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Tag: NFDC

  • NFDC ties up with Shemaroo to releases classics on home video

    NFDC ties up with Shemaroo to releases classics on home video

    MUMBAI: After the resounding success of its six DVD pack of ‘Tagore Stories on film, NFDC has now joined hands with Shemaroo Entertainment and released the home video of classic Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron by Kundan Shah, Ketan Mehta’s rustic Mirch Masala, the multi-ensemble Party by Govind Nihalani, Sudhir Mishra’s Dharavi and the satirical take on the modern-day Devdas in Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda by Shyam Benegal under the title of ‘Cinemas of India’.

    These titles have been digitally restored for the first time and are re-released in the market with an enhanced viewing experience for the audience. The first five home video releases will be followed by notable titles like Tapan Sinha’s Ek Doctor ki Maut, Arun Kaul’s Dikhsha besides two regional titles by KM Madhusudanan and A K Bir among others.

    Said Shemaroo Entertainment director Hiren Gada, “We are glad to work in association with NFDC and distribute few of the most acclaimed titles in Hindi Cinema. These critically and commercially acclaimed films are a must-watch for every generation.”

    Over the years, NFDC has worked with critically acclaimed filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, Mira Nair, Aparna Sen, Shyam Benegal, Richard Attenborough, Govind Nihalani and Mrinal Sen to name a few. In addition to having produced and financed more than 300 films in 18 Indian languages, it has also co-produced 15 award-winning international films including Gandhi, Salaam Bombay, Massey Sahib, Making of Mahatma and Train to Pakistan.

    Averred NFDC managing director Nina Lath Gupta, “We are happy to launch home videos of these classic movies under the brand ‘Cinemas of India’. The release of the home videos is a subset of the brand, which, besides these releases, focuses on international promotion of Indian films, and filmmakers in major world platforms like Cannes for instance and will also include theatrical releases and promotion of regional films domestically and internationally.”

  • NFDC digitally restores and launches 6 classics

    NFDC digitally restores and launches 6 classics

    MUMBAI: The National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC) has launched six classics on DVD under its title ‘Cinemas of India’.

    The films — Kundan Shah’s Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, Ketan Mehta’s Mirch Masala, Govind Nihalani’s Party, Sudhir Mishra’s Dharavi and Shyam Benegal’s Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda — have been digitally restored and re-released in the market in association with Shemaroo Home Videos.

    Said NFDC MD Nina Lath Gupta, "We are happy to launch home videos of these classic movies under the brand ‘Cinemas of India’. The release of the home videos is a subset of the brand, which, besides these releases, focuses on international promotion of Indian films, and filmmakers in major world platforms like Cannes for instance and will also include theatrical releases and promotion of regional films domestically and internationally."

    The first five videos will be followed by notable titles like the Pankaj Kapoor-Shabana Azmi starrer Ek Doctor ki Maut by Tapan Sinha, Arun Kaul’s Dikhsha, and two regional titles by KM Madhusudanan and A K Bir, among others.

    Last year, NFDC had launched a six DVD pack titled ‘Tagore Stories on Film‘.

  • Film on Manjunath Shanmugham in offing

    Film on Manjunath Shanmugham in offing

    MUMBAI: With filmmaker Ramesh Sippy as the chairman of NFDC, the Corporation has returned to filmmaking after a long hiatus. The project will be co-financed by the IIT and IIM alumni.


    NFDC is now working on a new project based on the true story of Manjunath Shanmugham, an IIT alumni, who was brutally murdered for having exposed the oil mafia.


    The film to be directed by debutante Sandeep Verma will star Divya Dutta, Seema Biswas and Rajesh Khattar in the lead roles. The actor who plays the role of Manjunath has, however, been kept under wraps.


    Incidentally, the Manjunath murder case had celebrities like Aamir Khan raise their voice.

  • NFDC sets up Indian pavilion at Berlin film fest

    NFDC sets up Indian pavilion at Berlin film fest

    NEW DELHI: The Indian Pavilion at the European Film Market being held along with the Berlin International Film Festival this month is being put up by the National Film Development Corporation.

    The festival is being held from 9 to 17 February. The NFDC has already received a substantial number of entries for Indians wanting to participate in the Festival, NFDC sources told indiantelevision.com

    The India Pavilion is publishing a guide consisting of information about the Indian film industry professionals attending the market and the festival.

