ITV

Category: Awards

  • 83 countries invited to submit foreign language films for Oscars

    83 countries invited to submit foreign language films for Oscars

    MUMBAI: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Ampas) in the US has invited 83 countries to submit films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 79th Academy Awards.

    The Oscars will take place on 25 February, 2007, at the Kodak Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center. In the US it will air on ABC while in India it will air on Star Movies. To qualify for the 2006 awards year, a film must be released in the submitting country between 1 October, 2005 and 30 September, 2006 and be publicly screened in 35mm or 70mm film for at least seven consecutive days in a commercial motion picture theater.

    The dialogue track must be predominantly in a language or languages other than English. Accurate English subtitles are required. Entry forms must be received at the Academy by 2 October, 2006, and film prints must be received by 13 October. Only one picture will be accepted from each country. Five films will be chosen.

    Since the category’s establishment in 1956, 102 different countries have submitted films to compete for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. The 1956 award went to Italy for La Strada.Most recently, the South African film Tsotsi won the Oscar over a field of nominated films from France, Germany, Italy and the Palestinian Territories.

    Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan will receive this year their first invitation to participate. The last time India featured was in 2001 when Lagaan was nominated. There have been cases when a film has not been nominated because it was not in the language of the submitting country.

    An example was last year when Austria submitted Cache that some critics felt was the best foreign film of 2005. Unfortunately as the film was in French it was deemed ineligible. The director Michael Haneke is Austrian. Then there was the case of The Motorcycle Diaries in 2004. As it was a co-production between three countries no one country was willing to submit it.

  • Radio City dominates inaugural edition of 2006 Promax India Radio Awards

    Radio City dominates inaugural edition of 2006 Promax India Radio Awards

    MUMBAI: The first edition of the 2006 Promax India Radio Awards, which reward creative brilliance in radio, unfolded the Indian talent in radio marketing and promotion.

    Radio City stole the limelight by bagging seven awards which included three gold and four silver awards. The radio station pocketed the gold awards for best promotional item for a radio station or programme (Musical-e-Azam), best original music composition for a promo (Namma Naadu Karunaadu) and best promotional campaign by a radio station or programme (Musical-e-Azam).

    The brand took home silver awards for best original music composition for a promo (RC song), best promotional item for a radio station or programme (Musical-e-Azam), best interactive promotion for a radio station (city bajao car le jao) and best use of outdoor advertising (Asha Bhosale live on Musical-e-Azam).

    The newly re-launched Radio One, which was formerly called as Go FM, took home two gold for best print piece for a radio station or programme (Legends) and best interactive promotion for a radio station (The Go FM website). The station picked up one silver award for best promotional campaign by a radio station or programme (Jaggu’s Mission 10k).

    Radio Mirchi pocketed a silver award for best radio promo in-house; music station/programme (Mirchi Delhi Bollywood under arrest) and gold for best use of library music for a promo (Mirchi Delhi cricket India England ’06 series promos).

    Red FM won the gold for best radio promo in-house; music station/programme (Prayas-Breaking News) and silver for best use of library music for a promo (Anda Mix).

    O&M bagged gold for the best use of outdoor advertising for its Worldspace campaign Unwind. The agency also won the best print piece silver for a radio station / programme for its work Genre Based for Worldspace.

    The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the inaugural Living Legend Award, which has been presented to the eminent radio personality Ameen Sayani. The living legend award has been jointly constituted by the Ficci and the India Radio Forum.

    The awards statuette presented to the award recipients renders a human figure reaching skyward in triumph. The award jury included Abraham Thomas (Red FM), Arun Raman (Media Futures), G Sharath Chandra (Radio Mirchi), Gaurav Narula (Deep Emotion Music), Jaikishin Chhaproo (Hindustan Lever), Kahlid Sayed (IMG), Kartik Mani (Madison Communications), Nirupam Sonu (Adlabs), Vikas Varma (Radio City) and Vishnu Ahtreya (Radio One).

  • ‘Dus’ wins award for action film at AXN Action Awards

    ‘Dus’ wins award for action film at AXN Action Awards

    MUMBAI: The action packed Dus won the award for best action film at the AXN Action Awards which were presented by Dino Morea.

    Dus also won awards for action sequence and action director. Amitabh Bachchan won the lifetime achievement award. Best Action Actor went to Akshay Kumar while Best Action Actor in a negative role went to Rahul Dev for Insan.

