said, “In 2019, the fact that we’re still talking about whether we should make movies with women or people of color is embarrassing!” “The studios have dumped the most appalling garbage onto us as cinema goers…Disney, great they are doing a lot of television trying to be

diverse. I don’t see that in their future business. And I certainly don’t see it in the future business of the other studios.”

“Now we’re letting in all of these streaming companies coming into the marketplace and that’s positive on some level because of the amount of money they’re bringing to the table.”

More is good Zanne Devine, CEO, Pacific Northwest Pictures & President, Montana Pictures, said, “I think the massive amount of content is good because there’s many ways to interpret a hit or miss.

Filmmakers are more open to exploring different platforms and ways of releasing a film.”

Sign in Each of the panelists has signed on to ReFrame, a joint initiative of the Sundance Institute and Women In Film Los Angeles. The ReFrame stamp is a mark of distinction for projects that have demonstrated success in genderbalanced films.

Pitching essentials Effie Brown, Producer, Duly Noted, Inc, on what is important in a pitch, said, “Why you are the person to do this story. And what emotionally resonates with you which usually makes the other person care.” He added: “[when pitching], You have to know your audience.”

Listen please Cassian Elwes, Producer, ELEVATED, said, “Part of what you do at AFM is to go out and meet people. Make sure you not only talk, but also listen.” On being pitched a story, Elwes said, “it is great when somebody gives me a one-liner or a little bit to begin with so I understand the story they are trying to tell.”

Importance of script supervisor

Future of film rights Arjun Mendhi, MIT Technologist & CEO, MTonomy, said, “Every film

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Animals in film Mark Harden, Senior Trainer, Animals for Hollywood, said, “First thing I do when I read a script is ask myself what is the animal’s purpose. Why is the animal needed in the script?” “Animals are just as important in script as a costume, prop, or actor.” Stating that “Animal trainers become brand representatives for a film,” Harden added: “We recommend bringing animals and their trainers to production meetings to get comfortable with your staff. Do a show & tell when introducing your animal trainers & animals to your production!”

Finance conference Scott Roxborough, European Bureau Chief, The Hollywood Reporter, said, “Never has there been another time when there’s been more production, demand and money.”

Partners to filmmakers Aaron L. Gilbert, Chairman & CEO BRON Studios, said, “We want to be good partners to filmmakers...we’re in a wonderful place with creators and filmmakers...We’re really looking at this business on a global level.”

Multiple platforms

Randi Feldman, Founder, Cinema Workshops, said, “The script supervisor has thought of where we’ve been [within the story], where we are going, and how we can get to where the film needs to be.”

“A script supervisor has to have a strong relationship with the director, producers, and writers to understand what they want accomplished. We have to be flexible to carry out their vision.”

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that we make today will live forever.”

He added: “Streaming penetration in China is at 6%. Let’s envision a future where media content can live and grow autonomously… forever.”

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Ashley Levinson, Chief Strategy Officer, BRON Studios, said, “There are so many platforms to tell stories...to be able to support that is something we are excited about.” “We know there is an audience, it’s a matter of telling the kinds of stories that can be able to reach that audiences.”

3 things about making movies Jeffrey Greenstein, President, Millennium Media, Inc, said, “Making movies is about 3 things...story, story, and story.” “Your director is like your quality assurance, you actors help you sell the film and will really make it great.

So it is really about those stories.”

Market demands Alan Siegel, President & CEO, Alan Siegel Entertainment, said, “The market demands theatrical. I believe people still want to go to the cinema...the business is very cyclical. Right now streaming is king...I think at some point the field is going to be leveled...you want to see a great movie in a theatre.”

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The Innovators Amy Friedlander Hoffman, Investor & Former Head of Business Development & Experiential Marketing, Uber, said, “The expectations that we have change so rapidly...so how do you make a connection with your consumers?”

Great war Tim League, Founder & CEO, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, said, “It’s interesting to talk through it because there is a great war going on. We are supporting Netflix releases. If it’s a winwin situation for us then we’ll do it…

Breaking Bad made sense. That’s one we did a day-and-date release for. We look to the studios as partners, we look to the streamers as partners.”

Platform agnostic Erik Feig, Founder & CEO, PICTURESTART, said, “We are truly platform agnostic. It’s all about finding the right model for the right project and what makes sense for your story and your audience.”

Make something amazing, simple Christian Parkes, Chief Marketing Officer, NEON, said, “It’s really does start with the audience...you can have the greatest story in the world, but if you don’t have an audience, you have nothing. The beauty of cinema is that it brings people together.” “Make something amazing but make something simple.”

Understanding audiences According to Aron Levitz, Head of Wattpad Studios, Wattpad Studios, “It’s about understanding audiences but it’s also about what is driving them.” “We have the ability to tell everyone who read the book the dates that it is coming out in their country but we also have the ability to tell those who like similar content.”

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