ITV

Tag: Toronto

  • DNEG expands global footprint with new Toronto Studio

    DNEG expands global footprint with new Toronto Studio

    Mumbai: DNEG- visual effects (VFX) and animation studio for the creation of feature film, television and multiplatform content- has announced plans for increasing its Canada-based VFX and animation operations and talent pool.

    With surging worldwide demand for its content across all platforms, DNEG is planning a new studio in the Greater Toronto Area that will initially employ up to 200 people, including many new technology positions. It will also expand its existing Vancouver and Montreal offices, and add a new studio for its Feature Animation division in Vancouver.

    DNEG also has North American operations in Los Angeles. North American expansion and investment will bolster DENG’s leadership and multi-platform capabilities as a modern-day content production powerhouse for major Hollywood and independent studios and production companies, it said in a media statement.

    DNEG chairman and CEO Namit Malhotra said, “We are also continuing to build out our studios in Vancouver and Montreal to support our upcoming slate of VFX projects, and extending our highly successful Feature Animation team to Vancouver as they move into production on five new animation projects. Growth in our Canadian talent and capabilities will help us strategically align with the demands of the entertainment industry and seize upon our new growth initiatives and content creation opportunities.”

    The new Toronto studio will create up to 200 new jobs, initially in a remote-work capacity. Roles will encompass visual effects for film and episodic projects, feature animation, and technology positions. Opportunities will be posted at DNEG.com.

    DNEG Global CTO Paul Salvini added, “I’m excited that DNEG is bringing these new opportunities to the visual effects and technology communities of the Greater Toronto Area. This is a great chance for technologists working in AI, machine learning, UX and across a broad spectrum of technology areas to refocus their talents on helping to create incredible imagery for some of the world’s biggest feature films and episodic series. We are not fixed on candidates having previous film or media industry experience – we’re looking for passionate and curious technologists who are excited at the prospect of a new challenge.”

    DNEG will be creating up to 300 new roles across its Vancouver and Montreal offices, including up to 100 new positions in Vancouver for its Feature Animation team, to support their upcoming slate of animation projects. Opportunities will be posted at DNEG.com.

  • Tata Comm building global cloud-based media platform for VICE Media

    MUMBAI: Tata Communications is building a global cloud-based media platform for VICE Media to enable the company’s producers and editors around the world to collaborate as if they were together in the same location. This represents a major shift in how VICE Media’s 5,000 employees work together.

    Previously, VICE Media stored its content on premise which made teamwork challenging between different studios.

    Tata Communications, a leading provider of A New World of Communications™, has been chosen by VICE Media to build a high-performance, completely cloud-based platform for global media asset management, storage, content contribution and distribution. It will enable VICE Media to capture content anywhere in the world, and quickly make it available to hundreds of editors in production centres in New York City, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Toronto and London, for publishing and broadcasting across VICE Media channels.

    The new platform is underpinned by Tata Communications’ Media Ecosystem, which offers VICE Media a full set of media solutions. It includes the Video Connect service, which complements VICE Media’s local area network and provides the company with a global area network of video contribution and IP connectivity. With speeds of up to 10Gbps, Video Connect enables a seamless transfer of video files and remote collaboration between VICE Media teams across different geographies as if they were in the same location.

    The Media Ecosystem is also equipped with Tata Communications’ IZO™ Cloud Storage, which provides VICE Media with secure, reliable private cloud-based media storage for read-write access and archival of data-intensive video files. Previously, some of these files were stored on-premise which made teamwork challenging between different studios. All VICE Media’s files, including videos in HD, 4K and UHD formats, are also now replicated in multiple private cloud locations around the world in real-time for back-up and disaster recovery. Additionally, Tata Communications has integrated VICE Media’s media asset management and file acceleration tools into the new bespoke platform, creating an end-to-end solution for around 5,000 VICE Media employees around the world.

    VICE Media’s offering spans across broadcast and OTT channels such as VICE News, VICE Sports, Noisey (music), Motherboard (technology and science), Broadly (women’s interest), i-D (fashion) and Tonic (health and fitness), among many others. Content on these channels consists of news reports, live and recorded events, documentaries and a wide range of other types of videos.

    “We need to be able operate seamlessly across all platforms to reach a global audience with our content,” said VICE Media vice president of IT Ariel Rubio. “To do this, we need a powerful, well connected platform that enables us to collaborate as if we were together in the same location. Working with Tata Communications, we are able to get a LAN experience in a WAN environment, underpinned by the company’s global network.”

    “VICE Media’s needs reflect a growing trend in the media and entertainment market, whereby there is a huge pressure to quench audiences’ thirst for live events, big and small, as they happen around the world, and bring viewers enhanced experiences through higher quality formats such as 4K and UHD,” said Tata VP & GM – global media and entertainment services Brian Morris.