    SPE South Asia director marketing and sales Rohit Bhandari says, “The Thums Up and AXN Action Awards was conceptualised purely to felicitate our Bollywood superstars for their action extravaganza on the big screen. Our viewers have truly chosen the right action stars and we are exhilarated and thankful to all our viewers and action heroes for making this show a success. AXN looks forward in delivering the best in original entertainment hope to make the action awards an annual event”

    The AXN Action Awards was presented by Thums Up with associate sponsorship by Mahindra Scorpio and Sony Ericsson K750i. The Promotion Partner for the event was the multiplex Inox.

    Those who missed the show can catch it on 15 July at 5 pm and on 16 July at 11 am.

  • ‘Lost’, ‘Desperate Housewives’ left out of Emmy Awards

    ‘Lost’, ‘Desperate Housewives’ left out of Emmy Awards

    MUMBAI: Nominations for the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards in the US were announced by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

    Among the networks, HBO got 95 nominations. ABC got 64 nods while CBS managed to get 47 nominations. Surprisingly, ABC’s two hit shows Lost and Desperate Housewives failed to be nominated in the main categories.

    The awards presentation telecast awarding Emmys in 27 categories before a black-tie audience will be televised by NBC on 27 August from the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium and will be hosted by talk show host Conan O’Brien.

    The nominees for best drama series are Grey’s Anatomy, House, The Sopranos, 24 and The West Wing. Competing in the comedy series are Arrested Development, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Office, Scrubs and Two and a Half Men.

    Discovery’s The Flight That Fought Back is competing in the television film category along with A&E’s Flight 93, and three HBO films The Girl in the Cafe, Mrs. Harris and Yesterday.

    The nominees for actor in a drama are Denis Leary for Rescue Me, Peter Krause for Six Feet Under, Christopher Meloni for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Kiefer Sutherland for 24 and Martin Sheen for the Presidential drama The West Wing.

    The actresses nominated are Kyra Sedgwick for The Closer, Geena Davis for the now cancelled ABC show Commander in Chief, Mariska Hargitay for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Frances Conroy for Six Feet Under and Allison Janney for The West Wing.

    The comic men who have ben nominated are Larry David for Curb Your Enthusiasm, Kevin James for The King of Queens, Tony Shalhoub for Monk, Steve Carell for The Office and Charlie Sheen for Two and a Half Men.

    Among the women, the nominees are Lisa Kudrow for The Comeback, Jane Kaczmarek for Malcolm in the Middle, Julia Louis-Dreyfus for The New Adventures of Old Christine, Stockard Channing for Out of Practice and Debra Messing for Will and Grace.

    The nominations have received a mixed response from critics. Some feel that the snub of Desperate Housewives which is a non traditional comedy might mean less glamour. There seems to be some agreement though that the drama shows nominated are better than Lost.

  • Monte Carlo TV Fest and Eurodata TV Worldwide announce winners of the International TV Audience Awards

    Monte Carlo TV Fest and Eurodata TV Worldwide announce winners of the International TV Audience Awards

    MUMBAI: The winners of the first International TV Audience Awards has been announced at the 46th Monte-Carlo Television Festival Awards held in Monaco.

    A collaborated effort between the Monte-Carlo TV Festival and Eurodata TV Worldwide, the awards seek to reward programs that have delivered the highest ratings worldwide in 2005 in three categories including “Drama TV Series”, “Comedy TV Series” and “Telenovela / Soap Opera”, informs an official release.

    Revealed on the occasion of Mip TV 2006, the nominees were pre-selected among the ten best imported fiction programs in 51 countries.

    As announced by the Festival’s CEO David Tomatis and Eurodata TV Worldwide International director Jacques Braun, the winners for the most-watched television shows, include:

    Drama TV Series – CSI Las Vegas (USA), in competition with Lost (USA) and Without a Trace (USA). CSI gathered more than 78.7 million viewers worldwide in 2005.

    Comedy TV Series – Desperate Housewives (USA), in competition with Mr. Bean (UK) and Joey (USA). Desperate Housewives gathered more than 75.3 million viewers worldwide in 2005.

