American fiction overwhelmingly popular on European screens, says a new study
American fiction is still overwhelmingly dominant on European television screens but is on the decline. This is one of the many trends highlighted in Volume 2 of the European Audiovisual Observatory’s Yearbook “Trends in European television”, which has just been published. Read more »
Historic 'Digital Britan' Report: Govt suggests BBC Channel 4 merger
London. Experts are calling it a historic report that will change the way Brits use internet and access various sources of entertainment, including television and films. Britain's Communications Minister Lord Stephen Carter announced his country's digital policy in the British parliament, Jan 29, 2008, that says getting broadband to everyone in the UK by 2012 is one of the central ambitions of the Labour government. Kathy Robinson reports for India-EU Film Initiative Read more »
Now over 6,500 TV channels available in the European Union
Strasbourg- As this year's MIPCOM reaches its halfway mark, the European Audiovisual Observatory announced its latest figures on the European TV markets in 29 countries. Read more »
'The Dying Song': A tale of intriguing sexual relationship through music
A tale of evoking music and intriguing sexual relationship celebrates a lost tradition of Indian music in the form of a play 'The Dying Song,' to be staged at London's prestigious Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank, Sunday, 29th June. The play, later, will be be turned into a feature film. Read more »
An affair between Queen Victoria and her waiter Abdul Karim
She was the Queen of Great Britain. He was a dining room waiter in India. The story of a 'love affair' between Queen Victoria and Hafiz Abdul Karim aka Munshi has fascinated historians. They say he was very handsome and polite. The moment Queen Victoria saw him she fell for him. She got him transferred from India to London and promoted him to her 'Indian Secretary'. He taught her Urdu and recited the legendary poet Ghalib. She asked the Austrian painter Rudolf Swoboda to draw a portrait of Abdul Karim, writes Pervaiz Alam about a film "Queen Victoria's Men" that captures glimpses of Karim-Victoria story. Read more »
Oscar winning song 'Jai Ho!' and its lyrics
AR Rahman’s Oscar-winning song ‘Jai Ho!’ is the toast of the town in almost every part of the world. Music experts are listening to the song again and again to appreciate the global texture of the song and at the same time they are admiring the beauty of the lyrics by India’s foremost lyricist Gulzar who, like AR Rahman, has always experimented with his narrative. Gulzar’s song is a rich combination of India’s three languages Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi- the first for an Oscar-winning song. Rahman added an extra layer of Spanish to go along with his Latin American touch of music that really makes the song quite unique and international. Read more »
How to distribute a film: free download
How do people get to know about the range of titles on release, and come to feel they want to see a particular new film? It is the distributors' task to connect films with the public, drawing the widest possible audience to each one and realising the full potential of the filmmakers' work. Some say making a film is easier. To distribute and sell a film is a real test of a filmmaker. Here's a complete guide to distribute a film. Read more »
'Baarah Aana' indicts India's affluent people
'Barah Aana' (2008), based on Aravind Adiga's debut novel 'The White Tiger', shortlisted for Man Booker 2008 and directed by Raja Menon, exposes the hypocrisy of Indian's upper and middle class, and its atrocities committed against poor people. Featuring Naseeruddin Shah, Tannishtha Chaterjee, Violante Placido Vijay Raz, Benjamin Gilani and Barry John film has been a subject of intense debate in the Western press as India emerges to become a super power. Read more »
"Bollywood takes on the West"
Arguably, it's the longest article on Bollywood published in a top newspaper of Britain during the last few weeks. Long isn't always enjoyable, men always say apologetically. But it's fun reading Dominic Rushe who says "with its glittery musical romances, Bollywood is reeling in billions but has so far failed to seduce western audiences. Now a new wave of moguls and directors are enlisting the cream of Hollywood to spice up its appeal" published in The Sunday Times, June 15, 2008. There are some personal glimpses of Mumbai's new moguls Ronnie and Zarina of UTV at home as Rushe speaks to some of the established names in the Indian film industry. Read more »
User-Generated Content Services and Copyright Issues
Cannes, France-- Could you be arrested for uploading my film or clip on the internet? India Eu Film Initiative (www.iefilmi.com) brings you a fascinationg debate on the content that you as an ordinary user of the net generate.
Down on the Riviera, they’re talking Youtube, DailyMotion and MySpace. The Cannes Film Festival is in full swing and one of the buzz topics on the Croisette this year is the issue of copyright with regards to User Generated Content (UGC) services and the millions of short films or music clips they host. Clearly, the vast number of works uploaded daily without any regard for copyright is of ongoing concern to the film, music and television industries. Read more »