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Tag: Naman Ramachandran

  • FICCI FRAMES 2024: From playgrounds to pixels: Evolution and emerging trends in kids entertainment

    FICCI FRAMES 2024: From playgrounds to pixels: Evolution and emerging trends in kids entertainment

    Mumbai: The discussion traced the trajectory of this evolution, examining the impact of technology on content consumption, educational aspects, and the evolving preferences of young audiences. Emphasising the fusion of entertainment and education, the panel delved into the latest trends, such as interactive media, augmented reality, and immersive storytelling, offering valuable insights for creators, educators, and parents alike. The panel aimed to unravel the past, present, and future of kids’ entertainment, navigating the fascinating intersection of play and pixels.

    The moderator of the panel was Powerkids Entertainment CEO Manoj Mishra.

    “The essence of our content has remained consistent since the beginning. While storytelling and content creation have seen minimal alterations, there was a notable shift when I entered the industry. Initially, we relied heavily on foreign content, merely dubbing it for local audiences. However, over time, we began crafting our narratives that resonated more deeply with our audience, particularly children. The fundamental stories haven’t changed; it’s the platforms that evolve continually, and our adaptability has allowed us to broaden our horizons.” : Viacom18 kids TV network business head Anu Sikka.

    “In the future, animation will undeniably continue to hold a prominent position, Drawing insights from diverse channels, including online platforms like Netflix, and learning from the successes of digital endeavors, whether on Netflix or other platforms, we’ve adeptly tailored these achievements to suit the Indian landscape.”: Warner Bros Discovery head, kids network Uttam Pal Singh.

  • FICCI FRAMES 2024: Lights, camera, action: Golden era of storytelling

    FICCI FRAMES 2024: Lights, camera, action: Golden era of storytelling

    Mumbai: This session brought together seasoned storytellers and content creators to unravel the transformative impact of disruptive technologies on narrative formats. Delving into the shift from traditional blockbusters to the era of binge-watching, the panel explores how storytelling has evolved. Participants witnessed a dynamic discussion on changing audience dynamics, emerging platforms, and the innovative strategies employed by storytellers to captivate and engage audiences in an era marked by a constant evolution in entertainment consumption.

    The fireside chat was moderated by Indian critic and journalist Naman Ramachandran.

    “We are here to serve our audience with the most diverse & high-quality content. We find ourselves at an intriguing juncture in our streaming journey. Despite being a nascent industry, it is evolving rapidly, with people adopting it at an exceptionally fast rate.”: Netflix India VP – content Monika Shergill.

    Answering the question about the secret sauce in the theatrical business, Yash Raj Films CEO Akshaye Widhani said, “As an organisation, we don’t punish failure. That is the secret sauce at YRF.”

    Answering the second part of the question on what YRF looks for when commissioning a film or a series, Widhani said, “It is a creative business. Either you go right or wrong, but it’s about the story. The north star for us is the story. We’ve been telling stories for the last five decades and we hope we’ll keep telling stories much after that. When it comes to what we decide on how we decide to greenlight, it’s pretty much based on what that story is and how it appeals to us.”

  • BAFTA announces its Breakthrough 2023 cohort across India, UK and USA for the first time

    BAFTA announces its Breakthrough 2023 cohort across India, UK and USA for the first time

    Mumbai: The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) in  partnership with Netflix, has unveiled 10 upcoming individuals from the screen industries  selected for BAFTA Breakthrough in India. In this historic first, BAFTA simultaneously introduces its UK,  USA, and India participants, with 42 talented individuals selected globally.

    The ten names for BAFTA Breakthrough India were selected by a distinguished jury of industry experts, including Jury Chair and BAFTA Breakthrough Ambassador Guneet Monga Kapoor, Sikhya Entertainment producer founder & CEO Guneet Monga Kapoor, Lakshya Digital CEO Manvendra Shukul,  Monika Shergill (vice president, content – Netflix India), Rajiv Menon (Filmmaker), Naman  Ramachandran (Critic & Journalist), Sid Roy Kapur (Founder of Roy Kapur Films & Producer),  Shaunak Sen (Filmmaker) and Ratna Pathak Shah (actor, theatre director).

    The list of BAFTA Breakthrough India participants for 2023 is:

    ● Abhay Koranne | Writer – Rocket Boys

    ● Abhinav Tyagi | Editor – An Insignificant Man

    ● Don Chacko Palathara | Director/Writer – Joyful Mystery

    ● Kislay| Writer – Soni

    ● Lipika Singh Darai | Director/Writer – Some Stories Around Witches

    ● Miriam Chandy Menacherry | Producer – From the Shadows and The Leopard’s Tribe  

    ● Pooja Rajkumar Rathod | Cinematographer – Secrets of the Elephants

    ● Sanal George | Sound Editor/Mixer/Designer – Gangubai Kathiawadi

    ● Satya Rai Nagpaul | Cinematographer – Ghoomketu

    ● Shardul Bhardwaj | Performer – Eeb Allay Ooo!

