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Tag: British Council

  • Celebrating 10 years of LGBTQIA+ Voices: Five Films For Freedom

    Celebrating 10 years of LGBTQIA+ Voices: Five Films For Freedom

    Mumbai: British Council, the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities, in partnership with BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival, has announced the return of Five Films for Freedom for its tenth anniversary. This global event showcases five captivating short films from the Philippines, India, Spain, the UK, and the USA. In India, in partnership with The Queer Muslim Project, 12 screenings of the films will be held across ten cities across India with ten partners.

    Free to watch online from 13 March to 24 March, Five Films for Freedom shines a spotlight on LGBTQIA+ narratives that embody resilience and authenticity. Through these films, the audience will get to know more about the emerging LGBTQI+ cinema across the world and understand the life and challenges faced by the community, with themes including identity, love, family, and acceptance.

    From the historic defiance captured in Compton’s 22 in San Francisco to the heartfelt exploration of love and understanding in Halfway, this year’s selection promises to captivate audiences with its diverse and impactful stories. Each of the films touches upon themes of family, identity, and the universal pursuit of acceptance, this lineup offers powerful perspectives on the LGBTQIA+ experience.

    One of the films is the award-winning “Halfway,” directed by Kumar Chheda (India), a moving portrayal of love and reconciliation set against the backdrop of Juhu Beach in Mumbai.

    The other films on the list are:

    •    Little One, Directed by Clister Santos (Philippines)
    •    Cursive, Directed by Isabel Steubel Johnson (UK)
    •    The First Kiss, Directed by Miguel Lafuente (Spain)
    •    Comptons’22, Directed by Drew de Pinto (USA)

    The films will be available to the audiences to view online from 13-24 March. Audiences in India are encouraged to watch the films and share their experiences using the hashtag #FiveFilmsForFreedom. For more information and to access the films, visit the British Arts YouTube channel.

    https://www.youtube.com/@britishartschannel/featured 

  • Post-Covid outlook for India’s creative economy

    Post-Covid outlook for India’s creative economy

    Mumbai: The pandemic has shaken the spine of economies across the world, and the Indian economy was no different. The impact is well analysed and measured by several studies, but ‘Taking the Temperature’ research is a first-of-its-kind, landmark longitudinal report on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on India’s creative economy.

    The British Council, FICCI, and Art X Company have jointly launched the third edition of the report at the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF).

    Released against the backdrop of Asia’s largest literature festival, JLF, the report transcends the literature sector, and for the first time, offers a quantitative mapping of India’s creative economy and culture sector – in the organised and unorganised sectors – across literature, crafts, festivals, performing arts and other art forms. The final edition is a series of three reports, and a culmination of 18 months of mapping the sector.

    The research tracks the longitudinal impact of the pandemic on India’s creative and culture industry and identifies a way ahead in a systematic and sustainable roadmap for recovery. The pioneering research is a first-of-its-kind, the extensive report outlines the monetary size and scale of the creative economy and contribution of the culture industries to the national GDP and wealth creation in India.

    On this, FICCI creative and cultural industries co-chair Sanjoy Roy said, “The TTT report on the creative sector underlies the vital nature and impact of this sector and its potential in creating jobs, contributing to local economies and creating a platform to realise one’s full potential.”

    The British Council works with the Indian stakeholders to strengthen India’s creative economy and create sustained livelihoods for Indian creative professionals. The report, in collaboration with FICCI and The Art X Company, underlines the British Council’s aim to gather credible information and insights that can enable businesses and governments to make effective and well-informed decisions about public and private investment in the creative sector.

     Key findings of the report:

        India’s creative economy reduced to Rs 30,440 crore GDP in 2021 from Rs 50,000 crore GDP in 2020, pre-Covid.

        There was a 39 per cent recession in creative industries to Rs 30,440 crore in 2021.

        50 per cent of creative sectors reported 51 per cent or more loss in annual revenue in the financial year 2020-2021.

        89 per cent of creative sectors in TTT2 and 82 per cent in TTT 3 have confirmed the pandemic impacted their income.

        49 per cent of creative sectors have not been able to keep creative businesses and artistic programmes running in the financial year 2020-2021.