    This guide will provide information about the various companies and delegates from India attending the Berlinale. It will also contain information about the various co-production treaties that India has signed, leading international film festival in India, guidelines on filming in India, and market/festival screenings of Indian films at Berlin.

    This guide will be available at the India Pavilion booth, to be located at 106, Martin Gropius Bau at European Film Market and will be distributed to all visitors to the Pavilion.

  • NFDC nominates four producers to Rotterdam Lab

    NFDC nominates four producers to Rotterdam Lab

    MUMBAI: For its 12th edition, Rotterdam Lab has added eight new partner organisations like Catalan Films & TV (Spain), Cinergia (Costa Rica), Doha Film Institute (Qatar), Film I Vast (Sweden), The Finnish Film Foundation (Finland), Meetings on the Bridge/Istanbul Film Festival (Turkey), Skillset (United Kingdom), and Sundance Institute (USA).

    Among 78 young film producers who have been nominated by the 28 Rotterdam Lab partner organisations, four Indian producers have been nominated by NFDC to participate in this programme.

    They include Haobam Paban Kumar of Oli Pictures, Suhrud Godbole of Indian Magic Eye Motion Pictures, Khanjan Kishore Nath of Ramdhenu Films and Manjeet Singh of Cinemanjeet Creations.

    All of them had earlier participated in the NFDC’s Film Bazaar’s ‘Co-Production Market’ and ‘Work-in-Progress Lab 2011’ in Goa.

    The Rotterdam Lab meetings take place in an informal setting and are organised to illustrate the process by which a project in need of financing is completed and brought to its audience.

    Rotterdam Lab will take place from 28 January– 1 February.

  • Ramesh Sippy is NFDC chairman

    Ramesh Sippy is NFDC chairman

    MUMBAI: The National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) has appointed noted film director Ramesh Sippy as its chairman. He replaces veteran actor Om Puri who had chaired the Corporation since April 2008.

    The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has also appointed Jawahar Wattal and Odiya cinematographer AK Bir as independent directors. The ministry has made a conscious decision to ensure focus on both mainstream as well as parallel cinema with the appointment of these three eminent personalities.

    After 2003, the Corporation lost ground in its existing commercial activities and could not identify any alternative source of revenue that led to declining revenues, high manpower costs and almost no development activities.

    However, over the last three years, efforts have been made to segregate the marketing of films, separating mainstream and developmental projects.

  • NFDC to co-produce films not backed by private studios

    NFDC to co-produce films not backed by private studios

    MUMBAI: In its bid to promote new talent, encourage good quality cinema which is not supported by private production houses, and promote Indian cinema as an art and culture form, the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) has decided to rope in commercial Indian filmmakers.

    The Corporation has already agreed to co-produce Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra‘s new project Bhaag Milkha Bhaag that stars Farhan Akhtar as well as Dibakar Banerjee‘s Shanghai.

    Speaking on the sidelines of the Film Bazaar at the IFFI, NFDC MD Nina Lath Gupta said, "We have seen enhanced and encouraging participation by the mainstream commercial film producers and directors in film Bazaar 2011.

    "From a single hall some years back, NDFC‘s film Bazaar is now occupying all the banquet halls in Goa Marriott. We have attracted 500 delegates from over 40 countries, which have attracted mainstream and niche filmmakers. Goa as a venue has worked well for promoting Indian cinema."

    She also confirmed that NFDC is now backing 6-7 other films due for release in 2011-12 others that include films by Dibakar Banerjee and Anurag Kashyap among others.

    The 5th Film Bazaar held parallel to IFFI by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC). Film Bazaar was held from November 24 to 27 and one of its major objectives was to promote Indian films and filmmakers to a global audience.

    NFDC‘s Film Bazaar serves as a platform for filmmakers to connect with international partners who are keen to participate in any aspect of their projects and if an experienced filmmaker is looking towards reaching world cinema markets/audiences.

  • Institutional finance on the up for Indian movies

    Institutional finance on the up for Indian movies

    MUMBAI: Institutional finance is beginning to flow in to fund Indian movies. IDBI, for instance, has sanctioned Rs 5.5 billion on a cumulative basis over the last five years. Exim Bank, similarly, has extended lending to over Rs 4 billion for film projects which have potential to earn foreign exchange.

