#AamirKhan to be the Chief Guest at the #5thIndianScreenwritersConference (ISC) organized by Screenwriters Association


Aamir Khan to be the Chief Guest at the 5th Indian Screenwriters Conference (ISC) organized by Screenwriters Association ~ ‘Where Mind Is Without Fear’ is the theme of the conference focusing on the challenges facing Indian Screenwriters today~ ~The conference will be attended by the eminent journalist Padma Shri awardee Vinod Dua; new age filmmakers like Amit Masurkar (Newton, Sulemani Keeda), Vetri Maaran (Visaranai, Aadukalam) Rima Das (Village Rockstars) and Ravi Jadhav (Nude); Screenwriters like Mayank Tewari, Varun Grover, Basharat Peer and Akshat Verma, Anjum Rajabali and Shridhar Raghavan ; Producers like Sidharth Roy Kapoor; lyricists like Swanand Kirkire, Somen Mishra (Head Of Development, Dharma Productions, Nikhil Sane is the Business head of Viacom 18 (Marathi Film Division) and Sameer Saxena ( Head of Development at The Viral Fever), TV writers like Vinod Ranganath ( Swabhimaan, Mere Angane Mein, Sea Hawks), Purnendu Shekhar (Astitva, Saat Phere, Balika Vadhu) and Gul Khan (Geet, Is Pyar ko Kya Naam Dun, Qubool Hai, Ishqbaaz), Zama Habib (Bidaai, Saas Bina Sasural, Sasural Genda Phool); Digital stars like Sumeet Vyas(Actor, writer of Bang Baja Baraat,Tripling), Jyoti Kapoor Das (wrote and directed Chutney, a short film with 121 million views on youtube) Dhruv Sehgal (writer of a charming web series Little Things) and Smita Singh (one of the three writers behind the Netflix's first Indian Original series 'Sacred Games) ~ ~The much-awaited biennial will be held from August 1-3, 2018 at St. Andrews Auditorium, Bandra~ Mumbai, July 21, 2018: Actor-producer-director Aamir Khan will be the Chief Guest at the 5th edition of the Indian Screenwriters Conference (ISC), the much-awaited biennial event organized by the Screenwriters Association. The reputed journalist and Padma Shri awardee Vinod Dua will deliver the Keynote Address at the Inaugural day of the conference which will be held from August 1- 3, 2018 at the St. Andrew’s Auditorium, Bandra. The theme of the conference this year ‘Where Mind Is Without Fear’ is focusing on the challenges facing Indian Screenwriters today. The conference is expected to see a large number of screenwriters and established professionals from the film and TV industries, as well as the digital media. It will also provide a platform for networking to all its participants. Stimulating discussions and insightful sessions await the participants at 5ISC, with panelists and speakers who’re amongst the most respected and knowledgeable professionals from the entertainment and media industry. Some of the interesting panels are: WRITERS Vs. PRODUCERS: CAN THEY NEVER BE ALLIES? Panelists include Siddharth Roy Kapur, Akshat Verma, Somen Mishra, Amit Masurkar. Moderated by Anjum Rajabali WRITING WITHOUT FEAR – IS A WRITER’S MIND FREE OF FEARS? Panelists include Basharat Peer (writer of Haider, has also published two books, works as an Editor for The New York Times in Istanbul), Prof Rashmi Doraiswamy - Rashmi is a professor at Jamia Millia Islamia, renowned for her expertise in culture, cinema and literature, Rima Das (Village Rockstars) and Pooja Ladha Surti (Ek Haseena Thi, Badlapur). Moderated by Mayank Tewari (Newton and Sulemani Keeda) WEB OF DIGITAL WRITING: FEARLESS OR FRIVOLOUS Panelists include Sumeet Vyas (writer Bang Baja Baraat, Tripling and Love Square Feet. Also, an actor, who brought ‘cool’ to the Internet), Sameer Saxena (Head of Development at The Viral Fever), Jyoti Kapoor Das (Former Creative head of Big Synergy, writer- directed Chutney, a short film with 121 million views on youtube), Dhruv Sehgal (written Little Things, a charming web series that made him an instant star on the interwebs) and Smita Singh (one of the three writers behind the Netflix's first Indian Original series 'Sacred Games. Moderated by Mayank Shekhar HAS THE DAILY SOAP FORMAT REACHED ITS DEAD END? Panelists include Yubaraj Bhattacharya (a rare creative force within the broadcasting fraternity who successfully launched the regional Star Jalsha, headed programming at Hindi GEC Life Ok, and is now with Zee TV as the commissioning lead), Rajan Shahi, Director and producer of the longest running Indian Television Series Yeh Rishta Kya Kahlata Hai, Shanti Bhushan (Writer of successful shows like Mann ki