        94 per cent of arts sectors are now operating in ‘digital only’ or ‘hybrid’ models.

        27 per cent of the sector is generating income through digital platforms with only eight per cent running physical programmes.

    In view of the findings and the feedback from the creative industry workforce and stakeholders, the report makes the following recommendations:

        Establish a cross-government creative economy Task Force from the 14 ministries that have a mandate for arts and culture in India.

        Government emergency grant-in-aid for MSMEs.

        A comprehensive national skills campaign across urban and rural geographies for creative MSMEs in digital and technological skills, business development, marketing, and communication capacity.

        Establish sector-specific management, self-help groups and management organisations, and city-wide enterprise zones and clusters.

        Establish arms-length bodies (ALBs) to strengthen and invest in arts and culture through a partnership of public and private investors.

        Embed tax coding of the creative industries in the formal economy through the Goods and Services Tax (GST) council.

    British Council India director – arts Jonathan Kennedy said, “Since the onset of Covid-19, we’ve dedicated our research to understanding the impact of the pandemic on India’s creative and culture economy with FICCI, Art X Company, and Smart Cube.”

    The final report makes practical recommendations for the short and long-term recovery of creative sectors and livelihoods. While our first two reports measured the impact of the pandemic on the incomes of the professionals and culture organisations, the third edition offers a definitive mapping of the scale and significance of the creative economy in India, added Kennedy.

    “There could not have been a better platform than the Jaipur Literature Festival to announce the report and we hope the insights from the report trigger much-needed conversations amongst stakeholders. We hope recommendations for recovery of the creative economy will be implemented through governance, infrastructure development and India’s enduring self-reliance,” he said.

    The Art X Company founder-director Rashmi Dhanwani said, “This final leg of the Taking the Temperature survey underscores the hard journey that the cultural sector in India has been on. Not only has the sector lost more than 50 per cent of its income, its performance has also affected India’s GDP growth. Besides the economic impact, the loss of lives and livelihoods that the pandemic has caused begs an urgent intervention – India’s culture sector needs a voice and demands urgent regulatory frameworks to safeguard this vital part of India’s identity.”

  • Focussing on the Long Term, Gozoop Announces Appraisals for its team

    Focussing on the Long Term, Gozoop Announces Appraisals for its team

    Gozoop – India’s leading independent digital-first communication company has announced appraisals for its employees.

    In these unprecedented times, while most companies are cutting costs and laying off staff, Gozoop has prioritised its team’s best interests. It has decided to reward its top performers for their consistent contributions before and during the pandemic 

    The company had also promised no COVID related job losses as early as April despite the business being hit as companies aggressively cut down on marketing budgets. Since then the company has aggressively won new businesses such as Gulf Oil, Bisleri, British Council and Zee. As a result, the independent agency has continued to attract best marketing talent from the industry, resulting in a significant increase in its headcount. 

    Gozoop’s culture and people-centric decisions have time and again made a positive impact not only on the media industry but across sectors. Gozoop was also one of the first companies in India to announce menstrual leave as well as mental wellness leaves. 

    The company has also been recognised by Great Places To Work Insitute for five years now. In 2020, the company was named as Best Workplace in the Media Industry as well.

    Speaking on the announcement, Rohan Bhansali, Co-Founder & Director, Gozoop said “The Gozoop way has always been to do the best we sustainably can for our people. I am grateful for as well as proud of the team’s valiant effort through the pandemic. We are also confident that we will emerge through this stronger. Our decision on appraising our team stems from this same sense of gratefulness as well confidence.”

    Bansi Raja, Chief Happiness Officer, Gozoop said “I am so proud of Gozoop. Pandemic or not, great talent should be celebrated and acknowledged. Nothing makes me happier as head of HR than my team as well as my company prospering. We are Building to Last.”
     

  • Havas Media bags integrated media duties of British Council

    Havas Media bags integrated media duties of British Council

    MUMBAI: Havas Media, India has bagged the integrated media duties of British Council Examinations and English Services India Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of British Council, UK, specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities with presence in over 100 countries. 

    The mandate includes media strategy, planning and buying, digital and social duties. The account will be handled out of the agency’s Gurgaon office. 