    Telenovela / Soap Opera – The Bold and The Beautiful (USA), in competition with Rubi (Mexico) and Pasión de Gavilanes (Colombia/USA). The Bold and The Beautiful gathered more than 26.2 million viewers worldwide in 2005.

    Created by Médiamétrie, Eurodata TV Worldwide distributes programming and audience information, based on its partnership with the national institutes operating people meter systems throughout the world. Its database contains more than 2000 channels in 75 countries and provides daily program information including: content, production, international distribution and the audience levels for targeted programs, adds the release.

  • The Man’s World Show wins ‘Best Entertainment Programme’ at 2006 Asian Television Awards in Singapore

    Mumbai: AXN, the action and adventure channel for Indian viewers, received international recognition for its top rated series The Man’s World Show when it won the heavily contested “Best Entertainment Programme” category at the 2006 Asian Television Awards ceremony held last Thursday in Singapore.

    The Man’s World Show was a first-of-its-kind television programme in India that was focused on issues that matter to men in a tongue-in-cheek fashion. Irreverent and cheeky, the show was hosted by Ash Chandler and Vrajesh Hirjee, who interviewed top celebrity guests, and also gave advice about fashion, cars, gadgets and new trends, all while keeping the viewers laughing for the length of the show.

    Says Sunder Aaron, Creator of The Man’s World Show and Country Head of AXN, “AXN over the years has built a large and loyal viewership base in India. Creating an AXN original production for our viewers was the next step in meeting viewers’ needs and will help us solidify our leadership of the English entertainment genre in India. With The Man’s World Show, we were consciously trying to produce a show for men that would be different from all else seen on Indian television. Of course, we wanted all the women out there to watch too.”

    Adds Ricky Ow, General Manager of SPE Networks – Asia, is delighted with the win, “For our one-year-old AXN production unit, we cannot ask for a better start. Not only did The Man’s World Show win the ‘Best Entertainment Programme’ in Asia, but Mondo Magic Singapore was also highly commended for its entertainment efforts. Both shows have a unique and bold approach in ensuring that the entertainment value on AXN is high and yet is different from what others are doing. The awards have confirmed the quality of AXN original productions along with top flight international series such as CSI, The Amazing Race, 24 and Nip/Tuck.”

    Targeting an upwardly mobile male audience, The Man’s World Show provided the Indian viewers with advice, answers, options and ideas for their evolving cosmopolitan lifestyles. With its real life cast and characters (and a little bit of chaos mixed in), this AXN Original Production presented each episode with a different theme of importance.

    The two quirky hosts livened up the show with their fast talk and quick wits, and with the help of regular figures like Sonia the Bartender, Doctor Love, and Benny the thirty-year-old virgin, who helped shed light on everything that a man wants or needs to know.

    The audience was treated to episodes with themes such as “The Art of Seduction”, “The Rules of Success in the Workplace”, and “How to be the Perfect Lover”. The appearance of celebrity guests like Hollywood superstar – Will Smith combined with a bevy of Bollywood beauties like Tanishaa, Celina Jaitely, Amrita Arora, Mandira Bedi, Minisha Lamba among a host of others increased the glamour quotient on the show by leaps and bounds! The celebrities on the show were seen in a new light when they gave the viewers their very personal views on love and life.

    Says Sunder Aaron, “News of the award is especially exciting for us because it perfectly sets the stage for Season 2 of The Man’s World Show, launching on AXN in January, 2007. More on that later!”

    About AXN

    Delivering top rated series, blockbuster features, adventure-reality and first-run lifestyle sports programming, AXN is a leading international television destination among young adults 18-34. AXN is seen in 50 countries across Asia, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East, and is part of Sony Pictures Television International’s diverse portfolio of over 40 global networks. Sony Pictures Television International is a Sony Pictures Entertainment company.

    AXN Asia is available to more than 78 million households 24-hours daily throughout Asia in Taiwan, India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Japan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Cambodia, South Korea, Macau, Papua New Guinea, Nepal, Maldives, Mongolia and in hotels and VIP compounds in China. AXN can also be seen in 40 million cable television households on time-block basis in China. More information about AXN can be found online at www.axn-india.com.

