Village Gamer

Ten of Ontario’s leading screen-based producers have just returned from an inaugural ten-day Mission to India led by the Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC) in partnership with Telefilm Canada.  The trade mission took delegates to Mumbai and Goa, including visits to the National Film Development Corporation’s (NFDC) Film Bazaar and the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), providing the delegates with an opportunity to forge new relationships between Ontario and Indian filmmakers and build the foundation for future collaboration between the two jurisdictions.

“The OMDC is in the business of strengthening Ontario’s screen-based production sectors by encouraging collaboration and exploring new opportunities in international markets,: said OMDC President and CEO Karen Thorne-Stone. “We recognize that India is home to one of the largest, most vibrant production sectors in the world and by connecting our talented Ontario producers with successful Indian producers, executives and financiers, we’re helping to build a strong relationship between our two jurisdictions.  This is a win-win opportunity for everyone involved.”

In Mumbai, the OMDC delegation participated in business-to-business meetings with Indian producers, executives, and financiers, as well as participating in studio and site visits. In Goa the group attended the four-day Film Bazaar hosted by the NFDC, and IFFI, the largest film festival in India. These two events provided the delegation with hundreds of additional meetings, both with Indian and International film companies and organizations.  Finally, the mission included participation in the ‘Focus on Canada’ program during IFFI, market screenings, and a panel led by the OMDC and Telefilm on Producing in Canada.

“India is the world’s largest film producer in terms of annual output and the prospects for business development are enormous. Canadian filmmakers already shoot films in India and large Indo-Canadian communities in Vancouver and Toronto are considered key overseas markets for Bollywood,” stated Carolle Brabant, Telefilm Canada’s Executive Director. “Telefilm is pleased to partner with the Ontario Media Development Corporation to spotlight five top Canadian features at the International Film Festival of India, and was happy to facilitate business-to-business meetings between the two countries to explore potential partnerships for screen-based media.”

The 2011 Mission to India was led by Karen Thorne-Stone, OMDC President and CEO, and OMDC Board Chair and production industry veteran Kevin Shea.  They were joined by Shelia De La Varende, Director, Industry Promotion, Telefilm Canada.

The Ontario delegates included:

• David Miller, A71Productions Inc.
• Damon D’Oliveira, Conquering Lion Productions
• Srinivas Krichna, Divani Films
• Paul Stephens, Film Works Inc.
• Lalita Krishna, In Sync Video
• Larissa Giroux, Intrepid Film Arts Inc.
• Alfons Adetuyi, Inner City Films
• Paul Scherzer, Six Island Productions Inc.
• Rama Rau, Storyline Entertainment Inc.
• Ray Sharma, XMG Studio Inc.

QUICK FACTS

• The inaugural OMDC Mission to India travelled to Mumbai between November 19 and 23, and Goa from November 23 to 27.
• The production sector in India is one of the most robust in the world, with film, television and animation/special effects industries estimated to be worth nearly $600 billion by 2012.
• The Indian Film Industry is projected to grow at a rate of 12.4 per cent, reaching $170 billion in 2014.
• The Indian Television Industry, moving from analogue to digital, will grow 12.9 per cent from 2010 to 2014, and will reach $420 billion in 2014.
• India’s Gaming industry will grow a cumulative rate of 29.4 per cent over the next five years.
• Ontario’s film and television production sector is the largest in Canada. In 2010 alone, film and television production contributed almost $1 billion to the province’s economy creating more than 23,000 full-time direct and spin-off jobs.
• Ontario’s Interactive Digital Media sector generates nearly $1.5 billion in annual gross revenue