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Tag: Ang Lee

  • Ang Lee awarded IBC2016 International Honour for Excellence

    Ang Lee awarded IBC2016 International Honour for Excellence

    LONDON: Sunday night at IBC saw the most exciting and engaging awards ceremony yet. From the presence of not one but two Oscar winners, to a special message from the International Space Station, this was an unforgettable occasion.

    The IBC2016 International Honour for Excellence, IBC’s highest accolade, went to the movie director Ang Lee. A brief retrospective looked at five of his most famous films, from 1995s — Sense and Sensibility to Life of Pi in 2012, before the audience was treated to the trailer from his latest movie, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk.

    “In the past few years, I have come strongly to believe that new technology will upgrade film-making in terms of story-telling,” Lee said. “In Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, the use of high frame rate and high dynamic range will provide, I hope, a unique opportunity to feel the realities of war and peace through the protagonist’s eyes.”

    “IBC has done so much to bring together new technology and old-fashioned creativity,” he added. “I am delighted to be part of this exciting dialogue, and I am honoured to receive this award.”

    It was one hundred years ago that the first meeting of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers was called, to drive forward standards in the emerging industry. With the addition of television in 1950, it became SMPTE, one of the partner bodies of IBC and still the guardian of the key standards which support our industry.

    Perhaps the most memorable acceptance speech of the evening came not from the stage but from the International Space Station. NASA received the IBC2016 Judges’ Prize for its long history in bringing the wonders of space exploration to our screens, despite huge technical considerations.

    Astronaut Kate Rubins greeted IBC from the International Space Station, saying “Living and working here 250 miles above our beautiful planet, we’re lucky enough to enjoy stunning views of the world below. We’re honoured to bring this fresh perspective in the images and video we collect.”

    Summing up the evening, Michael Crimp, CEO of IBC, said “Our awards programme is a vital part of IBC. It gives us the chance to recognise real leadership, but it is also the opportunity to reflect on the way that the whole industry contributes to the success through its constant innovation and co-operation. That sense of collaboration and creativity, in turn, is in the DNA of IBC.”

    IBC Innovation Awards

    The LiveIP Studio project took the award for content creation, with trophies presented both to the EBU and the host of the project, Flemish broadcaster VRT. The judges admired the way the project had taken a practical approach to using IP for live production, involving a large number of vendors and solving the interoperability issues.

    The other two finalists in this category were both from the world of sports. BT Sport received a highly commended certificate for its work in augmented reality as a means of engaging and informing sports fans. ESPN was also honoured, for Pylon Cam, putting four cameras inside a 3D printed corner post for American football.

    Two of the entries in content management were around reality television. Endemol Shine Germany took the trophy for its production management on Wild Island, which split the post between the location – two islands off the coast of central America – and the company’s base in Cologne.

    Highly commended was The 15 of Us, a year-long reality experiment made by Tencent in China, which generated 3,000 hours of content a day. VRT made a return to the stage, this time to honour its children’s channel Ketnet with its engaging app for children from two to 12.

    Also returning to the stage, this time to collect the trophy for content delivery, was BT Sport. It launched an Ultra HD channel last year, and the audience at the IBC Awards ceremony was treated to some stunning 4k sports footage on our state-of-the-art screen.

    BT Sport’s Ultra HD channel features the UEFA Champions’ League, and UEFA itself was a competitor for the award. Its highly commended entry focused on increasing engagement through add-on services and second screen apps. The other highly commended entry came from Swisscom, with its imaginative new look at content discovery across a large number of channels.

    IBC Best Conference Paper Award

    The IBC Best Conference Paper Award is presented to the authors of the paper which presents important new research in a clear and engaging way. This year it went to Erik Stare of Teracom in Stockholm, Dr Jordi Giménez of Universitat Politècnica de València in Spain and Dr Peter Klenner of Panasonic Europe, based in Frankfurt for their paper ‘WIB – a new system concept for digital terrestrial television’.

    Exhibition Stand Design Awards

    Each year IBC gives three awards for the most attractive, practical and effective exhibition stands. This year the award for the best use of shell scheme space went to Pliant Technologies. The judges said the design “takes the use of shell scheme to a new level with good use of space, excellent lighting and fantastic graphics, all presenting a chic but not cheap effect. A most attractive and inviting stand.”

