ITV

Category: International

  • IMAX & Lumière sign 10-theatre revenue share agreement in China

    IMAX & Lumière sign 10-theatre revenue share agreement in China

    MUMBAI:  IMAX Corporation, IMAX China Holding Inc., and Sichuan Lumière Pavilions Company Ltd. (Lumière), a leading exhibitor in China, announced a full revenue share agreement for 10 new IMAX® theatres. The theatres will be added to new projects located in tier one and tier two cities throughout China and are slated to be installed by the end of 2019. The deal brings Lumière’s IMAX total to 19 theatres.

    “We consider IMAX a key competitive advantage for our business and today’s agreement is a direct result of the success we’ve experienced to date with IMAX, which generates incremental box office for our complexes,” said Jimmy Wu, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Sichuan Lumière Pavilions Company Ltd. “IMAX has become a part of the movie going mindset of people in China and we look forward to offering our patrons more of the best films around worldwide in the premium, state-of-the-art IMAX format.”

    “We are delighted to expand our relationship with Lumière – a valued partner that will bring new IMAX theatres to popular shopping malls in excellent locations across the country,” said IMAX Corp. CEO Richard L Gelfond.  “In the first quarter of this year, our signings growth in China was up 171% from last year.  Today’s agreement, along with our recently announced 40-theatre deal in China, signals that this momentum continues. With our end-to-end technology, high brand awareness in China, and the steady rapid expansion of the cinema business, we believe there is a sizable opportunity for us to continue expanding in China well beyond our current footprint.”

  • Warcraft shatters IMAX opening-day box office records; Grosses $5.32 million, or RMB 35 million on 290 IMAX® screens across China

    Warcraft shatters IMAX opening-day box office records; Grosses $5.32 million, or RMB 35 million on 290 IMAX® screens across China

    MUMBAI: IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX) and IMAX China (HKSE: 1970) today announced that Warcraft, released by Legendary Pictures, scored a record-setting opening day – including midnight shows – in 290 IMAX® theatres across China with box office of $5.33 million, or RMB 35 million. The new all-time record surpassed the previous record-holder Furious 7’s RMB 31 million. In addition, Warcraft also breaks the IMAX midnight show (RMB 9.03 million) and presale (RMB 53.8 million) record in China, driven by its strong following. 

    Warcraft was adapted by Blizzard Entertainment’s video game juggernaut and its release date in China is two days ahead of North America. Of the total for midnight grosses, Wanda’s 151 IMAX screens accounted for RMB 4.7 million, or nearly half.

    John Zeng, President and board director of Wanda Cinema Line Corporation said: “I’m thrilled to see what Wanda IMAX screens have achieved in presale and midnight show box office, which is the best example to show that the pairing of Wanda Cinema’s premier theater environment and IMAX technologies has been strongly recognized by the Chinese moviegoers. And I believe it is only the start for Warcraft’s journey in China.

    “Warcraft presents a spectacular world for moviegoers and IMAX is definitely the best way to experience the scenes. We are excited about this incredible opening across IMAX screens in China and look forward to the future partnership with IMAX to bring new record-setting films to the moviegoers,” said Peter Loehr, Managing Director of Legendary East.

    “Warcraft has become a true cultural phenomenon in China, and IMAX is pleased that the fans’ passion and loyalty has translated into this record-setting opening day for IMAX,” said Greg Foster, Senior Executive Vice President, IMAX Corp. and CEO of IMAX Entertainment. “Congratulations to Legendary, Wanda, Universal and all of our other partners involved in this film. We are proud that our collaboration has resulted not only in these fantastic numbers, but has launched a new cinematic franchise.”

    The IMAX® 3D release of Warcraft will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience® with proprietary IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images, coupled with IMAX’s customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio, create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.

  • Warcraft shatters IMAX opening-day box office records; Grosses $5.32 million, or RMB 35 million on 290 IMAX® screens across China

    Warcraft shatters IMAX opening-day box office records; Grosses $5.32 million, or RMB 35 million on 290 IMAX® screens across China

    MUMBAI: IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX) and IMAX China (HKSE: 1970) today announced that Warcraft, released by Legendary Pictures, scored a record-setting opening day – including midnight shows – in 290 IMAX® theatres across China with box office of $5.33 million, or RMB 35 million. The new all-time record surpassed the previous record-holder Furious 7’s RMB 31 million. In addition, Warcraft also breaks the IMAX midnight show (RMB 9.03 million) and presale (RMB 53.8 million) record in China, driven by its strong following. 