    Over the last two years, the BAFTA Breakthrough programme, in partnership with Netflix, has  supported the cohorts in networking with global industry experts, including D.B Weiss (producer,  director, writer), Emma Lawson (BBC Comedy Commissioner), Howard Shore (Composer), Phoebe  Waller-Bridge (Actress, Producer, Writer), and Vishal Gondal (CEO, GOQii, nCore Games),  amongst others.

    The initiative has also opened doors for participants, facilitating industry meetings with Chaitanya  Hegde (Tulsea), Rob Carlson (United Talent Agent, US), Tarsame Mittal (TM Talent Management),  and more. Breakthroughs like Jay Pinak Oza have received one-on-one mentorship from Mira Nair  and Shonali Bose with potential collaborations in the works, while Karthikeya Murthy is working on  a Hindi feature film, with multiple projects lined up in Hindi, Tamil and English.

    BAFTA CEO Jane Millichip said, “BAFTA Breakthrough is a gold standard  programme. And the fact that we are celebrating our ten-year anniversary is testament to the  dedication of our incredible alumni, industry supporters, juries, and industry advisers. I’d like to say  a huge thank you to everyone who has contributed over the years, and particularly to our partner  Netflix. This year’s cohort is really impressive, having already achieved credits in high-end TV  drama, debut films, documentaries, hair and make design; and game design. BAFTA  Breakthrough is designed to harness that early success and develop the skills for life-long,  rewarding careers. Congratulations to this year’s BAFTA Breakthroughs.”

    BAFTA Breakthrough India Ambassador and Jury Chair Guneet Monga Kapoor said, “There is no  shortage of creative talent in India as demonstrated by the previous two iterations of  Breakthrough. We had a tough time choosing ten deserving candidates from an enormous pool  of fresh candidates. It will be exciting to see how they harness BAFTA Breakthrough’s opportunities  to hone their craft on a global stage.”

    Netflix India content VP Monika Shergill said, “India has a wealth of emerging  talent and we’re thrilled to be able to work with BAFTA on the BAFTA Breakthrough initiative to  provide them an opportunity to be chosen. It’s truly rewarding to be able to empower these  emerging creatives to showcase and enhance their skills. This year, we’ve identified an incredible  group and we look forward to helping to nurture their talents and make this an enriching and  once-in-a-lifetime moment for them.”

    During the course of the year-long programme, the BAFTA Breakthroughs will receive professional  development, industry meetings and global networking opportunities with the academy’s 12,000- strong global membership, alongside free access to BAFTA events and screenings for 12 months  and full BAFTA voting rights on the academy’s world-leading film, games and television awards.  Further details are in the notes to editors.  

    BAFTA’s flagship new talent programme celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. Since 2013, it  has supported over 200 rising talents, including Aadip Desai, Arati Kadav, Charu Desodt, Florence  Pugh, James LeBrecht, Jay Pinak Oza, Josh O’Connor, Karthikeya Murthy, Letitia Wright, Sumukhi  Suresh, Tanya Maniktala, Tom Holland , amongst many others.

    The list of BAFTA Breakthrough UK participants for 2023 is as below:

    ● Adjani Salmon |Writer/Performer/Exec Producer – Dreaming Whilst Black (TV)  

    ● Bella Ramsey |Performer – The Last of Us (TV)

    ● Cash Carraway |Creator/Writer/Exec Producer – Rain Dogs (TV)  

    ● Charlotte Regan | Writer/Director – Scrapper (Film)  

    ● Cynthia De La Rosa |Hair & Makeup Artist – Everyone Else Burns (TV)  

    ● Ella Glendining | Director – Is There Anybody Out There? (Film)  

    ● Funmi Olutoye | Lead Producer – ‘Black History Makers’ (Good Morning Britain) (TV)

    ● Georgia Oakley | Writer/Director – Blue Jean (Film)  

    ● Holly Reddaway | Voice and performance director – Baldur’s Gate 3 (Games)  

    ● Joel Beardshaw |Lead Designer – Desta: The Memories Between (Games)  

    ● Kat Morgan |Hair & Makeup Designer – Blue Jean (Film)  

    ● Kathryn Ferguson | Writer/Director – Nothing Compares (Film)  

    ● Kitt (Fiona) Byrne | 2D Artist/Game Designer – Gibbon: Beyond the Trees (Games)  