Awaaz Pratigya, Ishq ka Rang Safed and Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya hi Kijo), Sharad Raj: An FTII alumnus who has worked on Kumkum, Rihaee, Siddhant, Dil Mil Gaye. Former Head of Programming at Sahara TV) Moderated by Zama Habib (SWA General Secretary) SOUTHERN WAVES Panelists include Vetri Maaran (writer and director of critically acclaimed films like Visaranai and Aadukalam), Pushkar AKS and Gayathri Sivasubramaniam (Writer and director of Vikram Vedha) and Vikram K. Kumar (Writer and director of Manam, Hello and 24). Moderated by Shridhar Raghavan Panel of lyricists Swanand Kirkire, Abhiruchi Chand, Shellee and Kausar Munir moderated by Varun Grover The three-day conference will be attended by the eminent journalist and Padma Shri awardee Vinod Dua; new-age filmmakers like Amit Masurkar (Newton, Sulemani Keeda), Vetri Maaran (Visaranai and Aadukalam) Rima Das (Village Rockstars) and Ravi Jadhav (Nude) ; Screenwriters like Mayank Tewari, Varun Grover, Basharat Peer and Akshat Verma, Anjum Rajabali and Shridhar Raghavan ; Producers like Sidharth Roy Kapoor; lyricists like Swanand Kirkire, Content Development heads like Somen Mishra (Head Of Development, Dharma Productions), Nikhil Sane is the Business head of Viacom 18 (Marathi Film Division) and Sameer Saxena ( Head of Development at The Viral Fever), TV writers like Vinod Ranganath ( Swabhimaan, Mere Angane Mein, Sea Hawks), Purnendu Shekhar (Astitva, Saat Phere, Balika Vadhu) and Gul Khan (Geet, Is Pyar ko Kya Naam Dun, Qubool Hai, Ishqbaaz), Zama Habib (Bidaai, Saas Bina Sasural, Sasural Genda Phool); Digital stars like Sumeet Vyas(Actor, writer of Bang Baja Baraat,Tripling), Jyoti Kapoor Das (wrote and directed Chutney, a short film with 121 million views on youtube) Dhruv Sehgal (writer of a charming web series Little Things) among many others. Talking about the conference, Sanjay Chouhan - Conference Convenor says: "This conference is gathering of not only screenwriters but also directors, producers, tv heads, academicians and creative minds. As participant’s knowledge and insight I got from previous screenwriter’s conference was immense. We want to enhance it further with this conference. We want to bring people related to screen under one umbrella to share their experience, knowledge, mistakes, brickbats. trolls, rewards and achievement. Alone we may not be able to do anything but together we can sing 'where the mind is without fear." Journey so far… The Indian Screenwriters Conference was started with the idea of addressing issues concerning Indian screenwriters and lyricists, while also encouraging a dialogue on the surrounding social realities, within and outside the film and TV industries. The first Indian Screenwriters Conference, held at FTII, Pune, in August 2006, was attended by 275 writers. The second, at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, next to Film City, Mumbai, in December 2008; saw 575 screenwriters and writer-directors attending it. 3ISC at St. Andrew’s Auditorium, Bandra, in February 2013, had the participation of 700 screenwriters. 4ISC, held in August 2016, was the biggest with over 900 screenwriters and industry professionals attending it. Event details DATES: August 1, 2 & 3 (Wed, Thurs & Fri), 2018 TIMINGS: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM (on August 2nd, a cultural program from 6:30 – 8:00 PM) VENUE: St. Andrew’s Auditorium, Bandra West, Mumbai Programme DAY 1: WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1 1000-1130 hours INAUGURATION Chief Guest: Aamir Khan Keynote Speaker: Vinod Dua 1130-1200 hours Tea/Coffee Break 1200-1330 hours WRITERS VS. PRODUCERS: CAN THEY NEVER BE ALLIES? Moderator: Anjum Rajabali Panel: Aamir Khan, Siddharth Roy Kapur, Akshat Verma, Somen Mishra, Amit Masurkar 1330-1430 hours Lunch Break 1430-1600 hours BLURRED LINES BETWEEN HISTORY, MYTHOLOGY & FANTASY Moderator: Kavita Kane Panel: Siddharth Kumar Tewary, C.L. Saini, Dr. Bodhisattva, Shama Zaidi 1600-1630 hours Tea/Coffee Break 1630-1800 hours BETWEEN THE HITS Moderator: Ketki Pandit Panel: Nikhil Sane, Ravi Jadhav, Manaswini L R, Abhishek Jain DAY 2: THURSDAY, AUGUST 2 1000-1130 hours DISPUTE SETTLEMENT – DEMYSTIFIED AND EXPLAINED Moderator: Vinod Ranganath Panel: Heema Shirvaikar, Sushrut Desai, Sunil Salgia 1130-1200 hours Tea/Coffee Break 1200-1330 hours WRITING WITHOUT FEAR – IS A WRITER’S MIND FREE