Indywood Billionaires Club Opens Doors For FDI, Raises Rs 3,000 Crores From NRI Investors

The Indywood Billionaires Club (IBC), has already mobilised funds worth Rs 3,000 crores from 20 leading NRI investors based in the United Arab Emirates, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Initiated by Sharjah-headquartered Aries Group, IBC aims to bring in crucial foreign direct investment to raise the profile of India’s cinema economy. USD 2 billion. Approx 12,000 crores! The economic value of India’s film industry. Add to it the allied sectors of entertainment, losses due to piracy and the umpteen opportunities to market and scale Indian films on a global scale. The potential is rightly, nothing short of a valuation 10 times the above said amount. The huge numbers are a clear indication of the possibilities India’s film and entertainment sector offers. One that needs dollops of cash infusion, as well as strategic partners who can shore up its pre-production, production, distribution and film exhibition on par with international standards. The Indywood Billionaires Club, an innovative initiative launched during the 3rd edition of the prestigious Indywood Film Carnival in 2017, has set the wheels rolling to this regard. By already raising investments of over Rs. 3,000 crores from nearly 20 Indian Billionaires based out of United Arab Emirates, Europe and Asia-Pacific, IBC’s end game is to secure investments to the tune of $10 billion from 2,000 billionaire Non-resident Indians and companies over a period of few years and direct the investment to the multi-billion dollar cinema economy. The Billion Dollar Pie NRI businessman Sohan Roy, who is consistently featured in Forbes Middle East’s list of Top 50 business owners, is the brainchild behind IBC. A serial entrepreneur and Hollywood filmmaker of Indian origin, his company Aries Group is the chief executing agency of IBC’s ambitious plan. “India is blessed with talented actors and technicians and our film industry should make movies which appeal to the international audience. The movie industry will fetch...

Nominations invited for 1st Indywood Academy Awards

Indywood Academy Awards will cover all the regional industries of Indian cinema The event will be held on December 1st at Hitex, Hyderabad Bengali filmmaker Goutam Ghose is the Executive Jury Panel Chairman IAA is an integral part of Indywood Film Carnival(IFC) 2018 Hyderabad (28-07-2018):Ushering in a new era for Indian cinema awards, the prestigious Project Indywood, a 10 billion USD initiative that aims to elevate Indian cinema to an international level,is initiating Indywood Academy Awards (IAA) at HITEX, Hyderabad on December 1st. The Indywood Academy Awards, an integral part of Indywood Film Carnival 2018, is the first of its kind to move away from the traditional selection processes. Instead, it will rely on a multi-stage selection process that involves 1000+ members of the World Film Society and a 10 member Executive Jury Panel chaired by renowned Bengali filmmaker, music director and cinematographer Goutam Ghose. The initial entries will be open to all and the contention list will be prepared internally.Following this, the short list nominations will be prepared based on recommendations given by members of the World Film Society. The Executive Jury Panel will take the final decision and declare the winners on December 1st.   Indywood Academy Awards aims to promote excellence in different categories of filmmaking, raise global attention for films that are not inherently commercial, and encourage production of quality films on a global stage. JURY COMMITTEE The 10 member Executive Jury Panel will be headed by renowned Bengali filmmaker, music director and cinematographer Goutam Ghose. The other members are:Ashish Kulkarni (pioneering animator), B Lenin (National Award winning film director, editor and screenwriter), Madhu Ambat (National Awarding winning cinematographer), Rangan Baradwaj (National Award winning film critic and writer), Ravi Varman Leading cinematographer), Shajith Koyeri (Leading sound designer), Viveck Vaswani (Leading actor, writer and producer), Vivek Agnihotri (Leading director, producer and screenwriter) and Mayur Puri (screenwriter,...

The Indian Filmmaker’s Guide To Oscars

Indian films have been a regular affair in major international festivals. And now, achieving the Oscar dream seems plausible too. Lobbying, promotions, and what not! The race to the Oscars is a mad rush. Indian cinema, despite its rich storytelling tradition, has not been able to decode the Oscar secret. Until now that is! The All Lights Film Services, which broke into this niche scene 2 years ago, is leading the Indian charge, helping filmmakers attain international recognition at the Oscars. In a freewheeling chat with Indulge Magazine, Nisha Joseph, Manager of the All Lights Film Services, explains the Oscar process, the hurdles faced by filmmakers and how the organization she represents has made the dream possible for over 10 films from the sub continent in less than 2 years.   First of all, can you explain what all categories are open to foreign filmmakers and the process for a film to be selected into the Oscar contention race? Under the foreign film category of Oscar, “Best Foreign Language Film” is the only category for the foreign filmmakers.  The entry to this category is just one per country and is recommended by the film federation/film apex body of the country. But under the mainstream category of Oscar, any filmmaker can send their entries. There are around 26 category competitions under this including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and so on. For the contention, the movie should primarily go through a series of qualification criteria including Los Angeles Screening for 7 consecutive days and if it is not in English language, it should have English subtitles. How difficult is it for an Indian movie to compete with other foreign films? The key is to get noticed. According to a recent report, an Oscar campaign is said to cost approx $3 million to $10 million which includes mass...

