The four-days of intense deliberations and discussions at Film Bazaar 2019 are set to help participants analyse the magnitude of disruptions happening in the Media and Entertainment space and prepare them for the impending future

The four-days of intense deliberations and discussions at Film Bazaar 2019 are set to help participants analyses the magnitude of disruptions happening in the Media and Entertainment space and prepare them for the impending future.

Film Bazaar 2019, the leading Co- Production Market for independent filmmakers in India where they converge and network with buyers, sellers, festival programmers and producers, will be kickstarted on November 21 with the aptly named session ‘Open Pitch’ where selected projects will present their video pitches to delegates interested in co-production, funding, sales, and distribution .

The Open Pitch session will be followed by three knowledge sessions – Script to Screen – Empowering Youth with Skill Development, MoMa – In Conversation with Josh Siegel, and Indian Cinema inspiring Entrepreneurs. The sessions will witness some intense discussions and deliberations covering topics ranging from creating an impactful training ecosystem for the youth to acquire technical skill sets required in the M&E sector; creating diversity in programming and how MOMA could be a catalyst to the experience of independent cinemas from India; and how Indian cinema can inspire entrepreneurs to bring innovations to the sector.

Leading experts and decision makers who will analyses and present their useful insights on the topics include Sunit Tandon, Director, India Habitat Centre; Amit Khare, Secretary Ministry of Information & Broadcasting; Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog; Prasoon Joshi, Chairman, Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC); Film Critic Anupama Chopra; Josh Seigel, Curator, Department of Film, The Museum of Modern Art; Vani Tripathi TIkoo, Member, CBFC; noted film director Vishal Bhardwaj; and Shobu Yarlagadda, CEO & Founder, Arka Media Fireworks.

Day Two will start with the session ‘Film Bazaar Recommends – Pitches’, where filmmakers of FBR films are invited to Film Bazaar to pitch their first look trailers/film clips and to introduce themselves to the market delegates.

There are three knowledge sessions to be held on Day Two – ‘Eye on India – A Global Perspective of the Indian Film Industry’, Beyond borders – Exploring the Exciting New World of International OTT/VOD Business with Wendy Bernfeld, and ‘The Changing Landscape of Indian Cinematography’.

The sessions have been designed to throw some light on how the world views the dynamic and vibrant Indian film Industry; how filmmakers can go beyond local borders and traditional big players (such as Netflix/Amazon); and how growth of various platforms and screens are defining the boundaries of visualisation, how consumption is driving innovation in the world of cinematography today, and the role of sophisticated technology in pushing this innovation.

Among the leading voices who will express their views on the topics under discussion include International Media & Entertainment Consultant Rick Ambros; Kilian Kerwin – Head of Production, South Asia and Latin America, SK Global; Producer Kayvan Mashayekh; Marten Rabarts, Head, EYE International; Kyoko Dan, Programmer, Tokyo Film Festival; Actor and Producer Sanjay Suri; Wendy Bernfeld, Founder, Rights Stuff; and Cinematographers Shanker Raman, Tapan Basu, and Fowzia Fathima.

Day Three will start with Filmmaker’s Pitch, where filmmakers whose feature films (in-progress or completed) are in the Film Library section of Viewing Room and Industry Screenings are given the opportunity to pitch their first look trailers/film clips.

The day will see unfolding of sessions on ‘Celebrating 50 Years of IFFI’, ‘Decoding Co-productions: International Partnerships and Film Funds’, ‘Navigating Film Festivals’, and ‘The Evolving Narrative – A View from the Writer’s Desk’.

Among the moderators and speakers are: Vikramjit Roy – Head – Film Facilitation Office, National Film Development Corporation, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Govt of India; Shri Chaitanya Prasad, Director IFFI, Additional Director General, Directorate of Film Festival; Naman Ramachandran – Asia Correspondent, Variety; Anup Singh, Director, The Wandering Film Company, Promoter and Director Aditi Anand; Teresa Hoefert de Turégano, Funding Advisor; Liz Shackleton, Screen International, Asia Editor; Nashen Moodley, Director, Sydney Film Festival, among others.

The highest number of knowledge sessions have been reserved for Day Four, which will see six sessions taking place – ‘The New Matrix of OTT Business’; ‘Cinemas of India – Many Stories: Many Nuances, Many Languages’; ‘Harnessing the power of engagement – the FFO model’; ‘Hitting the right notes – A Guide to Music Rights’; ‘The Multiple Hues of the LGBT Narrative in India’; and ‘The new leadership dimension – Women Producers’.

FILM BAZAAR PAVES WAY FOR CO-PRODUCTIONS

Fourteen projects have been selected to participate in the Co-Production Market. The selection presents 14 projects from India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, France, Nepal, Singapore and USA. The line-up is an eclectic mix of stories in Hindi, English, Bengali, Malayalam, Assamese, Nepali, Dzongkha (Bhutanese) and Gujarati from established filmmakers as well as new talent.

Aamar Xokolure Bhaalpowa (All Our Loves) | Assamese | India
Director- Mehdi Jahan
Producer- Heer Ganjwala, Human Trail Pictures

Anantah (Eternity) | Nepali | India
Director- Saurav Rai
Producer- Sanjay Gulati, Crawling Angel Films

Ayna (The Mirror) | Hindi | India
Director- Alka Raghuram, Junoon Pictures
Producer – Celine Loop, Travelling Light Productions

Eka (Solo) | Bengali | India, Bangladesh, France
Director- SumanSen
Producer- Bijon Imtiaz &Arifur Rahman, Goopy Bagha Productions Limited

Ettamedam (The Deathplace )| Malayalam | India
Director- Jiju Antony
Producer- Shaji Mathew, Niv Art Movies

Feast | English, Hindi | Singapore, India
Director – Leon Cheo
Producer – Jen Nee Lim, Pilgrim Pictures Pte Ltd

Home Of The Rain Catcher | Hindi |India, USA
Director – VikasKhanna
Producer – Jitendra Mishra, Bindu Khanna & P Kaul, House of Omkar

I, the Song | Dzongkha | Bhutan, France
Director – Dechen Roder,
Producer- Thinley Choden, Dakinny Productions

IndreniPari (Across The Rainbow Bridge)| Nepali | Nepal
Director – Niranjan Raj Bhetwal,
Producer – Ram Krishna Pokharel, Icefall Productions

Sabras (Salt) | Gujarati, English | USA, India
Director – SushmaKhadepaun
Producer – Andrea Kuehnel, Leitwolf Film produktion GmbH

Sand City | Bengali | Bangladesh
Director – MahdeHasan
Producer- RubaiyatHossain, Khona Talkies
Producer- Aadnan Imtiaz Ahmed, Cinema Cocoon
Producer- François D’artemare, Les Films de l’Après-Midi

The Displaced | Hindi | India
Director – Vijay Jayapal
Producer – Mathivanan Rajendran, Stray Factory

Schirkoa| English | India
Director/Producer -Ishan Shukla, Ishan Animation

Varna Heights (Varna Heights) | Hindi |India, USA
Director – Rajan Khosa, Elephant Eye Productions Pvt. Ltd.
Producer – MerajShaikh, Wingman Pictures Pvt. Ltd.