ITV

Category: Movies

  • Walt Disney takes direct charge of home video biz in India

    MUMBAI: The Walt Disney Company (India) has announced a direct to retail model for its home entertainment business in India as a step up plan after terminating its licensing relationship with Excel Home Videos.

    The company said it has formed a home entertainment team, which will handle sales and marketing of its DVD business in the country. Launching today, the team will distribute Tinkerbell, from Disney’s Fairies franchise, as the first DVD released under the new model.


    Earlier, Indiantelevision.com had reported that Walt Disney (I) had ended its home video licensing relationship with Excel Home Videos and got the FIPB (foreign investment promotion board) nod to run the businesses of home entertainment and printing and publishing in India.


    “The identification of effective distribution strategies will help us to best meet customer needs and continue to build our brand in India,” said Walt Disney (India) SVP and MD Mahesh Samat. “Disney has a firm stake in developing the family entertainment sector in this country and we continue to strengthen our market presence by extending our franchises across multiple lines of businesses.”


    Disney’s home entertainment team will focus on providing content, stories and characters from across Disney’s content library. The team will also look for local content development opportunities while making sure international content is made available in local languages, it said in a release.


    Some of the upcoming releases in local languages include – Bolt, Mickey Mouse Club House, My friends Tigger and Pooh. The Walt Disney Studios local productions will be some of the titles that the home entertainment team will additionally build on.


    Earlier this year, Disney India appointed a specialised retail support team to focus on driving greater integration across company products and services. It works with internal creative and brand teams and transfers this knowledge to the retail environment. “We spend a lot of time listening to consumers to understand what they want, and how they want to interact with us. With the Tinker Bell release on 13 May we hope to show our fans a fully integrated and all encompassing experience,” said Samat.

  • Sharmila Tagore joins Cannes Film Festival jury

    MUMBAI: Yesteryear actress Sharmila Tagore will be one of the members of the international jury for this year‘s Cannes Film Festival. The festival will kick start on 13 May and will continue till 24 May.

    The competition segment jury is headed by French actress Isabelle Huppert and will include Robin Wright Penn (US), Hanif Kureishi (UK), Shu Qi (Taiwan), Asia Argento (Italy) among others.


    In recent years, Arundhati Roy, Aishwarya Rai and Nandita Das were a part of the Cannes jury.


    Tagore is currently the chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in India.

  • Producers, plex owners fail to reach settlement


    MUMBAI: The month-long deadlock continues with film producers and plex owners playing hard ball at today‘s meeting which promised to iron out differences.


    Producers stuck to their demand of 50 per cent revenue share in the first week of release, something which the multiplex operators have found indigestible.


    Producers body spokesperson Mukesh Bhatt told Indiantelevision.com, “The matter has not been resolved yet. The impasse continues. But in the meantime, we will find out some viable (midway) solution by which we can start exhibiting films in the multiplexes.”


    UTV, one of the biggest producers, has thrashed out a plan to release its movies outside the national chain of multiplexes. Says UTV Motion Pictures CEO Siddharth Roy Kapur, “UTV will proceed to start releasing its big and small movies in single-screen theatres and non-national chain multiplexes nationwide from July onwards. Dates of release of the slate would be announced in due course of time.”


    8X10 Tasveer was the only big-budget Hindi movie that found way into the multiplexes after 4 April, the day film producers froze fresh content.


    Indiantelevision.com had earlier estimated that multiplexes would have lost Rs 850-900 million during this one-month period.

  • Priyankaa signs three-film deal with Spectra Multimedia

    MUMBAI: Spectra Multimedia, the Mumbai-based Film and TV software production house, has entered into a three-film deal with regional actress Priyankaa. The films will be made primarily in Marathi. However, they would be given a multi-lingual treatment with dialogues in Hindi and English.

    The first of the three movies will be a family comedy, while the second will be historic and the third a suspense thriller. All the three movies will be completed by 2009-end or latest by mid-2010.


    Owing to this three-film deal, the actress is into a two year exclusive artiste management contract with Spectra Multimedia. Under this agreement, the company will be responsible for handling all her film, advertising endorsements and branding assignments.

  • AFI, Discovery announce plans for Silverdocs festival

    MUMBAI: The American Film Institute (AFI) and US broadcaster Discovery have announced the opening and closing night films for AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Festival.

    The Festival will open on 15 June, with the US premiere of Lionsgate‘s More Than A Game. It will close on 20 June with the world premiere of the HBO Documentary Film The Nine Lives Of Marion Barry.Silverdocs presents eight days of programming showcasing 100 films plus special screenings, music



    performances and dozens of panel discussions featuring hundreds of filmmakers, subjects and media professionals.


    Now in its seventh year, Silverdocs – along with its concurrent International Documentary Conference – is the pre-eminent documentary festival in the US.


