ITV

Tag: India Pavilion

  • India plays its game at GDC – San Francisco developer conference

    India plays its game at GDC – San Francisco developer conference

    MUMBAI: India has levelled up its presence in the global gaming industry with its  pavilion at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco. The showcase, inaugurated by India’s consul general in San Francisco K. Srikar Reddy, puts the spotlight on the country’s burgeoning gaming sector and its ambitions to become a worldwide content powerhouse.

    The India Pavilion features an impressive roster of exhibitors, including established players like Nazara Technologies and WinzO, alongside plucky award-winning upstarts such as Wala Interactive, Brewed Games, Xigma Games, and Singular Scheme. These companies are demonstrating that India’s gaming industry is no longer just pressing “play”—it’s pressing ahead.

    Several champions of the “Bharat Tech Triumph Season 3” challenge are also showcasing their wares, including Yudiz Solutions, Brahman Studios, and the whimsically named Over the Moon Studios. The pavilion serves as a matchmaking service of sorts, connecting Indian developers with global publishers, investors and potential collaborators.

    Beyond gaming, the pavilion is drumming up interest for the upcoming World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (Waves), scheduled for May in Mumbai. This flagship event, organised by the ministry of information and broadcasting through the National Film Development Corp (NFDC), aims to position India as the “Content Hub of the World”—a lofty ambition for a country already producing films and television at an industrial scale.

    The timing could hardly be better. GDC, running from 17 to 21 March, attracts the crème de la crème of the global gaming industry. By planting its flag at this influential gathering, India is signalling that its developers are ready to play in the big leagues.

    For a nation long associated with outsourced IT services, the pivot to creative digital content represents a strategic shift. India’s gaming companies are no longer content to be mere back-office operations—they’re designing the games, creating the characters, and writing the storylines that could captivate players worldwide.
    As one industry insider quipped, “India has been the world’s back office. Now it wants to be its arcade too.”

  • Indian pavilion at Mipcom 24 in Cannes makes a positive impact

    Indian pavilion at Mipcom 24 in Cannes makes a positive impact

    CANNES: It’s sunny and very warm in Cannes on the French Riviera. But inside the famed Palais des Festivals the Indian pavilion put up by the Service Exports Promotion Council (SEPC) along with the ministry of information &  broadcasting (MIB) and the ministry of commerce & industry  is a hustle-bustle of activity.

    It’s almost 9:30 am in the morning and the clock is counting down the minutes as Prasar Bharti CEO Gaurav Dwivedi, Telangana special chief secretary of the industries & commerce (I&C) and information technology (IT) Jayesh Ranjan, counsel general of India in the Indian consulate in Marsielles Rupjyoti Brahma Karjee,  SEPC chairman Karan Rathore and director general Abhay Sinha are all geared up to inaugurate the pavilion which is the watering hole for many Indians who have come together to attend the  largest and most successful content trading and co-production market globally.

    Once the signal is given the four of them cut the ribbon and cheers go around celebrating India’s largest ever presence and pavilion at Mipcom. Close to 235 Indian delegates from 70 or more companies and independent creative professionals have signed up with RX – the organiser of Mipcom – to boost India’s content trade with the world.

    “We are delighted to build the platform – with the support of the two ministries –  for India’s independent animation and VFX studios, film and TV producers and distribution companies, and media and entertainment service providers at this very vibrant market,” says Sinha. “The MIB’s message is very clear: create in India and make it the content hub of the world. Our role to help achieve that goal and, If possible, crunch the time frame required to get there .”

    It is Dwivedi’s first visit to Mipcom  and he’s quite gung-ho about the opportunities it provides for the pubcaster to get connected with other public broadcasters, expose DD India, the English news channel, which provides an India view on global and Indian developments to the world. Finally, he is also looking at acquiring all genres of content from domestic Indian content owners and international producers and distributors in preparation for DD’s OTT service which is slated to start streaming next month.

    The Indian pavilion is also home to Telangana and Karnataka states. The former is promoting its image tower for the AVGC sector, inviting international companies to come and invest in the state, and to it’s annual gathering of the AVGC confab India Joy.  The latter is promoting Karnataka’s AVGC Centre of Excellence and its annual event Bangalore GAFX.

    55 other companies registered for Mipcom are also using it as a meeting place with their international clients with who they have either distribution, coproduction, or acquisition relationship.

    While the Indian presence is marked by veterans and seasoned animation studio professionals, the youngest exhibitor on the pavilion is 19 year old animation student in Paris Joyce Ahuja who has come armed with all her art work and a small teaser for her animation feature film.  

    “Mipcom is an awesome place and I am glad to have made up  my mind to attend and get feedback on my project so I can make it even more appealing globally,” she says, her eyes gleaming with excitement, despite her aching legs. She has the confidence that her project will attract the right fund providers and partners to help it get off the ground. 