    Warcraft was adapted by Blizzard Entertainment’s video game juggernaut and its release date in China is two days ahead of North America. Of the total for midnight grosses, Wanda’s 151 IMAX screens accounted for RMB 4.7 million, or nearly half.

    John Zeng, President and board director of Wanda Cinema Line Corporation said: “I’m thrilled to see what Wanda IMAX screens have achieved in presale and midnight show box office, which is the best example to show that the pairing of Wanda Cinema’s premier theater environment and IMAX technologies has been strongly recognized by the Chinese moviegoers. And I believe it is only the start for Warcraft’s journey in China.

    “Warcraft presents a spectacular world for moviegoers and IMAX is definitely the best way to experience the scenes. We are excited about this incredible opening across IMAX screens in China and look forward to the future partnership with IMAX to bring new record-setting films to the moviegoers,” said Peter Loehr, Managing Director of Legendary East.

    “Warcraft has become a true cultural phenomenon in China, and IMAX is pleased that the fans’ passion and loyalty has translated into this record-setting opening day for IMAX,” said Greg Foster, Senior Executive Vice President, IMAX Corp. and CEO of IMAX Entertainment. “Congratulations to Legendary, Wanda, Universal and all of our other partners involved in this film. We are proud that our collaboration has resulted not only in these fantastic numbers, but has launched a new cinematic franchise.”

    The IMAX® 3D release of Warcraft will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience® with proprietary IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images, coupled with IMAX’s customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio, create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.

  • 46th International Film Festival of India in Goa concludes; Spanish films win top honors

    46th International Film Festival of India in Goa concludes; Spanish films win top honors

    NEW DELHI: The curtains came down on the 46th International Film Festival of India in Goa with internationally co-produced Spanish adventure drama film ‘Embrace of the Serpent’ directed by Ciro Guerra bagging the Golden Peacock for best milm. The film also won a citation with prize money of Rs 40 lakh to be shared between the Director and the Producer.

     

    The Special Jury Award also went to a Spanish film – ‘Sealed Cargo’ directed by Julia Vargas.  The Special Jury Award carries a Silver Peacock, citation and a cash prize of Rs 15 lakh. The Serbian film ‘Enclave’ directed by Goran Radovanovic got the special mention award. Spain was the focus country at the annual festival this year.

     

    At a colourful event showcasing a cultural performance and some eminent personalities at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee indoor stadium, the awards were presented by Goa Governor Mridula Sinha, Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, and Union Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore. The chief guest of the function was the internationally acclaimed music maestro A R Rahman.

     

    The best director award went to British filmmaker Peter Greenaway for the film ‘Eisenstein in Guanajuato’ which is based on the real-life story of eminent Soviet filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein. The best director was presented with a Silver Peacock, a citation and a prize money of Rs 15 lakh.

     

    The best Actor (male) went to Vincent Lindon for his portrayal of a laid off factory worker Thierry Taogourdeau in the French film ‘The Measure of a Man’ while the best Actor (female) award was shared by Gunes Sensoy, Doga Doguslu, Tugba Sunguroglu, Elit Iscan and Ilyada Akdogan for portrayal of the roles of five young orphaned sisters in the Turkish film ‘Mustang’. The best Actor – male and female were awarded the Silver Peacock, citation and prize money of Rs One Rs 1 million.

     

     

    Russian film maker, actor and head of Russian Cinematographers’ Union Nikita Mikhalkov was conferred upon the Lifetime Achievement Award while the first-time instituted International Council for Film, Television and Audiovisual Communication (ICFT) – UNESCO Fellini Medal was awarded to Kaushik Ganguly’s ‘Cinemawala’ since it highlights some of the socio-cultural values that UNESCO stands for, as the film was about the depleting state of cinema houses in West Bengal. 

    The Centenary Film Personality Award was conferred on internationally acclaimed music composer Illayaraja.

     

     

    The International Jury of IFFI 2015 headed by internationally acclaimed Indian film maker Shekhar Kapur, comprised UK based director, Micheal Radford, Palestinian based Israel director, Ms. Suha Arraf, German Actress, Julia Jentsch and South Korean filmmaker Jeon Kyu-Hwan.