OF FEARS? Moderator: Mayank Tewari Panel: Prof Rashmi Doraiswamy, Rima Das, Pooja Ladha Surti, Basharat Peer 1330-1430 hours Lunch Break 1430-1600 hours PAL DO PAL KE SHAAYAR Moderator: Varun Grover Panel: Swanand Kirkire, Shellee, Kausar Munir, Abhiruchi Chand 1600-1630 hours Tea/Coffee Break 1630-1800 hours WHERE ARE THE NEW VOICES IN TELEVISION? Moderator: Sukesh Motwani Panel: Ashish Golwalkar, Vivek Bahl, Purnendu Shekhar, Gul Khan 1800-1830 hours Break 1830-2000 hours CULTURAL PROGRAMME DAY 3: THURSDAY, AUGUST 3 1000-1130 hours SOUTHERN WAVES Moderator: Shridhar Raghavan Panel: Pushkar AKS, Gayathri Sivasubramaniam, Vikram K. Kumar, Vetri Maaran 1130-1200 hours Tea/Coffee Break 1200-1330 hours HAS THE DAILY SOAP FORMAT REACHED ITS DEAD END? Moderator: Zama Habib Panel: Yubaraj Bhattacharya, Rajan Shahi, Shanti Bhushan, Sharad Raj 1330-1415 hours Lunch Break 1415-1515 hours WEB OF DIGITAL WRITING: FEARLESS OR FRIVOLOUS Moderator: Mayank Shekhar Panel: Sumeet Vyas, Sameer Saxena, Jyoti Kapoor Das, Dhruv Sehgal, Smita Singh 1515-1545 hours Tea/Coffee Break 1545-1800 hours AWARD CEREMONY Complete Programming – Aug 1-3, 2018 AUGUST 1, 1200-1330 hours WRITERS Vs. PRODUCERS: CAN THEY NEVER BE ALLIES? Focus: By their very definitions, art and commerce seem to be locked in a perpetual conflict. One aims to unearth hidden truths, break new ground, whereas the other seeks to profit by pleasing the audience, by not disturbing status quo. The writer is considered a natural rebel, the producer, an establishmentarian. Ergo, the relationship seems riddled with tensions, anxieties and suspicions. And, yet, neither can survive without the other. So, can we at least understand each other’s point-of-view? Moderator Anjum Rajabali: Ageing screenwriter (Drohkaal, Raajneeti), Teacher, Senior SWA activist. Panellists: Aamir Khan: Siddharth Roy Kapur: Founder Roy Kapur Films, President of Film & TV Producers’ Guild, Ex-MD & CEO Disney India Akshat Verma: Screenwriter-Director (Delhi Belly, Kaalakandi) Somen Mishra: Head of Development at Dharma Productions, earlier with Junglee Pictures. Amit Masurkar: Screenwriter-Director of Newton(2017), Suleimani Keeda(2014). AUGUST 1, 1430-1600 hours BLURRED LINES BETWEEN HISTORY, MYTHOLOGY & FANTASY Focus: Indian Cinema began its journey with Raja Harishchandra, a Mythology. For television, the stories from past have always drawn big bucks, but how does one differentiate between History, Mythology, Fantasy and Folklore as it has all got mixed up in our stories. Do the writers have liberty to create a concoction in a society that is already confused about what is History and what is Mythology/Fantasy? Where do you draw a Lakshaman Rekha? Moderator Kavita Kane: Journalist, columnist, and scriptwriter. Author of bestsellers like The Karna's Wife: The Outcast's Queen, Sita's Sister and Menaka's Choice. Panellists: Siddharth Kumar Tewary: Founder - Swastik Productions. Writer, director, creative producer of shows like Mahakali, Mahbharat, Shani and Porus. C.L. Saini: A veteran writer of the genre with shows like Siya ke Ram, Devon ka Dev Mahadev, Prithviraj Chauhan and Naagin to his credit. Dr. Bodhisattva: Research head for TV Serials like Chandra Nandini, Meharunnisa, Mahabharat and Sankat Mochak Mahabali Hanuman Shama Zaidi: Writer, costume designer, art director, theatre person, art critic, and documentary filmmaker who's written movies like Garam Hawa, Shatranj ke Khiladi, Sardari Begum, Netaji Subhash Chanda Bose, Umrao Jaan, and many more, TV serials like Bharat Ek Khoj, Samvidhan and Zubaane Ishq. AUGUST 1, 1630-1800 hours BETWEEN THE HITS Focus: Marathi and Gujarati film industries have seen a robust growth in last two decades, as evidenced by the booming box office numbers, and the sheer number of films made every year. Low budgets and the state governments’ incentives have helped filmmakers tell offbeat stories with unconventional treatments. But for every hit film, there are twenty flops. Maybe more. Why so? What’s the reality of the silence between the hits? And how can we break through? Moderator: Ketki Pandit: Ketki Pandit is a playwright and filmmaker whose Hindi solo play Mansha Ki Shaadi recently crossing the milestone of 50 shows. Formerly the Head of Screenplay Writing Department at FTII, she is now gearing up to direct her first Marathi feature.

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