    “Overseas earnings from films recently financed by us has touched Rs 1.15 billion. We are not only financing on the production, but also on the overseas distribution side. The industry has a lot of potential even in the animation business,” said Exim Bank chairman & managing director TC Venkat Subramaniam, while speaking at “India The Big Picture,” a seminar here today on the film entertainment industry organised by the CII.

    Exim Bank has a lending cap of Rs 250 million for a single film project. The film industry earns an estimated Rs 69 billion a year, contributing 26 per cent to the total revenue of the entertainment sector. This is just 1.7 per cent of the global market, said Subramaniam.

    Export revenues have jumped from Rs 2 billion in 1998 to Rs 4 billion in 2000 and further to Rs 11 billion in 2005, accounting for 16 per cent of the total earnings. “There is a healthy outlook as we increase earnings from the international market, strengthen animation outsourcing, provide institutional financing and extend government incentives,” he added.

    IDBI is also cautiously bullish on the industry. “We have funded 70 movies. We are not only providing rupee loans but also in dollars for borrowers to hedge foreign exchange risk. Besides, we are extending line of credit so that film producers can cover up not on one but a slate of movies,” said IDBI general manager Aloke Dasgupta.

    IDBI funds only projects which have a minimum budget of Rs 4 billion and have a debt-equity ratio of 1:1. “We are providing financial support only for film production. We don’t fund in the reail and distribution end of the business. But for supporting smaller movies, we are in dicussions with NFDC to ensure that money is put in the right place for such projects,” said Dasgupta.

    But are the southern films having access to institutional finance? South Indian Film Exporters association president and MD of Ananda Exports L Suresh said film financing had not trickled down to the southern region. “It is probably because most of the banks are headquartered in Mumbai. Besides, banks take a long time to sanction loans and we finish production within three months. Besides, banks insist on collateral securities,” he said.

    Speaking on the sidelines, Dasgpta, however, said IDBI had financed Tamil and Telugu movies.

    Speaking on the occasion, Sony Pictures India MD Uday Singh said financial rigour was essential as the movie business is not without risks and revenue leakages. Media is fragmented and there are market access issues in certain states. “We have done enough hard work and there is now a bottom-up realism. We are extending from our distibution business and getting into film production as well. We are starting with one but are in alks with other directors as well. Our mandate is to have a slate of at least 2-3 films in a year’s time,” he said.

    Emphasising on the importance of a theatrical success, he said the Hollywood studios are realising that fast growth would come from the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) markets.

    Ernst & Young partner and head of media practice Farokh Balsara said the home video segment accounted for just 4 per cent of filmed entertainment revenues while in the US it was as high as 50 per cent. This sement could see increased activity as ventures capitalists have started to invest into new models of home video.

  • Films Division and NFDC to digitise archives

    Films Division and NFDC to digitise archives

    MUMBAI: The archives of Films Division and National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) will be converted into digital format by 31 March 2007. 

    The information & broadcasting (I & B) and parliamentary affairs minister P R Dasmunsi has made the announcement at the Consultative Committee yesterday. The consultative committee is attached to the I & B ministry.

    According to Dasmunsi, the film archives are part of the India’s heritage and money will be no constraint in the preservation of these treasures.

    The NFDC had produced several highly acclaimed films over the years and the issue of strengthening its financial base will be taken up to enable it to sponsor at least 2-3 films every year, Dasmunsi says. 

    He added that this had become necessary in view of the increased costing of film production and says, “Films export and the promotion of children’s films will also be high on the NFDC agenda.”
    The members were unanimous in suggesting that the strengths of Films Division and NFDC needs to be utilized to bring about awareness among new generation about Indian history, culture and freedom struggle. 

    Some members wanted to know whether the government could make it mandatory for private TV channels to broadcast the documentary films produced by the Films Division, informs the release. 

    One of the members had suggested that classics available with NFDC could be dubbed in other Indian languages and screened in different parts of the country. While, another suggestion made was to provide adequate space to entertainment in NFDC films so that their quality improves and the films generate viewers’ interest.

    Those who attended the meeting included Kirip Chaliha, S. Mallikarjunaiah, Mahendra Prasad Nishad, Bhartruhari Mahtab, Ramdas Athawale, Vijay J. Darda, Ajay Maroo, Shatrughan Sinha, Dr. Satyanarayan Jetiya, Usha Verma and Nirmala Deshpande – all MPs, besides senior officers of I & B ministry.