     

    Speaking at the closing ceremony, Rathore said that while seeing a film could be an escape, it was also a source of inspiration, since it remained with the viewers long after they had seen it and they carried it into their real lives by becoming a part of the film. A film therefore has to espouse good values.

     

    Rathore said IFFI provided a unique platform for confluence of ideas and stories from across the world and helped to learn from each other. This helped in better realization of the commonality of the joys and sorrows that transcended all kinds of distinctions and boundaries.

     

     

    Elaborating on the new media initiatives this year, Rathore said that the festival reached out to the larger audience through various initiatives like Live Streaming of Press Conferences, Festival Mobile App, Talkathons for disseminating the information and content of the festival. He said there was also a special section on National Film Heritage Mission at IFFI 2015 which showcased his Ministry’s efforts to restore and digitize films and archive film material. He said that out of a total of 1300 films, 375 films had already been digitized and preserved.

     

    Rahman said cinema helped us understand culture and commonality of consciousness of people across the world.

    Parsekar said IFFI had further enhanced the image of Goa as world class filming destination. The festival had also inculcated the film culture in Goa. He said IFFI 2015 showcased excellent cinema with participation from eminent national and international film personalities.

     

     I and B Secretary Sunil Arora speaking on the occasion said that people in the film industry had stood the test of time and became the iconic figures in India and abroad.

     

    The Festival closed with the screening of the Argentinian film ‘The Clan’. It had opened with the film ‘The man who knew eternity’ on 20 November. The mid-Fest film was ‘The Danish Girl’.

     

    A total of 182 films from ninety countries besides India were shown in the Festival which had a record number of 7000 delegates.

     

    There were 47 films in the Indian Panorama section (Feature and Non-feature). The 13-member Indian Panorama Feature Jury was headed by Aribam Syam Sharma while the 7-member Non-Feature jury was led by Chairperson, Rajendra Janglay.

     

    The Festival had a total of 120 world, international, Asia and India premieres. The festival hosted more than 820 film delegates including 540 national and 280 international directors, actors, producers, technicians including Oscar Academy members and Hollywood experts

    New Horizons from North-East- A special retrospective on ace filmmaker Aribam Shyam Sharma and special section on new generation filmmakers from the North-East were some other features of the festival this year. A multimedia exhibition on National Film Heritage Mission was organized by DAVP and NFAI

     

    A special retrospective on Shashi Kapoor offered glimpses of the work of the legendary actor Shashi Kapoor and screened 8 of his films at IFFI 2015.

     

    A three member delegation from the Oscar Academy visited India for the first time to present important master classes. Academy members and Hollywood experts like Mark Mangini, Milt Shefter, Humphrey Dixon and Nancy Bhishop conducted master classes on varied topics like sound designing, film archive, film editing and casting.

     

    Eminent national and international film celebrities like Anil Kapoor, Illayaraaja, Sonakshi Sinha, Kabir Khan, Dev Patel, Mark Mangini, Ayushmann Khurrana, Aditi Rao Hydari, Jackie Shroff, Nana Patekar, Sachin Pilgaonkar, Subash Ghai, Shekhar Kapur, Kaushik Ganguly, Edward Pressman, Nikita Mikhalkov, Michael Radford, Julia Jentsch, Suha Arraf, Rajkumar Hirani, Priyadarshan, Vetrimaaran, Madhur Bhandarkar, Anand L Rai, Shyam Benegal, KK Senthil Kumar and Shankar Mahadevan to name a few were at present.

     

  • Eros International inks multiple film deals in China

    Eros International inks multiple film deals in China

    MUMBAI: Eros International has inked as many as three deals with China’s state owned film and entertainment companies to promote, co-produce, distribute and unlock value in respective intellectual properties for Sino-Indian films across all platforms in both the countries.

    After signing a co-production deal with China Film Group Corporation (CFGC), Eros has now signed Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with Shanghai Film Group Corporation (SFG) and Fudan University.

    The collaboration with the Shanghai Film Group Corporation incorporates exploitation of intellectual property rights owned by each party in their respective markets, development, co-production and distribution of film projects for both India and China. The treaty paves the way for Eros to become the preferred Indian film partner in China.

    Eros has also entered into an association with Fudan University, which includes the ability for Eros to license Fudan’s IP for remakes or co-productions in India. Fudan will also assist Eros in obtaining publishing licenses for the promotion and distribution of the films from the Eros library in China across various platforms including dubbing them or remaking them to suit local audience tastes.