    For media enquiries, please contact:
    Deepa/ Kehkashan/ Shahnaz
    LinOpinion
    #9820453418/ 9821131138/ 9323894697

  • INOX Leisure Ltd. Wins TAAL Multiplexer 2006 Award

    MUMBAI: INOX Leisure Ltd., India’s leading multiplex player won the TAAL Multiplexer 2006 award for its contributions to the multiplex industry. TAAL is an international convention and tradeshow on the Infrastructure of Entertainment and workplace sectors related to Theatres, Audio-Visual, Acoustics and Lighting; organized by Sandy Media, publishers of two specialist magazines, Theatre World and SoundSolutions – Asia’s only resource magazines on motion picture exhibition and audio/acoustics technology applications.

    INOX currently has 12 multiplexes with 44 screens in 11 cities across India making it India’s first national multiplex chains. By bringing in a professional and service-oriented approach to the cinema exhibition sector, INOX has established a strong presence in the cinema exhibition industry in the short span of time.

    Its proposed merger with CCPL (89 Cinemas) and its alliance with the Pantaloon Group – a partnership that provides INOX preferential access to all real estate developments which Pantaloon takes up for its retail chain, will exponentially increase its reach across India.

    Commenting on the award, Mr. Alok Tandon, COO – INOX Leisure Ltd. Said, “Our mission is to create India’s largest network of world class multiplex cinema theatres across all the leading towns and cities of India. Given our strong brand name, pan-India presence and impressive growth track record and strong emphasis on technology & customer service we remain positive on our performance outlook going forward.”

    Previously INOX Leisure Ltd. was conferred with the ‘ICICI Entertainment Retailer of the Year’ Award in 2005.

    Live the movie only at INOX!

    About INOX Leisure Ltd.

    INOX has a nationwide presence with 12 multiplexes and 44 screens in 11 cities making it the only national multiplex chain – Pune (Bund Garden Road), Vadodara (Race Course Circle), Kolkata (Forum, Elgin Road and City Centre, Salt Lake City), Goa (Campal, Panaji), Mumbai (CR2, Nariman Point), Bangalore (Garuda Mall, Magrath Road), Jaipur (Vaishali Nagar), Indore (Sapna Sangeeta Road), Darjeeling (Rink Mall), Kota (Indira Vihar) and Nagpur (Wardhaman Nagar). Winner of the ‘ICICI Entertainment Retailer of the Year’ Award 2005, INOX Leisure Ltd. will continue its expansion into Chennai, Mumbai (Borivali), Bharuch, Vijaywada, Lucknow, Faridabad, Jaipur, Kolkatta, Hyderabad, Raipur, Bangalore, Nagpur, Jodhpur, Pune, etc.

    For further information, please contact:

    Snehhal Chitneni

    GM – Corporate Communications

    Ph: 6662 7051

    Mb: 9322091010
     

  • Future Group awards media duties to Starcom

    MUMBAI: Future Group and Starcom MediaVest Group have jointly announced that with effect from 1 January 2007, all media investments for member companies of the Future Group, will be managed by Starcom Worldwide.

    The Starcom responsibility of the Future Group media investment management will be handled by Manish Porwal, who is slated to assume his new responsibility of Starcom Worldwide India-West and South managing director, starting 1 January.

    The account will be managed by Starcom in three separate locations in India – Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi, with central reporting to the marketing team at the group’s head quarters in Mumbai. Some of the staff to handle the account will be shifted from Starcom’s existing talent pool, while some others will be recruited from the market.

     

    Specific initiatives that Starcom wishes to implement to activate this assignment will be announced in due course.Pantaloon Retail president-marketing Sanjeev Agrawal said, “We are passing through some really exciting times, with consumer spends growing rapidly, and retailing as a business literally exploding. We are a pioneer and leader in the area of retail. We recognize that the media landscape in India is complex and will be even more so in the times ahead. To take us through the challenges and opportunities ahead and help our brand connect with our consumers, we were looking for a new media partner.

     

    Starcom’s focus on Return on Objectives [ROO] as a new metric for marketing accountability appealed to us. We were also happy to see that they have built true 360 degrees communication capability over the last few years. These are the reasons we decided to align with them” commenting on the win, Starcom MediaVest Group CEO-South Asia Ravi Kiran said, “I believe we have a complete mind match with the Future Group marketing team. For some time now, we have been proposing a view of the future of marketing and communication which is based on today’s market realities of attention-challenged, multi-tasking consumers, and the need to activate all the assets of media owners, instead of just negotiating with them to reduce cost. This is the basis for Return On Objectives, a principle that emphasizes leveraging market opportunities, rather than internal constraints such as minimizing costs.