Aries Group Launched Advanced Technology of Visual Asset Management Concept to Indian Maritime & Naval Market @ DIMS-2018

Aries Group Launched Advanced Technology of Visual Asset Management Concept to Indian Maritime & Naval Market @ DIMS-2018, An International seminar on developments in Offshore, Shipbuilding, Transport and Allied Sectors, held on 3rd and 4th of August 2018, at Crowne Plaza, Kochi, Kerala, India. Kochi,Kerala ,India August 4, 2018  – Aries Group’sIDEAS division catering to “Intelligent Engineeringsolutions’ Launched the Visual Asset Management Solutions concept in India during the first edition of DIMS-2018, An International seminar on developments in Offshore, Shipbuilding, Transport and Allied Sectors, held on 3rd and 4th of August 2018, at Crowne Plaza, Kochi, Kerala, India. Aries paper presented during the Seminar introduced the concept of 3D laser scanning Techniques and 3D Photogrammetry for capturing ‘As fitted’ information in Naval Vessel and Submarines. Lt Cdr Naveen Nair (Retd) ,Technical Manager of Aries Marine who presented the paper explained about the Intelligent techniques that are used to collect and post process the asset information.He demonstrated how the concept of 3D photogrammetry is applied for creating a ‘true’ 3D environment of the complex asset that shall assist in the management of its information using a simple and visual interface. The advantages in the application of 3D techniques for retrofit of new equipment/weapon systems in an existing operational asset waspresented. The paper covered the use of these advanced techniques for execution of “Alteration and Additions” in any Sea and shore assets. A case study showing the utility and benefits of these techniques was presented to expert who attended Maritime Seminar. Aries Group CEO Mr.Sohan Roy who attended the event commented that “With a track record of close to 44,000 projects completed for 4750 Clients for activities inEngineering,Inspections,Maintenance &retrofit projects, Aries Marine is now one of the world’s leading Inspection,Engineeting and Asset Integrity Solution provider for digitization and intelligent techniques of existing assets. The company is now focusing to be the...

Pattanam Designory Receives Indywood Accreditation

Pattanam Designory, an advanced media/film make up Institute to received Indywood accreditation for its courses and services Pattanam Designory is run by Mollywood’s most famous make-up man Pattanam Rasheed Kochi(23-07-2018):: In a move that’s expected to usher in an era of standardization to the Indian film industry, Kochi-based Pattanam Designory, one of the leading make up institutes in Malayalam film industry, has received the prestigious Indywood accreditation for its popular courses and adherence to quality standards. Anson IJ, COO, Indywood Talent Hunt handed over the certificate to Pattanam Rasheed at a function held at city on Wednesday. The present accreditation for Pattanam Rasheed Makeup Academy will be a temporary accreditation which is valid for a period of one year. Run under the supervision of noted make-up man Pattanam Rasheed, Pattanam Designory is an approved centre of CTTC (Centre for Trade Testing and Certification of skilled workers) under the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment. The institute is also on the verge of becoming the first in the field of media make-up to be affiliated with the Calicut University. Anson IJ, COO, Indywood Talent Hunt, which handled the accreditation process said, “Pattanam Designory has been moulding make up professionals, hair stylists, cosmetologists and spa therapists for years now and has helped raise the standard of each of these professions through their creativity. They have trained and contributed many talented make-up artists to the film industry. We are glad to bestow them with the Indywood accreditation. ” The courses at Pattanam Designory emphasize on the skills required for professional motion picture make-up. Students also get to learn facial contouring using highlights and shadows, correction and concealing techniques, base matching, eye and lip treatments and air brush techniques. The Indywood Accreditation is bestowed by the Indywood Entertainment Consortium and is availed upon a multi-pronged examination of the Quality, Merit, Experience, Reputation, Reference,...

Prabhiraj Nadarajan honoured with Singapore Pravasi Express Business Excellence Award

Prabhiraj played a crucial role in the evolution of UAE-based Aries Group as a global conglomerate.  Singapore-based Pravasi Express honours prominent NRIs for their professional excellence and contributions to society. Kochi (18-07-2018): PrabhirajNadarajan, a leading NRI entrepreneur and Managing Director of Aries Group of Companies, has been honoured with Singapore Pravasi Express Business Excellence Award for his exceptional leadership qualities and business acumen. The award was distributed by Singapore Senior Ambassador Gopinath Pillai at a function held at Kallang Theatre in Singapore. Lee Hong Chuang BBM, Advisor, HougangGrassroot Organization, Singapore, was also present on the occasion. UAE headquartered Aries Group is a multinational consortium of 47 companies having presence in 15 countries. Singapore-based Pravasi Express honours prominent NRIs for their professional excellence and contributions to society. Prabhiraj, known for his management strategies, played a crucial role in transforming Aries Group to a global conglomerate within a short span of time. Under his astute leadership, UT division of the group became the largest thickness gauging company in the world. The division has grown rapidly over the last few years and became world-class Inspection and Maintenance division with 25 subdivisions, handling more than 150 activities with around 850 staff. As a part of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and women empowerment activities, he recently established an office at his home town in Punalur in Kollam district. The office employs 85 staff, most of which are women. He also has been distributing pension and welfare schemes for 30 parents in his...