[Indian Cinema] Distribution of Indian cinema outside India

[mappi]

Hi,

Cinema being my passion just like many of you on this forum, I would like to showcase our culture through screening of our movies to foreign audience.
I have a very good oppurtunity to do so in France, as I do projection of Films in a cinema halls in my town. The idea of showing Indian movies to the French audience came to me when the cinema halls were upgraded to 3D Numeric with SR Dolby 7.1. This way transporting the films in numeric format is much eaiser than film reels.

Also, the interest the audience show towards our cinema motivates me to start looking for means. I am sure they would enjoy some of the master pieces crafted in India.

Please feel free to share your knowledge on Distribution of Indian Cinema outside India.
If you have or know any contacts, please PM me. Also if you come across any website in this context please include it in this thread.

My Idea is to organise a week on Indian Cinema in my town and if possible in my Region (Britanny) and screen Indian Movies (notably Tamil movies).

Note : The aim is not to gain any financial profits. I belong to a small association, and we have a tight budget. Never wish to show latest movies or movies of leading heroes, but artistic movies like Veyyil, Aranya Kandam, Pitha Magan ... etc. And ofcoarse re-mastered Classics like Karnan ...

Thanks to NOV to have guided me to open this thread.

Many thanks and Regards
KarthiK

[NOV]

I am very sure many of our Hubbers like Ajay Bhaskar would be able to guide you to the right people.
All the best!

[RAGHAVENDRA]

டியர் மேப்பி,
தங்களுடைய ஒரிஜினல் பெயரை இங்கு கூறவும். தங்களுக்கு அனைவரின் சார்பில் அன்பான வரவேற்பினை கூற விரும்புகிறேன். கடல் கடந்து தமிழ்த் திரைப்படங்களை வெளியிடும் தங்கள் ஆர்வம் போற்றுதற்குரியது. முடிந்த வரையில் பழைய படங்களை திரையிட்டீர்களானால் புதிய தலைமுறையினர் அந்த கால தமிழ்த் திரைப்படங்களை திரையில் பார்க்கும் வாய்ப்பினைப் பெறுவார்கள்.

தங்கள் முயற்சிகளுக்குப் பாராட்டுக்கள்.

[mappi]

Hi Raghavendra,
Thanks to your support. Yes, if possible I wish to screen tamil classics. And I forgot to mention the digitally remastered "Karnan" in the main post. Its one of my all time favorites and others include Maya Bazaar, Kulebagavali ... I could carry on with the list. But the problem is that apart from Karnan, I do not think the classics could be screened under numeric viz à viz the quality of the print. If its remastered, why not ! And then there is ofcoarse the main issue : Subtitles Even remastered copies do not carry subtitles - or maybe just English.

TO my knowledge only few (recent) Indian Movies were screened with French & German subtiltes : Billa 2, Chandramukhi to name a few. (Am not sure if ASAL came with subtitles)

Sivaji Productions do subtitles in French : The legend had/has a healthy cultural relationship with the French - awarded Chevalier (Kinight) Award by National Order of the Legion of Honour of France in 1995.

When they made ASAL movie here (at Lyon), they showed shooting clips in the National TV. Even Prabhu shared a few words !

Regards,
KarthiK

[RAGHAVENDRA]

Dear KarthiK,
Happy to read your post. Remastering should be only for the visuals. For the bgm and songs, the music should be only technically remastered and not to be recorded afresh. Doing so will mean demeaning of the original creativity.
Coming to ASAL, at Lyon, not only ASAL, but other films produced by Sivaji productions and Sivaji starrer films which were shot at France, were also shown I guess. e.g. Sivandha Mann (particularly Paarvai Yuvarani song was shot in front of the Eiffel Tower, some parts of Ratha Pasam and so on).

Eager to read more posts of you.

Raghavendran

[mappi]

Hi Raghavendran,
Yes, the sound should be technically remastered - sharpened to adapt the new sound technology. Actually its a process that they include now days while converting the other formats to Blu-Ray. Its possible but a bit tasking + (costly I beleive). And in numeric cinema halls, you sense the huge difference.
yesterday (15/08 being a holiday here too) I played Parts of Navarathri, Ullagam Suttrum Valiba & Mayabazaar - All VCD formats - in my Home Théatre. I was not convienced with the sound and there was a lot of hissing + vaccant noises. Also I noted that the sound was not uniform. A lot of work is to be done. For Images, Ullagam suttrun Valiban was good (but the coloring was too much for this period) and Navarathiri was good too. But MayaBazaar was too grainy, dark and grey.

I suppose one day the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of India take up rematering and protecting the classics. I suggest they build a Library and market our films Nationaly and Internationally.