    The MoUs were signed by Eros International managing director Sunil Lulla at the recently concluded India-China Business Forum in Shanghai, attended by Indian Prime Minster Narendra Modi.

     
    Lulla said, “This is a very proud moment for us at Eros to be associated with the biggest and most-respected Chinese media companies. We are humbled by the gestures that make us the most preferred partner in the field of media and entertainment and we are committed to helping both countries expand their market and audience instantly to over 2.5 billion people. We are really excited about the possibilities and the potential and making films together is just the tip of the ice-berg as we hope to extend these partnerships across all platforms including online.”

    China Film Group Corporation chairman La Peking said, “Wish India and China collaboration will be more and more fruitful.”

    Shanghai Film Group Corporation president Ren Zhonglun added, “Eros is a very respectable company, which we always looked forward to working with. This strategic partnership MoU between Eros and SFG fits into the general background of the collaboration between two countries – India and China. It is also the fruit of collaborative effort on resource sharing by filmmakers from two countries. China and India together have 2.5 billion population with great market potential. As Asian countries, we share a lot of similarities in terms of culture, religion and art. There is big space in movie co-operation. We expect to visit back to India and Eros in the near future to further our collaboration.”

    As was reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com, Eros International signed its first ever Sino-Indian co-production deal with Chinese state owned production company CFGC to co-produce the movie Da Tang Xuan Zang (Monk Xuan Zang) based on the life of a Chinese monk.

     

    The Chinese movie market is sized at $4.8 billion, second only to the US, and grew 34 per cent in 2014. China produced over 600 films in 2014. The number of theatre screens in China has also quadrupled since 2010 with 5,397 screens added in 2014 alone, taking their screen count to 23,600. As per industry projections in the next five years, China is expected to surpass the US to be the world’s largest box office. In comparison, India’s widest release to date has been across just 5,000 screens.

     

  • India-China ink maiden film co-production deal

    India-China ink maiden film co-production deal

    MUMBAI: Even as India Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his maiden visit to China to boost trade and relations between the two countries, Indian media and entertainment firm Eros International has signed its first ever Sino-Indian co-production deal with Chinese state owned production company Chinese Film Corporation (CFC).

     

    The two companies will co-produce the movie Da Tang XuanZang (Monk XuanZang), which is based on the life of a Chinese monk (Monk Xuanzang) and stars Chinese actor Huang Xiaoming, It will be directed by HuoJianq.

     

    With this, Eros International is the first Indian studio to associate with the Chinese government and co-produce an Indo-Sino film. The movie,

     

    The deal was announced in China in the presence of CFC head La Peikang, Eros International Media president – business development Kumar Ahuja and SAPPRFT (State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television of the People’s Republic of China) vice minister Tong Gang along with Xiaoming and Jianq.

  • Over 200 films in 34th edition of Istanbul Film Festival

    Over 200 films in 34th edition of Istanbul Film Festival

    NEW DELHI: Over 200 films are being screened at the 34th Istanbul Film Festival which commenced this week with Ernesto Daranas Serrano’s film Conducta / Behavior.

     

    Organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (iKSV) and sponsored for the 11th time by AKBANK, the much anticipated Istanbul Film Festival’s opening ceremony saw stars and distinguished figures of the Turkish cinema together at the Istanbul Lutfi Kirdar International Convention and Exhibition Center.

     

    A total of 49 films will be competing in the 34th Istanbul Film Festival for the International and National Golden Tulip Competitions, FACE Human Rights in Cinema, Seyfi Teoman Best Debut Film, and the newly launched National Documentary Competition categories.

     

    The next section in the Istanbul Film Festival Opening Ceremony was the tributes, honouring the figures of the cinema, culture, and art world who passed away during the previous year. Talat Halman, Turkey’s first Minister of Culture and Chairman of iKSV Board of Trustees, and Yasar Kemal, one of the most internationally renowned authors to have come out of Turkey, were given special mention in this section.

     

    The annual Cinema Honorary Awards of the Istanbul Film Festival were given to five distinguished figures who have long served the Turkish cinema. Safa Onal was the first to receive his Honorary Award at the ceremony. A holder of Guinness World Record title for his 395 filmed screenplays, Onal is one of Turkey’s most prolific filmmakers, with more than 500 scripts for TV series episodes and over 60 photonovelas to his credit as writer and nearly 40 films as director.