    Highly commended in the category for smaller free design stands (up to 100 square metres) were Viaccess-Orca and Nokia, but the award went to Ooyala for its design which relied heavily on wood: even the apparently steel construction beams were actually made of wood. The judges felt the stand was “fun, with playful visuals, presented by a young-minded team.”

    Two exhibitors were also highly commended in the larger free design category: Skyworth and Vestel. The winner, though, was Cisco, for “an open and inviting stand, with plenty of space on two levels for multiple meetings. It’s stunning, and is a fresh approach.”

  • Ang Lee awarded IBC2016 International Honour for Excellence

    Ang Lee awarded IBC2016 International Honour for Excellence

    LONDON: Sunday night at IBC saw the most exciting and engaging awards ceremony yet. From the presence of not one but two Oscar winners, to a special message from the International Space Station, this was an unforgettable occasion.

    The IBC2016 International Honour for Excellence, IBC’s highest accolade, went to the movie director Ang Lee. A brief retrospective looked at five of his most famous films, from 1995s — Sense and Sensibility to Life of Pi in 2012, before the audience was treated to the trailer from his latest movie, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk.

    “In the past few years, I have come strongly to believe that new technology will upgrade film-making in terms of story-telling,” Lee said. “In Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, the use of high frame rate and high dynamic range will provide, I hope, a unique opportunity to feel the realities of war and peace through the protagonist’s eyes.”

    “IBC has done so much to bring together new technology and old-fashioned creativity,” he added. “I am delighted to be part of this exciting dialogue, and I am honoured to receive this award.”

    It was one hundred years ago that the first meeting of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers was called, to drive forward standards in the emerging industry. With the addition of television in 1950, it became SMPTE, one of the partner bodies of IBC and still the guardian of the key standards which support our industry.

    Perhaps the most memorable acceptance speech of the evening came not from the stage but from the International Space Station. NASA received the IBC2016 Judges’ Prize for its long history in bringing the wonders of space exploration to our screens, despite huge technical considerations.

    Astronaut Kate Rubins greeted IBC from the International Space Station, saying “Living and working here 250 miles above our beautiful planet, we’re lucky enough to enjoy stunning views of the world below. We’re honoured to bring this fresh perspective in the images and video we collect.”

    Summing up the evening, Michael Crimp, CEO of IBC, said “Our awards programme is a vital part of IBC. It gives us the chance to recognise real leadership, but it is also the opportunity to reflect on the way that the whole industry contributes to the success through its constant innovation and co-operation. That sense of collaboration and creativity, in turn, is in the DNA of IBC.”

    IBC Innovation Awards

    The LiveIP Studio project took the award for content creation, with trophies presented both to the EBU and the host of the project, Flemish broadcaster VRT. The judges admired the way the project had taken a practical approach to using IP for live production, involving a large number of vendors and solving the interoperability issues.

    The other two finalists in this category were both from the world of sports. BT Sport received a highly commended certificate for its work in augmented reality as a means of engaging and informing sports fans. ESPN was also honoured, for Pylon Cam, putting four cameras inside a 3D printed corner post for American football.

    Two of the entries in content management were around reality television. Endemol Shine Germany took the trophy for its production management on Wild Island, which split the post between the location – two islands off the coast of central America – and the company’s base in Cologne.

    Highly commended was The 15 of Us, a year-long reality experiment made by Tencent in China, which generated 3,000 hours of content a day. VRT made a return to the stage, this time to honour its children’s channel Ketnet with its engaging app for children from two to 12.

    Also returning to the stage, this time to collect the trophy for content delivery, was BT Sport. It launched an Ultra HD channel last year, and the audience at the IBC Awards ceremony was treated to some stunning 4k sports footage on our state-of-the-art screen.

    BT Sport’s Ultra HD channel features the UEFA Champions’ League, and UEFA itself was a competitor for the award. Its highly commended entry focused on increasing engagement through add-on services and second screen apps. The other highly commended entry came from Swisscom, with its imaginative new look at content discovery across a large number of channels.

    IBC Best Conference Paper Award

    The IBC Best Conference Paper Award is presented to the authors of the paper which presents important new research in a clear and engaging way. This year it went to Erik Stare of Teracom in Stockholm, Dr Jordi Giménez of Universitat Politècnica de València in Spain and Dr Peter Klenner of Panasonic Europe, based in Frankfurt for their paper ‘WIB – a new system concept for digital terrestrial television’.