    Established in 1948, the British Council is recognised across India for its network of eight libraries and cultural centres. It offers a range of specialised projects in arts, education, English language and society to several thousand people across India. It also provides access to English language training and learning for both students and teachers and enables opportunities to study abroad including in the UK. BC Examinations and English Services India Pvt Ltd manages the delivery of IELTS and Digital English language services. 

    Commenting on the partnership, British Council Examinations and English Services India Pvt Ltd CEO Michael King said, “Agility and a consumer-centric mindset from our partners is key to our deliveries, as is reliance on deeper customer insights and data-driven actions. We are confident that Havas Media with its integrated media approach and market expertise will deliver the desired results for the brand. We are excited about this partnership and look forward to working with Havas Media.”

    Havas Media Group, India managing director Mohit Joshi said, “We are delighted to be partnering with British Council, an international organisation that aims to celebrate the modern-day relationship between both countries and build meaningful connections via creativity, collaboration and cultural exchange. Digital is at the core of Havas and we are proud to be associated with a digital-first brand that has created world-leading digital cultural experiences, opening up the worlds of dance, music and theatre to millions of young Indians.”

  • Age-appropriate ‘safe’ content is taken from Nat Geo Kids, Sony & Amar Chitra: Shirsa

    MUMBAI: Shirsa, a company specialising in enabling content publishers to engage-new age kids online and offline, has taken care of parental concerns on content and safety over internet and time spent on digital devices. The contents are age-appropriate and are based on user behaviour from renowned content partners such as National Geographic Kids, British Council, Amar Chitra Katha, Sony Music India, TED Ed and more,” said Shirsa co-founder and CEO Sukhada Tendulkar.

    As the kids’ television time is shifting to internet based devices, the time spent by them on the online devices is continuously on the rise. At the same time parents want their kids to learn from every interaction on the internet. This encouraged Tendulkar and Mandar Desai to start Shirsa as a ‘Kids Engagement Company’ which is primed to encourage children to be curious and have fun.The opportunity Shirsa sees is engaging kids globally, through interactive edutainment which includes entertaining content with educational value, gamification, interactive features offered through multiple platforms.

    While it all starts with the brain, Shirsa has consciously correlated itself to being curious and as we know – Curious is fun. There is no better way to get kids involved in learning than getting them curious. Curiosity is nothing but an appetite for knowledge. It is the spark behind ideas, ideas that ignite reasoning and great learning. Today’s children or the ‘digital natives’ (children of digital era, always surrounded by technology) have access to technology at their fingertips. Digital music, video players, mobile phones, video games and the like have changed the way we receive and process information! Fundamentally, they ‘think’ differently than the previous generations. And that’s a greatest challenge as well as a boon when it comes to building educational tools for kids. Challenge – because the content has to compete with the round-the-clock ‘edutainment’ kids live with and be exciting and engaging enough to grasp the attention of the kids. And a boon – because kids love anything digital and anything that come through a laptop, a tablet or a phone, they are happy to experiment with.

    Shirsa is currently engaging children aged 6 to 15 years through innovative plus safe digital products and services in collaboration with parents, educationists and partners. Each online platform is created basis a deep understanding of the transforming nature of knowledge consumption in order to gratify the ever-changing needs of hungry young minds.

    PlanetOfGui.com is a social platform that inspires kids aged 6 to 15 years to be curious learners while having fun with engaging content. While Newspik.in is a digital newspaper sharing bite-sized news, city events and non-fictional articles for children. The news topics range from nature to science and technology, from entertainment to sports stories from across the world.

    Both the platforms are gamified wherein every activity of the child is rewarded with Geekos, our virtual currency. These Geekos can then be redeemed against buying real products, unlocking social features, customizing avatar, and getting freebies at your doorstep.

    Shirsa Enhance is the co-scholastic solutions vertical of Shirsa Labs that specializes in developing products that are child friendly, real-world relevant and easy to implement in schools. Our life skills product will make the child ready for the future along with preparing him or her to tackle any challenges in their life.

    Shirsa Engage is the events vertical of Shirsa Labs, specializes in conceptualizing and organizing large-impact kids events & school contact programs for brands. It creates engaging experiences for students, parents and educators through the help of brands. Shirsa Connect is the digital vertical of Shirsa Labs, specializes in enabling content publishers to engage digitally with kids aged 6-15 years through its multiple products. As Children’s preferences are evolving, it wants to cover the relevant Digital & Tangible touchpoints of a kid’s life through branded content engagement.