     

    Musician Cahit Berkay received the second Honorary Award of the night. Berkay is not only renowned as a founder of the Anatolian rock music with his authentic style, but also a favourite of cinephiles for his exceptional film scores. He has more than 180 films, including Abbas in Flower and The Girl with the Red Scarf, and more than 70 television series to his credit as composer since 1962.

     

    The third Honorary Award of the night was presented to Yilmaz Atadeniz. Director, producer, and a genius in editing, Atadeniz is another prolific artist in the film business with a filmography that spans almost all genres, from comedy to adventure and to comic book adaptations.

     

    The fourth recipient of the five Honorary Awards was Suleyman Turan, who has portrayed unforgettable supporting characters with whom the audiences identified deeply, whether it be in comedy or drama. Turan’s childhood passion for painting grew into a profession, which he pursued as an illustrator in a wide spectrum ranging from comic books to cartoons, from posters to book covers.

     

    The final Honorary Award of the night was presented to actress Nebahat Cehre. A distinguished actress in the Turkish cinema, renowned for both her exceptional talent and beauty, Cehre entered the film business with her role in The Wild Rose in 1961. Her critically acclaimed performances in a wide variety of genres from melodrama to historical and fantastic films included many highlights such as Bitter Life, Seyyit Han, Balatli Arif, Esrefpasali, Bride of the Earth, and Kamali Zeybek.
     

  • ABC’s ‘Oscars Backstage’ to stream live on Facebook

    ABC’s ‘Oscars Backstage’ to stream live on Facebook

    MUMBAI: The Academy, ABC Entertainment and Facebook are partnering to make this year’s The Oscars Backstage on ‘Watch ABC’ the most “Likeable” ever. The curated “Director’s Cut” feed from The Oscars Backstage – which delivers three channels of live video feeds from over 20 cameras throughout the Dolby Theater to ‘Watch ABC’ for desktop and mobile devices – will also stream on the ABC Network’s Facebook Page and be part of the Facebook Trending Oscars experience (www.facebook.com/oscars), which gives fans one place to connect in real time as they watch the night unfold.

     

    “We’re excited to bring viewers backstage and provide exclusive access to all those memorable, talked-about Oscar moments – the ones that happen on stage as well as the stories that play out behind-the-scenes,” said Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences chief marketing officer Christina Kounelias.

     

    “We know that a large percentage of people – 70 per cent of tablet and smartphone owners – are on their devices while watching TV. The Oscars Backstage on ‘Watch ABC’ provides them with an unparalleled social experience around Hollywood’s biggest night. And thanks to our ongoing partnerships with MPVDs, including today’s launch of ‘Watch ABC’ with DirecTV, and this year’s arrangement with Facebook, we’re able to deliver it to more people than ever before,” said Disney/ABC Television Group EVP and chief product officer – digital media – Albert Cheng.

     

    On the red carpet, ABC will incorporate exclusive, real-time Facebook data of the most buzzed about nominees during the pre-show. In addition, fans will be able to ask questions of their favorite nominees via the “Good Morning America” Facebook page, with the potential to see their question answered live on the red carpet.

     

    Embeddable video clips of the most memorable moments of the awards show – including all musical performances – will be posted almost immediately after they air to Oscar.com/Video, with a selection of those also being shared on the Facebook pages. Additionally, this is the first year that The Oscars and The Oscars Backstage will stream with the recently launched ‘Watch ABC’ features “Social Lens” and “FastShare,” which provide fans with an even more personalized social experience.

     

    This year’s The Oscars Backstage hosts and correspondents include:

     

    • “Good Morning America’s” weekend edition co-anchor Paula Faris and Fusion network host Pedro Andrade will host “The Director Cut” feeds during both the pre-show and awards telecast.

     

    Faris is the co-anchor of “Good Morning America’s” weekend edition, and reports across ABC News broadcasts and digital platforms. She joined ABC News in January 2012 as co-anchor of ABC News’ “World News Now” and “America This Morning.”

     

    A Brazilian journalist originally from Rio de Janeiro, Andrade is a host of the Fusion network, which is a multi-platform media company that serves a young, diverse, and inclusive millennial generation. Fusion delivers a unique mix of news, pop culture, and satire content that is both smart and irreverent across its TV and digital platforms (fusion.net). Prior to Fusion, Andrade anchored NBC’s weekly luxury lifestyle program “LX.TV 1st Look” for 5 years.