    Exhibition Stand Design Awards

    Each year IBC gives three awards for the most attractive, practical and effective exhibition stands. This year the award for the best use of shell scheme space went to Pliant Technologies. The judges said the design “takes the use of shell scheme to a new level with good use of space, excellent lighting and fantastic graphics, all presenting a chic but not cheap effect. A most attractive and inviting stand.”

    Highly commended in the category for smaller free design stands (up to 100 square metres) were Viaccess-Orca and Nokia, but the award went to Ooyala for its design which relied heavily on wood: even the apparently steel construction beams were actually made of wood. The judges felt the stand was “fun, with playful visuals, presented by a young-minded team.”

    Two exhibitors were also highly commended in the larger free design category: Skyworth and Vestel. The winner, though, was Cisco, for “an open and inviting stand, with plenty of space on two levels for multiple meetings. It’s stunning, and is a fresh approach.”

  • Ang Lee and the art of 4KHD 3D 120 fps film-making

    Ang Lee and the art of 4KHD 3D 120 fps film-making

    AMSTERDAM: Ang Lee is an auteur par excellence. His films Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and The Life of Pi bear testimony. Lee is open to pushing technology to mount a magnificent tale. Lee was at the IBC here to talk about his latest film Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk.

    What’s different about his latest work is that it has been shot in 4K HD 3D and at a 120 fps frame rate under the Tristar banner for a 11-November release in the US. It is the highest frame rate that a film has been shot at so far, and has been filmed at a budget of $ 46-48 million. The film has been shot on the Sony 4K F65 by two-time Oscar-winning cinematographer John Toll.

    Otherwise, it’s based on Ben Fountain’s 2012 novel by the same name. It follows Billy Flynn, a 19-year old soldier (played by newcomer Joe Alwynn) and his unit who survive a battle in Iraq to return to the U.S. for a promotional tour culminating with a halftime-show appearance at a Thanksgiving football game.

    Lee has said that his film is a story of a young man “learning his place in the world, and of the special brotherhood among men at arms, the depths of their bonds, and the sacrifices they make.”

    Sony’s TriStar and Britain’s Film4 are partnering with Jeff Robinov’s Studio 8 for the film.

    Lee disclosed during his key note that it was a challenge to film at 120 fps 4K HD 3D.

    “We had to really light up everything differently. I wanted realism for this film. I wanted the expressions to be real, and not acting. But, everything was magnified,” he stated. “If the actors overacted or made some awkward facial movements, it became larger than life.”

    “I am a guinea pig for the studio,” he confessed. “Since the day I began this film, everyday has been crazy. I was seeing what was being shot at 120 fps 4K in 60 fps 2K monitors, and it was a challenge. I kept telling my heads of departments that they are not good enough. Because, even I am not good enough while working with this new format.”

    While Lee was greeted with applause, some stated that the clip which was screened looked very much like “video” and did not look like cinema.

    To this Lee, responded, “Please give us a chance. It is a baby, and we are pioneering something. Directing this film has been very humbling for me as no one has tread this path before, shooting in 120 fps 4K, HD, 3D.”

    Lee chose to shoot at these frame rates because it would allow the studio to be able to experiment with various frame rates below — right from 60 fps to 24 fps to 48 for releases in different territories because of the availability — or lack of 4K HD 3D 120 fps projectors – in theatres in different parts of the world.

    “I am not saying 24 fps 2D is not good enough,” he pointed out. “But, it is about making a difference and taking a leap forward in technology and in art.”

    Lee ended by saying he would continue pushing the boundaries on technology in cinema. He would like the equipment makers to come up with smaller cameras, better sensors.

  • Ang Lee and the art of 4KHD 3D 120 fps film-making

    Ang Lee and the art of 4KHD 3D 120 fps film-making

    AMSTERDAM: Ang Lee is an auteur par excellence. His films Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and The Life of Pi bear testimony. Lee is open to pushing technology to mount a magnificent tale. Lee was at the IBC here to talk about his latest film Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk.