     

    We hope to deliver engaging consumer connections, using platform-agnostic ideas, activated media owner assets and through-the-line planning and execution capabilities, to the brands of Future Group.”

     

    Mumbai based retail group Future Group’s flagship enterprise is Pantaloon Retail in addition to other companies such as Home Solutions Retail India, Indus League Clothing, Galaxy Entertainment and others. the group operates through six verticals: Future Retail (encompassing all lines of retail business), Future Capital (financial products and services), Future Brands (all brands owned or managed by group companies), Future Space (management of retail real estate), Future Logistics (management of supply chain and distribution) and Future Media (development and management of retail media spaces).

  • Essel Group institutes excellence awards

    Essel Group institutes excellence awards

    MUMBAI: The Essel Group and its flagship, Zee Network, have unveiled an ambitious Awards programme aimed at recognising institutions or individuals who have made a significant contribution in public or private life. The Awards aim at celebrating the contribution of unsung heroes in various fields in order to encourage them to scale greater heights.

    Announcing the launch of the Awards, Essel Group and Zee Network Chairman, Mr Subhash Chandra said: “Ours is a Group fired by the spirit of nationalism and patriotism. Through these Awards, we hope to inspire the youth and instil in them a pride for India’s rich heritage. The Awards represent the Group’s strong resolve to empower the people and thereby build a vibrant and resurgent India.”

    The Awards will be instituted under different categories every month, beginning January 2007. The categories are: Legislator (January), Sports (February), Civil Service (March), NGO /Social Worker (April), Police /fire force (May), Legal (June), Minister (July), Young innovator /entrepreneur (August), Medical service (September), Art, Culture and Literature (October), Media (November), Gram Panchayat / Zilla Member (December).

    The Award series will first be launched in Karnataka and then replicated in other States.

    “These Awards will ignite young minds, awaken dormant senses and motivate the people to strive for a brighter future,” Mr M. Gautham Machaiah, Vice-President, Corporate and Public Affairs added.

    This is a truly a people’s Award, where the general public plays a key role in selecting the winner. For each category, nominations will be invited from the public and prominent citizens of the State. The nominations will be sifted by a screening committee and then put before a jury of eminent citizens, which will shortlist five finalists. A capsule on the five finalists will be produced and telecast on Zee Network. The public will then be invited to vote for best in each category.

     

    “It is significant that the Awards are being launched in Karnataka to coincide with the Suvarna Karnataka celebrations. Zee Kannada is proud to be associated with these Awards,” Head of Zee South Initiative Mr R. Ajay Kumar said.

     

    In the case of Karnataka’s Best Legislator, the parameters for the selection include: exemplary public service, commitment to issues, clean image and integrity, social and economic uplift of the constituency and constituents, accessibility to the people, and performance in the State legislature. The last date for receiving nominations is December 15, 2006.

     

    The Jury for the Best Legislator’s Award comprises Justice M.F. Saldhana, former Judge, Karnataka High Court (Chairman); Mr H.S. Balram, Editor, The Times of India, Bangalore; Dr M.S. Thimmappa, former Bangalore University Vice-chancellor; Mr M.C. Nanaiah, former Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs; and Ms Teresa Bhattacharya, former Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka.

     

    The Essel Group stands out as a shining example of a socially conscious corporate citizen. Education is among the causes that the Group is most passionate about. The Ekal Vidayalaya Foundation of India, headed by Mr Chandra provides free education to over five lakh tribal children every year in remote parts of the country.

     

    The Essel Group with interests spanning across news, entertainment, packaging, infrastructure and communication, is a pioneer in virtually every business that it ventures into. The Group has always responded to opportunities created by changes in technology and captured the first-mover advantage – be it satellite television (Zee TV), amusement parks (Essel World) or cable distribution (Siticable).

  • Louis J Horvitz returns as director for the Emmy Awards

    Louis J Horvitz returns as director for the Emmy Awards

    MUMBAI: Emmy Award winner Louis J. Horvitz will return for his 12 time as director of the US Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ (Atas) 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards.

    The 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will air live in the US on 27 August on NBC.

    In March, Horvitz directed The 78th Annual Academy Awards. This marked his 10th year at the helm of the Oscars.