     

    • “Good Morning America” and ESPN contributing editor Chris Connelly is returning as the official greeter of The Oscars Red Carpet, which includes welcoming nominees, presenters and performers to the show.

     

    • Actor Matt McGorry will be positioned in the Fan Bleachers on the Red Carpet.  McGorry stars as Asher Millstone in ABC’s series “How to Get Away with Murder.” He can also be seen playing the post-military newbie corrections officer John Bennett in the Netflix original series “Orange is the New Black.”

     

    • Nick Axelrod will serve as The Oscars Backstage fashion correspondent. Axelrod is the creator and regular host of Yahoo Style’s popular celebrity interview series, “I Yahoo’d Myself.” He is also the Co-Founder and former Editorial Director of the award-winning beauty website Into The Gloss, which was nominated for a 2014 Webby award. He has also served as Senior Fashion News Editor at ELLE, spent three years at Women’s Wear Daily (WWD), and has also contributed to publications including ELLE Accessories and The Hollywood Reporter.

     

    • ABC News Correspondent Sara Haines will be contributing to the Backstage feed. In addition to reporting for “Good Morning America” during the week, Haines is the Pop News anchor on the weekend edition of “GMA.”

     

    In addition to The Oscars Backstage feeds, ‘Watch ABC’ users who have verified with a participating pay TV provider in one of the eight ABC Owned markets – Chicago, Fresno, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, Raleigh-Durham and San Francisco – can also access a live feed of the Oscars preshow, full awards telecast and “Jimmy Kimmel Live: After the Oscars” as part of the regular ‘Watch ABC’ service. Live streaming is currently available through Comcast, Cablevision, Cox Communications, Charter Communications, DISH, DirecTV, Midcontinent Communications, Verizon FiOS, Google Fiber and AT&T U-verse, among others. Once aired, the full Oscars telecast will be available on demand via ‘Watch ABC’ for verified viewers for three days. ‘Watch ABC’ can be accessed from Oscar.com, ABC.com, or via the ‘Watch ABC’ app, which can be downloaded for free at Google Play and the App Store. Verified viewers then log in using their cable or satellite subscription username and password.

     

    All ‘Watch ABC’ fans can access the new enhanced social features. Social Lens integrates fan’s personal Facebook and Twitter into the ‘Watch ABC’ app so they can socialize with their friends while they watch The Oscars – all on one device. FastShare enables fans who are watching on demand to easily access and share clips of their favorite in-show moments as they are watching.

     

    Video highlights from the telecast and The Oscars Backstage will also be available as embeddable clips on Oscar.com/Video almost immediately as they air. Full clips of the show’s musical numbers, including performances from Neil Patrick Harris, Jennifer Hudson, Anna Kendrick, Tegan and Sara and comedy-music trio The Lonely Island, Adam Levine, Rita Ora, Tim McGraw, Lady Ga Ga, Common and John Legend, will be featured in a dedicated “Music Moments” section on Oscar.com that includes in-depth video and photo coverage of past music winners.

     

    Oscar.com is also showcasing nominees in their own words with a collection of official nominee questionnaires, including submissions from Julianne Moore, Robert Duvall, Patricia Arquette, Keira Knightley, and John Legend, among many others. To add to the fun, insanely addicting quizzes will challenge fans knowledge of this year’s nominees. The hugely popular “My Picks” interactive ballot is also live. Friends can view and share the ballot on Facebook, which will update in real time on Oscar night, ensuring that the most competitive Oscar handicappers are instantly aware of their ranking among friends.

     

    The 87th Oscars will be held on 22 February, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood.

     

    On 23 February, “LIVE with Kelly and Michael” will continue its awards season tradition with the fourth edition of “LIVE’s After Oscar Show.” The 10th annual “Jimmy Kimmel Live: After the Oscars” airs 22 February on ABC.

  • Eros International acquires international rights of Excel’s upcoming movies

    Eros International acquires international rights of Excel’s upcoming movies

    MUMBAI: Eros International Media (Eros International), one of the leading global film company in the Indian film entertainment industry has acquired the international rights of Excel Entertainment’s eagerly awaited films – Zoya Akhtar’s Dil Dhadakne Do and film critic turned director Karan Anshuman’s Bangistan.

