Knowledge Series presented Google’s endeavour to create easy access to tools for VR content generation at #FilmBazaar, #IFFI2017

Knowledge Series presented Google’s endeavour to create easy access to tools for VR content generation at Film Bazaar, IFFI 2017 ~Producers’ Workshop focused on the importance of a Film Market and its navigation~ Goa, 24th November 2017: The third day of Film Bazaar at the International Film Festival of (IFFI) 2017 saw a host of interesting panels and sessions that focused on diverse range of topics such as Virtual Reality (VR), using film festivals to reach newer audiences and markets and how to create the perfect pitch for sales agents and festival programmers in the Knowledge Series and Producers’ Workshop. At the Producers’ Workshop The session Importance of a Film Market and Navigating saw Manas Malhotra, Head of Production at Amazon Prime Video talk about how independent film producers can successfully leverage the business and other commercial opportunities provided by the platform of Film Markets. Pitching to Sales Agents and Festival Programmers dealt with the strategy of ensuring that the sales agents and festival programmers actually notice a film and how an ideal pitch is made so that the film has the potential to make it in international markets and festivals. Reputed producer Alan McAlex of JAR Pictures and acclaimed Film and Media Consultant Michael Werner were the key speakers. At the Knowledge Series In its endeavour to promote the cinemas of the North East, Film Bazaar showcased filmmakers North Eastern communities in a session titled Showcasing Cinema of The North East – From Indie to Industry. Pradeep Kurbah, Kenny Basumatary, Jaichung Jai Dohutia and Dominic Sangma were the filmmakers who participated in the session and expressed their vision for taking North Eastern cinema to the world. Independent Innovative Outreach for Indie Filmed Content saw an interesting bunch of Indian filmmakers and entrepreneurs talk about merging the traditional distribution systems with newer technologies and reaching out to newer audiences. The panel was moderated by filmmaker Rohan Sippy and included filmmakers Sandeep Mohan, Lijo Jose Pelissery, Saurabh Singh, CEO of 1018mb – an on demand movie platform and Vivek Paul, CEO of Reelmonk – an online movie distribution platform. With the objective of preparing filmmakers to be festival savvy, there were sessions on Designing the Festival Kit which had the acclaimed filmmaker of Thithi – Raam Reddy in discussion with Michael Werner. The scope of the session was to communicate the various ways in which one can build the perception around a film especially its positioning, specifically for an international palette through film festivals and markets. Day Dream with Google at Knowledge Series saw Chaitanya Chunduri, Industry Manager, CPG, Google India talk about YouTube 360 and Google Day Dream, the latest initiatives of the tech giant that aims to bring newer innovations to the exciting space of Virtual Reality. The session saw Chunduri discuss Google’s future plans as a VR Solutions provider for the Indian market and how filmmakers can benefit from it. Film Festivals and Markets explored insights into festival strategies that have helped several films to gain a successful festival presence and commercial prospects. The session saw Cameron Bailey, Film Critic and Artistic Director, Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Marco Mueller, director of Pingyao International Film Festival, Paolo Bertolin, Programmer at Venice Film Festival, Dorothee Wenner Programmer, Berlin International Film Festival and Sergio Fant, Programmer, Locarno Festival share their expertise and experience on how filmmakers can successfully leverage the platform of film festivals to market their films. Marco Mueller, director of Pingyao International Film Festival stated that Film Bazaar is a powerhouse event which every filmmaker should attend. He also said that he knew of several filmmakers who had gained international recognition due to the Bazaar and how it has also helped several festival experts to understand the dynamics of the Indian Market. Paolo Bertolin, Programmer at Venice Film Festival said that it is always an exciting experience to be at Film Bazaar which also serves as a unique platform for filmmakers to promote their films. Dorothee Wenner, Programmer, Berlin International Film Festival said, “Film Bazaar is the place to meet a large number of promising new filmmakers. There is no market place like this in India and initiatives like the Viewing Room serve as a great opportunity to discover new and exciting Indian films.” At the Viewing Room and the Work-in-Progress The Viewing Room had 55 viewers and 197 individual films out of 200 were watched till the third day of the Bazaar. Aranya by Akshay Indikar and Balekempa by Ere Gowda had their second editing session at the Work-in-Progress lab. About Film Bazaar Film Bazaar is the largest South Asian film market. It encourages creative and financial collaboration between the South Asian and International film communities. Created and organized by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), Film Bazaar has evolved into South Asia’s global film market from its humble beginnings in 2007. Every edition witnesses increased national and international participation. Over the years, films such as Lunch Box, Margarita With A Straw, Chauthi Koot, Qissa, Ship of Theseus, Titli, Court, Anhe Ghode Da Daan, Miss Lovely, Dum Lagake Haisha, Liar’s Dice and Thithi have been through one or more programmes of the Bazaar. Over the course of five days, Film Bazaar becomes the converging point for film buyers and sellers from all over the world. The focus is on discovering, supporting and showcasing South Asian content and talent in filmmaking, production and distribution. The Bazaar also facilitates the sales of world cinema in the South Asian region. Film Bazaar is held every year at the Marriott Resort, Goa, India, between 20th and 24th November 2017. This year it is under the banner of the International Film Festival of India.