    What’s different about his latest work is that it has been shot in 4K HD 3D and at a 120 fps frame rate under the Tristar banner for a 11-November release in the US. It is the highest frame rate that a film has been shot at so far, and has been filmed at a budget of $ 46-48 million. The film has been shot on the Sony 4K F65 by two-time Oscar-winning cinematographer John Toll.

    Otherwise, it’s based on Ben Fountain’s 2012 novel by the same name. It follows Billy Flynn, a 19-year old soldier (played by newcomer Joe Alwynn) and his unit who survive a battle in Iraq to return to the U.S. for a promotional tour culminating with a halftime-show appearance at a Thanksgiving football game.

    Lee has said that his film is a story of a young man “learning his place in the world, and of the special brotherhood among men at arms, the depths of their bonds, and the sacrifices they make.”

    Sony’s TriStar and Britain’s Film4 are partnering with Jeff Robinov’s Studio 8 for the film.

    Lee disclosed during his key note that it was a challenge to film at 120 fps 4K HD 3D.

    “We had to really light up everything differently. I wanted realism for this film. I wanted the expressions to be real, and not acting. But, everything was magnified,” he stated. “If the actors overacted or made some awkward facial movements, it became larger than life.”

    “I am a guinea pig for the studio,” he confessed. “Since the day I began this film, everyday has been crazy. I was seeing what was being shot at 120 fps 4K in 60 fps 2K monitors, and it was a challenge. I kept telling my heads of departments that they are not good enough. Because, even I am not good enough while working with this new format.”

    While Lee was greeted with applause, some stated that the clip which was screened looked very much like “video” and did not look like cinema.

    To this Lee, responded, “Please give us a chance. It is a baby, and we are pioneering something. Directing this film has been very humbling for me as no one has tread this path before, shooting in 120 fps 4K, HD, 3D.”

    Lee chose to shoot at these frame rates because it would allow the studio to be able to experiment with various frame rates below — right from 60 fps to 24 fps to 48 for releases in different territories because of the availability — or lack of 4K HD 3D 120 fps projectors – in theatres in different parts of the world.

    “I am not saying 24 fps 2D is not good enough,” he pointed out. “But, it is about making a difference and taking a leap forward in technology and in art.”

    Lee ended by saying he would continue pushing the boundaries on technology in cinema. He would like the equipment makers to come up with smaller cameras, better sensors.

  • Ang Lee to direct ‘Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk’ for TriStar & Studio 8

    Ang Lee to direct ‘Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk’ for TriStar & Studio 8

    MUMBAI: Jeff Robinov’s Fosun-backed Studio 8, together with Chinese distribution company Bona Film Group, will partner with Tom Rothman’s TriStar and Film4 on the adaptation of Ben Fountain’s acclaimed novel Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, to be directed by three-time Oscar-winner Ang Lee.

     

    The deal brings together several members of the family of companies at Sony Pictures, which will distribute the film worldwide, except for Greater China, which Bona Film Group Ltd will handle. Film 4 will have UK free television.

     

    The film is now set for start of principal photography in mid-April and casting is underway.

     

    In the film, Bravo Company, and 19-year-old private Billy Lynn, survive a harrowing Iraq battle that is captured by news cameras. They are brought home by the US administration for a promotional tour, culminating at the spectacular halftime show of a Thanksgiving Day football game, all while facing an imminent return to the war. Almost the entire movie takes place during the day of the game, with flashes back to the underlying events and Billy’s heroism.

     

    The film will explore new methods, both technological and artistic, with the goal of further engaging the audience. Lee will use the Sony F65 camera shooting in native 3D, high resolution, and with an ultra-high frame rate to create a different cinematic syntax in service of the story. He envisions creating a new way for audiences to experience drama, including the heightened sensation that soldiers really feel on the battlefield and on the home front.

     

    Rothman said, “Ang is pushing the envelope even beyond what we achieved in Life of Pi. Innovation is key to getting audiences out to cinemas now, but such advances often take a brave village. I have long admired Jeff personally and have great respect for Studio 8 and Bona. It’s a neat fit as we are all in the business of trying to do cool things for Sony, not to mention we park right next to each other.”

     

    Robinov added, “Ang Lee’s vision for this remarkable story is incredibly exciting to all of the partners involved and perfectly captures the types of filmmaker-driven movies we want to make at Studio 8. We are thankful that Tom Rothman included us in this fantastic project and are looking forward to working on this together.”