     

    Dil Dhadakne Do, in Zoya’s trademark style boasts of an ensemble cast including Anil Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Farhan Akhtar, Priyanka Chopra, Anushka Sharma and Shefali Shah. Shot mostly in foreign locales on a cruise ship, the film is a drama centered around a dysfunctional Punjabi family.

     

    Anshuman’s Bangistan, a hilarious parody stars Riteish Deshmukh and Pulkit Samrat as two rival, blundering terrorists with Jacqueline Fernandez making a special appearance.

     

    Eros International CEO Jyoti Deshpande stated: “After a successful association for Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, we are happy to once again partner with Excel who are known to make films that entertain as well as consistently offer a fresh take on cinema. Dil Dhadakne Do and Bangistan are looking extremely promising and we are looking forward to showcase these films internationally through our digital and distribution network.”

     

    Excel Entertainment producer Ritesh Sidhwani added: “We are happy to collaborate with Eros for these two exciting projects and present them on a worldwide platform through their outstanding distribution network.”

     

    Eros will release Bangistan on 17 April 2015 and Dil Dhadakne Do on 5 June 2015 in the international markets.

  • India hosts first edition of ‘Japan Film Festival India’

    India hosts first edition of ‘Japan Film Festival India’

    MUMBAI: Contributing to build up an ever-lasting relationship between India and Japan through art and culture, K HOUSE Inc, the restaurant giant of Japan with a growing market presence in India, announces the inaugural edition of ‘Japan Film Festival India (JFFI) 2014’ in Mumbai. The Festival will be hosted from 12th to 14th December 2014 at Inorbit Mall Malad, Mumbai featuring 10 masterpiece Japanese films along with a variety of Japanese cultural activities and programs.  This whole endeavour by K house, Japan and supported by the Government of Japan (J-LOP) is to further enhance the cultural bonds between the two great nations of Asia.

     

    At the Festival, the audience will not only have the opportunity to enjoy award-winning Japanese classics, but also will be able to experience unseen attractive Japanese art & cultural activities including Taiko (Japanese drum perform), Karate (Japanese traditional martial arts), Origami and Sado (Japanese Tea Lessons for traditional side). To make the festival an unforgettable experience, introductions of Japanese enterprises, brands and other production will be available along with stage content, experience-based activities, booths exhibition and a lottery chance provided by K House.

     

    Talking about the importance of the event, Takeshi Kogahara, Chairman K House INC said, “India and Japan share close resemblance in terms of rich culture, food, clothing, art or social practices. Cinema depicts all dimensions of a nation’s culture and to enhance the bonding between these two prolific nations, we have conceptualised the Japan Film Festival India. The festival is an effort to share Japanese art and culture with Asia’s most youthful nation, India and reach out to the masses, inviting them all for exploring business opportunities and tourism. Through our endeavour of JFFI would like to open up opportunities for greater film exchange and co-production opportunities between India and Japan.”

     

    “JFFI as an annual event will be the platform for exposing the best of Japanese films in India.  We will keep on providing Japanese culture and brand experience to the people of India in the future as well. We are also contemplating to host an exclusive Indian Film Festival of similar format in Japan in the near future,” he added.

     

    Mahesh Bhatt said, “Cinema is the glue that binds diverse cultures together. The Japanese Film Festival will open up a new chapter in the Indo/Japanese story.”

     

    Palash Banerjee, MD, K House India said, “I am that Indian who has spent 20 years of his youth in Japan. I have inculcated the Japanese culture in me and yet could never give up my Indian roots. In these long years that I spent in Japan I realised how close our cultures are… How similar our family bonds, social functions and ways of expressing emotions are. So it was never too difficult to adopt the Japanese culture. Yet I saw very little mingling between the Nationals of these two Asian nations. Honestly speaking what I missed the most in Japan was our Indian Films. Since then it was my dream to see the exchange of films between the two nations. Rajnikant films spelt great success in Japan and he has a cult following there. In more recent times films like English Hinglish, three Idiots and others have done extremely well. This was the time when we thought it was time we should have an exclusive Japanese film festival in India so that the Indian audience are exposed to these great films created in Japan and more importantly the Japanese culture.”

     

    The festival conceptualized by K HOUSE Inc creates a platform for the film fraternities of both the nations for mutual business benefits, promoting Japan as a great destination for shooting Indian films and establishing greater cultural bonds between both the nations.