    A coming of age story about friendship and loyalty in the face of great adversity, Kristopher Belman‘s More Than A Game follows the incredible rise (and occasional fall) of five talented young basketball players from Akron, Ohio. Led by future NBA superstar LeBron James and coached by a charismatic yet initially inexperienced player‘s father, Dru Joyce III, the “Fab Five‘s” improbable seven-year journey leads them from a decrepit inner-city gym to the doorstep of a national high school championship.


    As far as the HBO entry is concerned, many people remember Marion Barry as the philandering drug-using mayor of the US‘ capital, who was famously caught in a 1990 FBI sting operation. Yet others know him as a folk hero, a civil rights champion and defender of the poor. Barry‘s soaring achievements, catastrophic failures and phoenix-like rebirths have made him a symbol of mythic indestructibility. Who is Marion Barry, really? A hero? A scoundrel? Why is he such a polarizing force? And why do people still vote for him? The Nine Lives Of Marion Barry looks to reveal the complete story. Directors Dana Flor and Toby Oppenheimer are scheduled to attend along with Marion Barry and other special guests.

    Silverdocs artistic director Sky Sitney says, “We are thrilled to open the 2009 Silverdocs Festival with Kristopher Belman‘s More Than A Game. With a heart-racing narrative and magnificent cast of subjects, the film addresses both contemporary social issues and personal struggles and triumphs, and is an inspiring message to all.


    “The Nine Lives Of Marion Barry is not just a DC story about one man‘s rise and fall, but a universal story of promise, disillusionment, and the quest for redemption. While its message speaks globally, we are thrilled to launch the film in the city that serves not merely as an essential backdrop to the story, but as a character itself.”

  • Producers, plex owners meet on 5 May to decide fate of Bollywood releases

    MUMBAI: Film producers and plex owners are slated to meet again on 5 May to settle a dispute that has kept fresh Bollywood movies away from multiplexes since 4 April.

    The last negotiations on 29 April, which ran for hours, was inconclusive but representatives from both camps expressed that a conclusive pact wasn’t far away.


    “We have posted the next meeting on 5 May and hope that something will definitely come out of it,” says spokesperson of United Producers and Distributors Forum Mukesh Bhatt.


    Confirming the meeting, Multiplex Owners Association president Shravan Shroff said, “I think we should be able to crack the nut in our next meeting. We are keeping our fingers crossed.”


    The resulting stalemate has caused a lot of anxiety among cine-viewers. Amid this confusion comes the news that 99, produced by Anupam Mittal and Aditya Shastri, is going to be released in multiplexes besides single-screens.


    No sooner did the news reach the producer lobby, they protested. Initially the producers were adamant, but later they said they would give it a thought. Meanwhile, newspapers have splashed the film’s advertisement which bears the names of multiplexes the film is to be released.


    When indiantelevision contacted Shastri, he coolly said that he would come up with a decision on 4 May.


    Says a producer on condition of anonymity, “This is the time when all producers whether big or small, should remain united. Why don’t these people understand that whatever decision we arrive at in our consecutive meetings will be covering all of us. So why take a stand that betrays our ideology.”


    Says a positive looking Harry Baweja whose Love Story 2050 made headlines not so long ago, “We producers are very positive that something concrete would certainly crop up. This is not the time to play games.”


    Whether the next meeting will bear any results or not only time will tell. But one thing is clear: both sides are weary of the losses that have sunk in since the fracas broke out between producers and multiplex owners.

  • Star Trek to be released across 134 theatres for two weeks

    MUMBAI: Paramount Pictures in association with Imax Corporation has announced the re-releasing of Star Trek on 7 May. Directed by J.J. Abrams, the digitally re-mastered science fiction entertainment series will be released across 134 Imax theatres and will run for two weeks round the clock. The film will also open in 29 IMAX theatres internationally.


    “Star Trek is a fantastic addition to our 2009 film slate and we are pleased that the continuing rollout of digital Imax theatre systems made this limited release possible,” said Imax CEO Richard Gelfond. The film has been digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The Imax Experience (R) with proprietary Imax DMR(R) (Digital Re-mastering) technology.


    Imax filmed entertainment chairman and president Greg Foster said, “J.J. Abrams‘ vision and Imax DNA has created a powerful combination that is generating pre-sales and buzz as fans worldwide anticipate its release.”







  • Fame multiplexes to showcase plays across India

    MUMBAI: Theatre enthusiasts have a reason to rejoice. Fame Cinemas and Mumbai Theatre Guide (MTG), through an alliance, have decided to bring the best of Indian Theatre to a multiplex environment all across the country. MTG is the only online portal catering to promotions of plays in India. The portal, besides covering English, Hindi, Gujarati and Marathi language plays, also provides latest happenings about the theatres, play reviews, synopsis, interviews, artiste / theatre groups‘ profiles and details of various theatre workshops.