  • Cannes 2022: India to be official ‘country of honour’ at Cannes Marche’ Du Film

    Cannes 2022: India to be official ‘country of honour’ at Cannes Marche’ Du Film

    Mumbai: India will be the official country of honour at the upcoming Marche’ Du Film organised alongside the 75th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in France, announced union minister of information and broadcasting Anurag Thakur on Wednesday.

     “It is the first time the Marché du Film has an official country of honour, and this special focus will continue annually with different nations in the spotlight at future editions,”  Thakur said.

    Notably, France and India are also marking 75 years of their diplomatic ties. Prime minister Narendra Modi recently visited Paris to meet with president Emmanuel Macron.

    As a country of honour, India’s cinema, culture and heritage will come under the spotlight during the opening night of Marche Du Films being organised by the Majestic Beach. There will be special performances by Indian choir bands along with folk music and fireworks. The cuisine served will be Indian as well as French.

    The I&B minister also announced five new startups would be given an opportunity to pitch to the audio-visual industry at Cannes Next, a business development platform. Ten professionals will participate in the animation day networking.

    The Cannes Film Festival will also feature the premiere of the movie “Rocketry” produced by R Madhavan. The film will be showcased at the Palais des Festivals on 19 May.

    India has pitched five films under the ‘Goes to Cannes Section’ including “Baghjan” by Jaicheng Zxai Dohutia (Assamese, Moran), “Bailadila” by Shailendra Sahu (Hindi, Chhatisgarhi), “Ek Jagah Apni” by Ektara Collective (Hindi), “Follower” by Harshad Nalawade (Marathi, Kannada, Hindi), “Shivamma” by Jai Shankar (Kannada).

    A cinema hall called the ‘Olympia Screen’ has been dedicated to India on 22 May for the screening of unreleased movies under which five films have been selected.

    The festival will also screen Satyajit Ray classic “Pratidwandi’ in celebration of the centenary of the Bengali director at the Cannes Classic section Cinéma de la plage.

    A dedicated India forum i.e., a one-hour conference is being organised at the main stage, comprising leaders in the entertainment sector to discuss ‘India as the content hub of the world’. The forum will be streamed online.

    The minister also noted that the India Pavilion at the festival will have the sole focus on branding India as the ‘content hub of the world.’ The pavilion will be inaugurated on 18 May and will showcase Indian cinema across linguistic, cultural and regional diversities of the country and will serve as a networking platform for delegates from across the global community, aiming to establish international partnerships in film shooting, distribution, production, script development, technology, promoting film sales and syndication.

  • Aim to make India content sub-continent of the world: Anurag Thakur at Dubai Expo

    Aim to make India content sub-continent of the world: Anurag Thakur at Dubai Expo

    Mumbai: India aims to be the content sub-continent of the world, the minister of information and broadcasting Anurag Thakur said on Monday, the concluding day of his three-day visit to Expo 2020 in Dubai. The union minister was there to hold a conversation with actor Ranveer Singh on ‘The Global Reach of Indian Media & Entertainment Industry” at the India pavilion.

    During the discussion, the minister acknowledged the contribution of films in India’s soft power project. “India is a land of storytelling and the film industry has left a great impact on people of foreign countries who identify India for its films,” he said, adding that, “This can generate millions of jobs in India and create content for the whole world.” 

    The India Pavilion at the Dubai Expo pulled 1.7 million visitors and Thakur observed that Indian people in Dubai are the real ambassadors of India.

    He also admired Ranveer Singh’s acting, recalling his performances from various films.

    “Indian content is on the cusp of making its presence felt on the world stage,” said Singh. “Indian entertainment is going to explode globally. Our stories resonate with people and transcend cultural boundaries and Indians abroad connect with India through films.”

    Earlier during the day, the I&B minister held a discussion with Dubai Corp for Tourism and Commerce Marketing CEO Issam Kazim on various strategies adopted by Dubai in respect of the tourism sector to make it a preferred tourism destination for the world.

    During the meeting the minister commended Dubai for organising the Expo which has been a great success despite the pandemic. Highlighting the importance of Dubai on the tourism map of the world, he remarked that Indians have preferred to fly to Dubai over western capitals like London during these pandemic years.

    Kazim mentioned that Dubai’s success has been possible owing to the decisive leadership with a focused target. He talked about Dubai authority’s strategy during Covid-19 when the city was shut down in March 2020. The authorities adopted a completely new strategy and ensured restrictions and protocols. Vaccinations and PCR tests were made mandatory for travellers and that Dubai was the first city to open up for tourists.

    “Dubai is targeting to get 25 million  tourists by 2025 and become the world’s most visited city,” said Kazim. “The city focuses on aspects like marketing Dubai so that people feel comfortable to come, making it easier to set up businesses, promoting Dubai as the best city to live in, promoting FDI, inviting tech companies, improving connectivity through Emirate airlines and infrastructure development.” He also mentioned that Dubai is also exploring the crypto currency space, although it is risky and unregulated for now.