     

    Bona founder, chairman and CEO Yu Dong said, “Since last year, we’ve been working closely with our strategic partner Fosun to explore their resources in the entertainment industry as we roll out our international strategy to grow a significant presence in Hollywood. Having the opportunity to work on Ang Lee’s next film and being the only partner in China speaks to our strong film production and distribution capabilities, as well as marks a very important first step for Bona to gain international recognition. We look forward to participating in more Hollywood mainstream films while at the same time bringing high-quality foreign films to the domestic market.”

     

    Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk will be produced by Marc Platt, Ink Factory’s Stephen Cornwell, Rhodri Thomas and Simon Cornwell, and Ang Lee. The film is being made in association with Film4, which developed the original draft of the script with Simon Beaufoy. The current screenplay revisions are by Jean-Christophe Castelli.

     

    Studio 8, based in Culver City, California on the SPE lot, is funded in partnership with the Chinese investment management firm Fosun Group and with SPE which will distribute up to six films worldwide annually. Studio 8 has secured 1 billion in financing.

  • Get ready for an online adventure as ‘Life of Pi’ premieres on Star Movies

    Get ready for an online adventure as ‘Life of Pi’ premieres on Star Movies

    MUMBAI: It was one of the highest grossing Hollywood films in India in 2012. Now, as Life of Pi is slated for a TV premiere soon on Star Movies, the channel has come up with an innovative experiment to involve the viewers. Having acquired the telecast rights of the Oscar-winning film directed by Ang Lee, Star Movies will premiere the film on Sunday, 27 October at 1:00 pm and 9:00 pm. The channel is leaving no stone unturned to create the right buzz around the movie that will be broadcast as part of their most distinguished slot – “Hollywood Premiere”.

    To engage the audience well, the channel is using the interactive power of the digital medium to reach out to its audience by launching an experiential online journey based on the movie. “Most of the film has been shot in India and has Indian stars. Since we really believe that the premiere will fetch good results in the Indian market, we are planning a strategy that can pull more audience,” says Star Network (English channels) general manager Kevin Vaz, informing about an online game, “Life of I” that they are launching before the premiere of the film.

    The game invites viewers to experience the journey of a lifetime through the lens of Pi. The participants can log in to the game via Facebook where they have the chance to map out their own journey based on the events that transpire in the movie. The game has eight milestones. A player who crosses all the milestones becomes eligible for a trip to landmark locations where Life of Pi was shot – including Puducherry, Munnar and Taiwan, in addition to other prizes. A person who plays the entire game will also get a personalised video of their journey that will comprise a part of their Facebook journey. The video acts as a memoir of their journey as they live in real life their own version of the movie.

     

    Kevin says that the channel has taken the entire initiative to plan the trip for the winners. “We haven’t roped in travelling partners. We will be doing it on our own,” he adds.

    “Not just this, to create enough buzz, we have also created special videos shot with the stars of the movie that will give the audience an insight into the film’s making, with anecdotes that happened during the shooting of the film,” says Kevin, who thinks that an extra effort has to be made in order to get more audience and survive in the world of cut-throat competition. “Whenever we have made an extra effort to promote a show or a film, it has reaped good results. Case in point, the Academy Awards, which we promoted across mediums with new initiatives, gave us many viewers,” says Kevin, who thinks that very soon such efforts will be made with all big movie premieres.

  • Get ready for an online adventure as Life of Pi premieres on Star Movies

    Get ready for an online adventure as Life of Pi premieres on Star Movies

    MUMBAI: It was one of the highest grossing Hollywood films in India in 2012. Now, as Life of Pi is slated for a TV premiere soon on Star Movies, the channel has come up with an innovative experiment to involve the viewers. Having acquired the telecast rights of the Oscar-winning film directed by Ang Lee, Star Movies will premiere the film on Sunday, 27 October at 1:00 pm and 9:00 pm. The channel is leaving no stone unturned to create the right buzz around the movie that will be broadcast as part of their most distinguished slot – “Hollywood Premiere”.

     

    To engage the audience well, the channel is using the interactive power of the digital medium to reach out to its audience by launching an experiential online journey based on the movie. “Most of the film has been shot in India and has Indian stars. Since we really believe that the premiere will fetch good results in the Indian market, we are planning a strategy that can pull more audience,” says Star Network (English channels) general manager Kevin Vaz, informing about an online game, “Life of I” that they are launching before the premiere of the film.