    “Through our website, we have been extremely successful in our aim to create a platform for promotion of the theatre industry. However there‘s been a scarcity of quality venues for performances. The association with Fame Cinemas will create alternative venues and will help the theatre industry reach a larger audience. We are planning to make this a regular affair and showcase plays in various Indian languages at the multiplexes as per the audiences‘ choice,” avers MTG co-founder Bhavik J Shah.

    “It couldn‘t be a simpler model. The audiences have loved the plays we chose to host in the past. It was only natural that we take the concept further and get a regular activity going across all our multiplexes throughout the country. MTG gets an exposure which they rightfully deserve as they are doing an amazing job for theatre in the country. By this decicision, the production houses of such plays get to showcase their plays at venues throughout India. It works for all parties concerned” says Fame India programming, distribution & corporate sales AVP Aditya Shroff.

  • Malayalam film technicians on warpath, to go on strike from 16 May

    MUMBAI: In a move that could give film technicians in Kerala a better deal in the years to come, the Malayalam Cinema Technicians‘ Association (MACTA) Federation, a confederation of 11 trade unions working in the film industry in Kerala which was recently affiliated to the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) has threatened to go on an indefinite strike from 16 May in protest against denial of labour rights to their members by Malayalam filmmakers.Repeated attempts at the initiative of the Labour Department to settle the pending labour issues, including wage hike, failed to attain fruition due to the arrogance of the Film Producers‘ Association and the Kerala Film Chamber said MACTA president Vinayan and AITUC State general secretary Kanam Rajendran.

    Vinayan said that the MACTA, which has the support of 99 per cent of the workers, was fighting against the arrogant stance of the producers and the Film Employees‘ Federation of Kerala (FEFKA).

    It is said that the Federation decided to go on a strike after the talks that was to be held in the presence of the Labour Commissioner did not materialise due to the non-cooperation of the association and the chamber.

    The Federation would serve strike notice to the producers‘ association and the film chamber soon and organize a convention in Ernakulam on May 9 to protect cinema workers‘ rights and create public awareness about the strike.


  • UTV earmarks Rs 9 billion for movies over 2 years

     MUMBAI: UTV Software Communications plans to pump in Rs 9 billion for a mix of Hollywood and Bollywood movies spread over two years while warning that its margins will be under some pressure.

    Indian language movies will take away Rs 4.2 billion while the Hollywood slate will consume Rs 2.3 billion. Additionally, UTV will be investing Rs 2.5 billion in inventories/debtors of released movies plus unexploited rights of recent releases like TV rights and VoD/PPV rights of its 2008-2009 releases.


    A roster of 35 movies are on the floors or nearing release or in production. The slate includes Kaminey, Main Aur Mrs Khanna, Agyat, What‘s your Rashee, Wake Up Sid, Hook Ya Crook, Delhi Belly, Jihaad, A Wednesday (remake in Tamil and Telugu), Yahoo, Film City, Arjun, Alibaba & 41 Thieves, Ex-Terminators, Rajniti, Hawai Dada, Five movies of UTV SpotBoy (Aage Se Right, Pan Singh Tomar, Seasons Greetings, Peter Gaya Kaam Se and Chillar Party), Sanjay Leela Bhansali‘s next with Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai, Anuraag Basu‘s next and Annees Bazmee directed comedy.


    UTV believes that it has bought the production cost under control. “We do admit that cost for producing movies had risen only due to market conditions and free flow of equity money and that hiked cost has also put pressure on our margins. UTV has not been immune to this industry-wide hike in costs but we believe we have brought this under control,” UTV said in a release.


    The benefits of total cost rationalization to pre 2007 days would, however, only be partly felt in 09-10 as many of its productions were already on the floor. But it said that they “fully realized and corrected from 10-11 onwards.”



    UTV will capture revenues of Namesake from the first quarter of 2009-10. “On The Happening, even though the theatrical release was only nine months back on 13 June‘08, since it did well theatrically worldwide we have recognized part of the revenues in Q4 of 08-09 to the tune of Rs 306 million. We estimate that approximately 40 per cent of the cost invested in The Happening will flow in pre and of 09-10 and the balance in ensuing years,” UTV said.


    On The Happening, UTV estimates that on investments of approximately $34 million, the revenue flowing back to the company in its first cycle of exploitation would be between $39-42 million. Of course, a lot would depend on the TV exploitation which has just begun (for this year and may be into the next year there is a slowdown on TV syndication worldwide). The State of Pennsylvania has also given a tax rebate to The Happening of a little over $10 million.


    “We believe co-owning the IPR and Negative Rights in perpetuity for 3 Hollywood Movies in our Balance Sheet will be a valuable asset and a source of regular annuity income, post its first exploitation cycle,” UTV said.