    “In this high-pressure environment that is being transformed by digital technologies, you need an infrastructure that is completely integrated across media asset management, storage, content contribution and distribution. That is what we are creating for VICE Media, with the aim of empowering the company continue on its path of phenomenal growth in this rapidly evolving market.”

    “VICE Media is a new media company using IP-based broadcast infrastructure to achieve greater velocity and overcome geographical boundaries,” said ABI Research VP Sam Rosen. “Tata Communications provides the glue that holds this solution together with IP transport and storage capabilities, bringing content to central locations, between central locations and studios, and feeding the distribution network when assets are ready to publish. The use of IP within broadcast supports the need for rapid support of nascent standards including 4K, 8K, high dynamic range (HDR) and 360 video.”

    Tata Communications’ media and cloud services are underpinned by the world’s largest subsea fibre network of its kind, creating an end-to-end, completely integrated solution for VICE Media. Today, over 25% of the world’s Internet routes travel over Tata Communications’ network and the company is the only Tier-1 IP network provider that is in the top five by routes in five continents.

  • ‘Fireflies in the Abyss’ by Chandrasekhar Reddy gets selected at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival

    ‘Fireflies in the Abyss’ by Chandrasekhar Reddy gets selected at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival

    MUMBAI: Chandrasekhar Reddy’s acclaimed Indian documentary Fireflies in the Abyss has been selected to be featured in Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival this year. The festival will be held from 28 April to 6 May 2016.

    The film is selected among 38 best features from across the world to be screened in the world showcase section, marking its North American premiere at the festival.

    The 23 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is North America’s largest documentary film festival, conference and market that is held annually in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

    Reddy’s feature captures the dream of an 11-year-old boy who fights his way out of life in the rat-hole coalmines, to put himself in school.

    The film made its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival and made its India premiere at the 14 Mumbai International Film Festival where it won two top awards the Golden Conch award for best documentary feature film and the best cinematography in the national competition category.

    Delighted with the selection at Hot Docs, Chandrasekhar says, “After the response and appreciation at the Busan and Mumbai fesivals, it is a great opportunity for the film to get a platform at Hot Docs, which will help reach the North American audiences and market. The Toronto audiences are known to be hugely appreciative and I am really looking forward to present the film there. There is also a brilliant selection of films this year to watch, including Herzog’s new film and am hoping to catch some of them.”

    The short documentary titled Amdavad Ma Famous directed by Hardik Mehta is competing in the international shorts category.

    Synopsis of Fireflies in the Abyss:

    The ‘rat-hole’ mines in the Jaintia Hills of Northeast India, are hostile pits where men and boys risk their lives everyday to scratch coal out of hard rock. Burrowing into narrow tunnels, they are armed with nothing more than a pickaxe and a torch.

    Each of them comes to the coal pit for different reasons. But once there, all of them are looking for a chance to breakout. Some are able to escape, most can’t. Even with the odds stacked against him, Suraj, an 11-year old boy, grapples his way out of this abyss to eventually put himself in school.

    The film follows Suraj and several other miners whose lives intertwine with his, to reveal lives under extraordinary circumstances and the brutal choices they are forced to resolve at every turn of their lives

  • ‘Fireflies in the Abyss’ by Chandrasekhar Reddy gets selected at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival

    ‘Fireflies in the Abyss’ by Chandrasekhar Reddy gets selected at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival

    MUMBAI: Chandrasekhar Reddy’s acclaimed Indian documentary Fireflies in the Abyss has been selected to be featured in Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival this year. The festival will be held from 28 April to 6 May 2016.

    The film is selected among 38 best features from across the world to be screened in the world showcase section, marking its North American premiere at the festival.

    The 23 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is North America’s largest documentary film festival, conference and market that is held annually in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

    Reddy’s feature captures the dream of an 11-year-old boy who fights his way out of life in the rat-hole coalmines, to put himself in school.

    The film made its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival and made its India premiere at the 14 Mumbai International Film Festival where it won two top awards the Golden Conch award for best documentary feature film and the best cinematography in the national competition category.

    Delighted with the selection at Hot Docs, Chandrasekhar says, “After the response and appreciation at the Busan and Mumbai fesivals, it is a great opportunity for the film to get a platform at Hot Docs, which will help reach the North American audiences and market. The Toronto audiences are known to be hugely appreciative and I am really looking forward to present the film there. There is also a brilliant selection of films this year to watch, including Herzog’s new film and am hoping to catch some of them.”

    The short documentary titled Amdavad Ma Famous directed by Hardik Mehta is competing in the international shorts category.

    Synopsis of Fireflies in the Abyss:

    The ‘rat-hole’ mines in the Jaintia Hills of Northeast India, are hostile pits where men and boys risk their lives everyday to scratch coal out of hard rock. Burrowing into narrow tunnels, they are armed with nothing more than a pickaxe and a torch.