     

    The game invites viewers to experience the journey of a lifetime through the lens of Pi. The participants can log in to the game via Facebook where they have the chance to map out their own journey based on the events that transpire in the movie. The game has eight milestones. A player who crosses all the milestones becomes eligible for a trip to landmark locations where Life of Pi was shot – including Puducherry, Munnar and Taiwan, in addition to other prizes. A person who plays the entire game will also get a personalised video of their journey that will comprise a part of their Facebook journey. The video acts as a memoir of their journey as they live in real life their own version of the movie.

     

    Kevin says that the channel has taken the entire initiative to plan the trip for the winners. “We haven’t roped in travelling partners. We will be doing it on our own,” he adds.

     

    “Not just this, to create enough buzz, we have also created special videos shot with the stars of the movie that will give the audience an insight into the film’s making, with anecdotes that happened during the shooting of the film,” says Kevin, who thinks that an extra effort has to be made in order to get more audience and survive in the world of cut-throat competition. “Whenever we have made an extra effort to promote a show or a film, it has reaped good results. Case in point, the Academy Awards, which we promoted across mediums with new initiatives, gave us many viewers,” says Kevin, who thinks that very soon such efforts will be made with all big movie premieres.

  • Ang Lee all set to make his TV debut

    Ang Lee all set to make his TV debut

    MUMBAI: Often we see, successful TV celebrities moving to films to widen their reach. But in case of director Ang Lee, things are different.

    The celebrated director, who recently won the best director Oscar for Life of Pi is soon to make his TV directorial debut.
     
    Lee has signed up to direct the pilot episode of US network FX‘s Tyrant that tells the story of an American family pulled into a Middle East conflict.

    Said FX president John Landgraf, "Time and again Ang Lee has demonstrated an ability to present characters with such depth and specificity that they reveal the universal human condition. No one could be a more perfect film maker to bring Tyrant to indelible life."
     
    The show is slated to go on the floors this summer.

  • Ang Lee likely to replace Spielberg on Warner’s Gods & Kings

    Ang Lee likely to replace Spielberg on Warner’s Gods & Kings

    MUMBAI: Looks like Ang Lee is going through a nice phase. Soon after he received the best director Oscar award for Life of Pi, the director found himself a TV project.

    Lee is committed to making his TV directorial debut with the pilot for FX‘s Tyrant from award-winning producers Howard Gordon and Gideon Raff.

    And now it has come to light that Lee has been approached by Warner Bros to direct a biblical epic on Moses titled Gods and Kings. This after the studio failed to strike a deal with Steven Spielberg who was earlier tipped to direct the film.

    The 58-year-old filmmaker is said to be intrigued by the offer but things are yet to move to a formal level, it is said.

    Penned by Stuart Hazeldine and Michael Green, Gods and Kings is based on the Book of Exodus and other stories from the Old Testament. It follows the life of Moses from his birth to death.

  • Puducherry to felicitate Ang Lee and team of Life of Pi to put it on Tourism map

    Puducherry to felicitate Ang Lee and team of Life of Pi to put it on Tourism map

    MUMBAI: In felicitation of Ang Lee‘s Life of Pi that was partly shot in its locales winning four Oscars, the Puducherry Government has planned to honour Ang Lee and his team, according to their convenience, averred Puducherry Tourism Minister P Rajavelu.
     
    Expressing his joy and jubilation over the film bagging Oscars at the 85th Academy Awards Sunday, the minister said that the film had brought to focus Puducherry (Pondicherry) abroad.
     
    The film has met with good response in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and a few other countries, he said, "We hope that we would be able to attract a large number of foreign tourists and we would also develop the locations where the movie was filmed here into excellent tourist spots with the assistance from the Union Tourism Ministry," he added.
     
    The locations where the film was shot include more than a century old botanical garden, the 12th century temple of Tirukameeswar at Villianoor near here and the 136-year-old Calve College Higher Secondary School.
     
    Tourism Secretary W V R Moorthy, who was also present when the minister talked about the felicitation, said that a Life of Pi campaign would be held on a sustained basis in Puducherry and a hop-in tourist vehicle would also be pressed into service in the Union Territory through its Tourism Department.