    ● Michael Anderson | Producer – Desta: The Memories Between (Games)  

    ● Pete Jackson |Writer/Creator – Somewhere Boy (TV)  

    ● Raine Allen-Miller | Director – Rye Lane (Film)  

    ● Rosy McEwan| Performer – Blue Jean (Film)  

    ● Samantha Béart | Performer – The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow (Games)  

    ● Talisha ‘Tee Cee’ Johnson | Writer/Director/Presenter – Too Autistic for Black (TV)  

    ● Vivian Oparah| Performer – Rye Lane (Film)  

    The list of BAFTA Breakthrough USA participants for 2023 is as below:

    ● Amanda Kim | Documentary Director – Nam June Paik: Moon Is The Oldest TV (Film)  ● Aminah Nieves | Performer – 1923 (TV)

    ● Apoorva Charan | Producer – Joyland (Film)  

    ● Cheyenne Morrin | Senior Games Writer – Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (Games)  

    ● Edward Buckles Jr.| Documentary Director – Katrina Babies (Film)  

    ● Gary Gunn | Composer – A Thousand and One (Film)  

    ● Jingyi Shao | Writer & Director – Chang Can Dunk (Film)  

    ● Maria Altamirano | Producer – All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt (Film)  

    ● Santiago Gonzalez | Cinematographer – Shortcomings (Film)  

    ● Shelly Yo | Writer & Director – Smoking Tigers (Film)  

    ● Sing J Lee | Writer & Director – The Accidental Getaway Driver (Film)  

    ● Vuk Lungulov-Klotz | Writer & Director – Mutt (Film)  

     

  • Netflix snaps up global rights to India’s ‘Brahman Naman’

    Netflix snaps up global rights to India’s ‘Brahman Naman’

    MUMBAI: Netflix has acquired the exclusive global rights of the hilarious coming-of-age comedy Brahman Naman,from Indian indie director Q. 

     

    The film will be available exclusively for Netflix members around the world later this year. 

     

    Set in Bangalore in the 1980s, Brahman Naman follows the exploits of Naman, a quick witted, high school quiz champ who leads his hopelessly nerdy friends on a trip to Calcutta to win a major college prize. Young, smart and full of heart, the trio are determined to win the quiz – and to lose their virginity along the way.

     

    Revered internationally as one of India’s most vital and provocative indie filmmakers, Q’s latest cinematic cocktail takes the classic American teen comedy, sharpens it with bawdy British word play, and hurls it in the face of the establishment with a fresh Indian cast. The film premiered last week at the prestigious World Drama Competition at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.

     

    “Brahman Naman is Indian cinema at its boldest; fast, furious and raucously funny. It’s a movie that will delight adolescents of all ages, and we’re excited to bring this hilarious tale to our members around the world,” said Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos.

     

    Written by Naman Ramachandran and produced by Steve Barron and Celine Loop, Brahman Naman is Q’s latest film, following Gandu, Tasher Desh and Ludo. Brahman Naman stars Shashank Arora as Naman, Tanmany Dhanania and Chaitanya Varad as his sidekicks, and features Vaiswath Shankar, Sindhu Sreenivasa Murthy and Sid Mallya.

  • Netflix snaps up global rights to India’s ‘Brahman Naman’

    Netflix snaps up global rights to India’s ‘Brahman Naman’

    MUMBAI: Netflix has acquired the exclusive global rights of the hilarious coming-of-age comedy Brahman Naman,from Indian indie director Q. 

     

    The film will be available exclusively for Netflix members around the world later this year. 

     

    Set in Bangalore in the 1980s, Brahman Naman follows the exploits of Naman, a quick witted, high school quiz champ who leads his hopelessly nerdy friends on a trip to Calcutta to win a major college prize. Young, smart and full of heart, the trio are determined to win the quiz – and to lose their virginity along the way.

     

    Revered internationally as one of India’s most vital and provocative indie filmmakers, Q’s latest cinematic cocktail takes the classic American teen comedy, sharpens it with bawdy British word play, and hurls it in the face of the establishment with a fresh Indian cast. The film premiered last week at the prestigious World Drama Competition at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.

     

    “Brahman Naman is Indian cinema at its boldest; fast, furious and raucously funny. It’s a movie that will delight adolescents of all ages, and we’re excited to bring this hilarious tale to our members around the world,” said Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos.

     

    Written by Naman Ramachandran and produced by Steve Barron and Celine Loop, Brahman Naman is Q’s latest film, following Gandu, Tasher Desh and Ludo. Brahman Naman stars Shashank Arora as Naman, Tanmany Dhanania and Chaitanya Varad as his sidekicks, and features Vaiswath Shankar, Sindhu Sreenivasa Murthy and Sid Mallya.