    Each of them comes to the coal pit for different reasons. But once there, all of them are looking for a chance to breakout. Some are able to escape, most can’t. Even with the odds stacked against him, Suraj, an 11-year old boy, grapples his way out of this abyss to eventually put himself in school.

    The film follows Suraj and several other miners whose lives intertwine with his, to reveal lives under extraordinary circumstances and the brutal choices they are forced to resolve at every turn of their lives

  • Discovery Science to premiere ‘Strip the City’

    Discovery Science to premiere ‘Strip the City’

    MUMBAI: Discovery Science is gearing up to premiere Strip the City on 5 December at 9 pm. The show will showcase eight major cities and unveil the hidden technology that protect the people from the onslaught of nature’s most terrifying threats.

     

    The viewers will be taken deeper into the city, bringing to light an alien landscape of underground volcanoes, hidden rivers, subterranean cliffs, fragile fault lines, and ancient catacombs. The show will also hear from leading engineers and geologists as they will be seen examining the ingenious designs, innovative technologies and teams of forward thinking professionals who are instrumental in keeping each city alive and well.

     

    Strip the City will utilise the best of computer-generated imagery (CGI) to break down each city, layer-by-layer, to reveal a geological universe normally hidden under water, tarmacs and concrete. Each episode will peel the glass and walls off buildings, roll up the tarmac on roads, drains oceans and rivers, and slices through bedrock to look below some of the world’s major cities like Dubai, London, Rome, San Francisco, Sydney and Toronto and will also uncover what keeps them running smoothly.

     

    The show’s few episodes include Desert City: Dubai, Earthquake City: San Francisco, Harbour City: Sydney, Ice City: Toronto, Underground City: London and Ancient City: Rome.

  • Sony Six hopes for improved NBA viewership with Bhullar’s debut

    Sony Six hopes for improved NBA viewership with Bhullar’s debut

    MUMBAI: Toronto born Indian Gursimran Bhullar (SIM) is all set to make his National Basketball League (NBA) debut with Sacramento Kings. He will be the first player of Indian origin to feature in NBA.

     

    Multi Screen Media’s (MSM) sports channel Sony Six is the official broadcaster of NBA in India and the Indian’s debut in NBA will boost viewership for Sony too. Talking about Bhullar’s debut, Sony Six business head Prasana Krishnan said, “Sim is now a part of Sacramento Kings and would hopefully play on Monday as speculated. It would be a historic event and would hopefully be a big boost for Basketball and NBA in India.”

     

    In various schools and colleges across India we see kids playing cricket on basketball court with dreams to become Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly or Mahendra Singh Dhoni. While, India has a many idols to follow when it comes to cricket, there is serious crisis when it comes to other sports and especially basketball. Micheal Jordan, Kobe Bryant were inspiration for hardcore basketball fans but lack of local connect always played the spoil sport. Bhullar’s NBA debut will certainly lay foundation in bridging the local connect gap.

     

    NBA India in association with Sony Six has already started many initiatives to popularise the sport at the grassroots level. A few among them being, school and college basketball leagues, roping in Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan as the brand ambassador of the sport and his participation in the NBA-All star game. The activities have so far been able to rejuvenate the sport in India.

     

    When asked about the historical debut of Bhullar and its impact on Indian NBA growth, NBA India managing director Yannik Colaco told indiantelevision.com, “I think Sim’s NBA debut is one of the few points that may ignite the growth of the sport in India. We have been making a lot of efforts to popularise the sport at a grassroots level by providing advanced facilities to the aspirants. NBA now is an established venture amongst Indian sports and is growing thick and fast. Sim’s debut is a great moment for Indian history and we should have more Indians playing at the top level.”

     

    After going undrafted in the 2014 NBA draft, Bhullar joined the Sacramento Kings for the 2014 NBA Summer League. On 14 August 2014, he signed with the Kings, becoming the first player of Indian descent to sign with an NBA team. However, he was later waived by the Kings on 19 October 2014. On 2 November 2014, he was acquired by the Reno Bighorns as an affiliate player.  Bhullar made his D-League debut on 6 December with 4 points, 8 rebounds and 6 blocks in Reno’s 141–140 loss to the Los Angeles D-Fenders. On 22 February 2015, he recorded his first career triple-double with 26 points, 17 rebounds and 11 blocked shots against the D-Fenders.  On 2 April 2015, Bhullar signed a 10-day contract with the Sacramento Kings.

     

    “It’s a big moment in the history of the NBA and the history of my country in India. I know my family’s going to be proud of me and everybody’s going to be proud of me and cheer me on the court,” Bhullar had earlier told the Associated Press.