    Kazim highlighted that India has great potential in tourism. “India can utilise the unique aspects of key cities/states and focus on their strengths,” he said. “Also, India’s IT talent benefits the global industry which can be promoted as strength.”

    Thakur invited Kazim to visit India to further discuss collaboration opportunities in the tourism and media and entertainment sector.

  • I&B minister Anurag Thakur to visit Dubai to promote Indian M&E sector

    I&B minister Anurag Thakur to visit Dubai to promote Indian M&E sector

    Mumbai: The information and broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur will be on a three-day official visit to Dubai between 26-28 March to attend a CEO roundtable with leading personalities of cinema exhibition and television world.

    The I&B minister will also visit the India pavilion at the Dubai Expo where media and entertainment week has been going on throughout the week. He will meet ministers and industry leaders during the visit.

    The CEO roundtable on Saturday will be attended by Vox Cinemas CEO Ignace Lahoud, Star Cinemas COO Satyajit Pendharkar, Channel 2 Group founder MD Ajay Sethi, ARN Group’s Vivek Sethia and Mathew Johnson, Star TV head – international business Sudhir Nagpal.

    On Sunday, Thakur will visit the India pavilion at the Dubai Expo to participate in the event ‘celebrating and taking Indian media and entertainment industry global.’ Eminent film personality Ranveer Singh is likely to join the minister during the visit, according to the statement.

    The minister will interact with many leaders of the sector during his visit to the pavilion including Dubai Film and TV Commission Jamal Al Sharif and Dubai Development Authority on 28 March.

    The minister will meet a range of people to promote India’s interests in the sector including HH Sheikh Suroor bin Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, HE Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, minister of culture and youth Reem Ebrahim Al Hashimy, minister of state for international cooperation, International Humanitarian City member of the board and director general of Dubai’s department of tourism and commerce marketing (Dubai Tourism) E Helal Saeed Almarri Nahyan, Sharjah Media City chairman HE Dr Khalid Omar Al Midfa, department of culture and tourism and twofour54 chairman HE Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Sharjah Media City managing director H.E. Shihab Alhammadi, Tecom Group group CEO Malek Al Malek, Dubai Media City managing director Majed Al Suwaidi, Dubai Studio City and Dubai Production City at Tecom group, Galadari Brothers Group co-chairman Suhail Galadari, Gulf News chairman Abdullah bin Khalifa Al-Attiyah and Middle East Broadcasting Center founder and chairman Waleed bin Ibrahim Al-Ibrahim.

  • India opens facilitation office to speed up approvals for international filmmakers: Javadekar

    India opens facilitation office to speed up approvals for international filmmakers: Javadekar

    New Delhi: India has opened up a facilitation office to attract more international filmmakers to India and ensure that they get all permissions in one go, said the union minister for information and broadcasting Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday.

    Javadekar was addressing the virtual inauguration of the ‘India Pavilion’ during the 74th Cannes Film Festival, organised by the ministry jointly with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI).

    “This is the second year when the pavilions are virtually organised but the business is real including the creativity, talent, technology, and India offers the best of these. The virtual India pavilion can become a meeting place to meet and discuss the future of the world of cinema,” said the union minister, adding that he hopes “the world comes out of the pandemic very soon and people come back to theaters once again”.

    Highlighting India’s increasing contribution to world films, Javadekar said, a lot of Hollywood movies like Lion King, Jungle Book, Avatar have got their VFX animation done in India. Many of the international films are being filmed in India with over 500 sites available, he added.

    India is participating in the Cannes Film Festival 2021 virtually due to the prevailing coronavirus pandemic. At the virtual pavilion, India will focus on celebrating the birth centenary of the legendary filmmaker, Satyajit Ray, promoting India as an important shooting destination and improving co-production between Indian filmmakers and foreign counterparts, said FICCI Film Forum co-chair, Uday Singh.

    Balaji Telefilms, joint MD, Ekta Kapoor highlighted that India weaves a lot of local inbuilt flavours in its storytelling. “India is known as a content creating nation. Indian content has always been the soft ambassador of India and it has a lot of appeal in the international market. Collaborations are the way forward for any company and there are a lot of opportunities in India,” she said.

    According to CBFC chairman, Prasoon Joshi, Indian cinema along with the filmmakers are going in the right direction today along with the focus on regional cinema. “Indian audiences today are more active seekers and the pandemic has given more acceleration to explore the world of cinema. There is a churn in Indian cinema,” he added.

    Cannes Film Festival, one of the most prestigious movie galas in the world, was initially scheduled to take place in May but was pushed by two months due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Last year’s edition was cancelled due to the pandemic and replaced by a low-key event in October, showcasing short films but without the A-list movie stars, directors and producers.