    Tendulkar said, “The Shirsa Parent App allows to set-up time duration for the child to be online. They can also monitor their growth, inclination and learning style through the App.”

    It’s the time when digital revolution is entering every aspect of life. It’s only prudent to let our children explore and experience the full learning potential of digital medium, within a safe and protected environment. With educational platforms like PlanetofGui and Newspik; children, parents, teachers and brands are to benefit equally from the innumerable fun ways to engage and enlighten the young minds.

  • British Council awards India PR mandate to LinOpinion GH

    British Council awards India PR mandate to LinOpinion GH

    NEW DELHI: LinOpinion GH, India’s premier public relations consultancy and the PR division of Lowe Lintas + Partners, today announced that it has won the prestigious PR mandate for British Council, UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities for India. The mandate is to assist British Council in India to develop strategic communication routes and create consistent visibility for the organization. The consultancy will also help effectively communicate knowledge sharing and collaboration of best practices between India and the UK. LinOpinion GH won this mandate in a multi-agency pitch and this account will be led by its Delhi office.

    Commenting on this strategic win, Ameer Ismail, Executive Director, LinOpinion GH and Lowe Lintas + Partners said, “We are delighted to partner with a coveted brand like British Council.  Cultural relations and exchange is at the core of international relations and so important to both India and the UK. We have been successful in understanding the wide ranging imperatives and we look forward to contributing to the core objectives of British Council in India and playing a strategic role in strengthening their relationship with the country.”

    “The thinking and strategic framework we recommended was well appreciated. In addition, our deep understanding of the media and the environment gives us an edge to recommend concepts that will work best with the media and we intend to use innovative platforms to reach out to the right target audiences with the right message. We take pride in designing and implementing public relations plans that result in a large impact in terms of share of voice for brands.” added Lavang Asthana Khare, Executive Vice President, LinOpinion GH.

    British Council comes as a significant addition to LinOpinion GH’s roster of clients in Delhi. The agency currently services some iconic brands like Discovery Networks Asia Pacific, Starwood Group of Hotels, DCM Shriram Ltd, Rapid Metro, Malaysia Airlines and Ciena among others.

     

  • BBC, British Council launch 10th annual international radio playwriting competition

    BBC, British Council launch 10th annual international radio playwriting competition

    MUMBAI: BBC World Service and the British Council have launched their tenth annual International Radio Playwriting Competition.

    Writers who are new to radio globally are invited to submit an original 60-minute radio play on a subject of their choice. The competition, which has no age limit, is open to anyone living outside the UK and closes on Monday 30 April 2007.

    This year author and novelist Doris Lessing is among the judges. BBC World Service Drama executive producer Marion Nancarrow said, “Last year nearly 1,000 budding writers from 80 countries entered the competition and we’re hoping that even more writers from even more countries will enter this year.

    “This competition is one of the most exciting events at World Service Drama, as it provides us with an opportunity to connect with our audience and draws on a vast, untapped resource of writing talent from around the world.

    “The best thing is that it’s open to everyone. We receive entries from experienced novelists and writers from theatre, film and television as well as plays from writers with no experience at all who are submitting their first script. Previous winners have gone on to gain further commissions for World Service Drama, so this could be the next step to a very successful career.”

    The International Radio Playwriting Competition has two first prizes. One awards the best play by a writer with English as their first language, and the second for the best play by a writer with English as their second language.

    They each receive £2,500 and a trip to London to see their play being recorded for broadcast on World Service in the World Drama slot. An additional six prizes of a digital or shortwave radio will be awarded to the best plays submitted from South Asia, Asia, Africa, Middle East; America, Europe, Russia and the Caucasus.

    Further information on the International Radio Playwriting Competition and essential tips from established radio dramatists Mike Walker and Marcy Kahan can be found online at bbcworldservice.com/competitions, where writers can also download an entry form.

    An entry form can also be obtained by sending a request by email to intradioplaycomp@bbc.co.uk or one can be collected from their local British Council office.