  • Fox International productions, Ivanhoe Pictures in co-finance deal for Asian films

    Fox International productions, Ivanhoe Pictures in co-finance deal for Asian films

    MUMBAI: Production company Ivanhoe Pictures was launched in Toronto earlier this year by Ivanhoe Capital Corporation principal Robert Friedland, GreeneStreet president and co-founder John Penotti, and Beijing-based Ray Chen, founder and chairman of Beijing Premiere Media Company. At launch, the company said it would finance and produce film and TV projects that have broad global audience appeal, initially seeding opportunities in America and Asia, focusing on China, India, Korea and Japan.

     

    Fox International Productions, which has a lucrative local-language business in Asia and elsewhere, is now teaming with Ivanhoe in a four-year, multi-picture co-financing deal for homegrown movies in India, Korea, China, Japan and Taiwan. The pact will kick off with Ivanhoe investing in 10 FIP-produced films in varying stages of production. The investment from Ivanhoe signifies the strength of FIP’s local-language business which is also active in Latin America and Europe.
     

  • Shuddh Desi Romance to premiere at Toronto in September

    Shuddh Desi Romance to premiere at Toronto in September

    NEW DELHI: Indian romantic comedy Shuddh Desi Romance will see its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in early September.

    The Festival announced the 70 titles in its Gala Premiere and Special Presentation films, including the North American premieres of several high-profile Asian titles.

    The Gala Presentation features Peter Chan’s American Dreams in China, Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox, South Korean thriller Cold Eyes and India’s Shudh Desi Romance directed by Maneesh Sharma and produced by Aditya Chopra.

    The Special Presentation section features Kore-eda Hirokazu’s Like Father, Like Son, Keanu Reeves’ China-US co-production Man of Tai Chi and Kurusawa Kiyoshi’s Real.

    The festival opens on 5 Septenber with Bill Condon’s The Fifth Estate featuring Benedict Cumberbatch in the role of Julian Assange.

  • WPP acquires Canada’s john st.

    MUMBAI: Global communications network WPP has acquired Canadian creative agency john st.

    Founded in 2001 and based in Toronto, john st. employs approximately 100 people and has unaudited revenues for the year ended 31 December 2012 of approximately $14.0 million.

    The acquisition of john st. strengthens WPP‘s presence in Canada. “We see enormous value in being part of WPP,” said john st. president Arthur Fleischmann. “We‘ll now be able to augment our current services in areas that clients are asking for, such as media, direct and public relations.”

    john st.‘s clients include AstraZeneca, Kruger, ING Direct, Maple Leaf Foods and Tata. Over the last 12 years, john st. has built an international reputation as one of Canada‘s leading innovative creative agencies. It was recently named Silver Agency of the Year as well as Silver Digital Agency of the Year by Strategy, a leading Canadian marketing publication.

    WPP is the leading communications services group in Canada. WPP remains committed to building and broadening its client offer in the mature economies of the world. Collectively (including associates), the Group has revenues of $450 million and employs more than 2,500 people in Canada. WPP companies represented in the market include JWT, Ogilvy, GroupM, Hill+Knowlton Strategies and Burson-Marsteller. In 2010, WPP‘s wholly-owned subsidiary Young & Rubicam Group acquired the Toronto-based TAXI creative network.

  • Indian producer’s American film ‘Yellow’ shines at Toronto

    Indian producer’s American film ‘Yellow’ shines at Toronto

    NEW DELHI: Indian film maker Manu Kumaran, whose Bombay Boys had opened markets for alternative cinema in India, went on to produce American film “Yellow” written and directed by Nick Cassavetes, which opened to rave reviews and audience appreciation at the recently-concluded Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

    While Screen Daily declared it as “a film destined for cult status”, Piers Handling, the director of TIFF, described the film as “a wild, out-there, visually liberated feat of imagination.” Described as, “Officially the most refreshing breath of air at this year’s TIFF,‘‘ by Indie Wire (http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/tiff-review-nick-cassavetes-yellow-is-daring-bold-and-just-what-the-doctor-ordered-20120910), Yellow premiered in the Special Presentation segment of the festival which also featured films from makers such as Paul Thomas Anderson, Brian De Palma and Spike Lee, among others.

    Starring Heather Wahlquist, Sienna Miller, Melaine Griffith, Ray Liota, and Gena Rowlands, Yellow is a searing take on modern society and the demands it makes on people. The film is woman centric and tells the story of Mary Holmes, (Heather Wahlquist), a young substitute teacher who escapes from her drudging everyday life by fantasizing bizarre parallel realities. We enter her hallucinatory world, peopled with Busby Berkeley dancers, Cirque du Soleil, Circus freaks, and human farm animals where nothing is quite what it seems.

    All three public screenings of Yellow were sold out at the festival. “Even the press and industry screening was sold out. This speaks volumes about strong word of mouth Yellow is generating among the audience. The reviews so far have been very good but what was more exciting to see was the response of the audience,” said Kumaran who belongs to the world of advertising.