UK classics to hit Indian screens

DH at Cannes: Epic distribution project

The UK Film Council is conceptualising the project, with “FBWL” as its working title, under which a selection of classic British films will be shown through simultaneous satellite digital projection in various Indian cities soon as a major push to promote that county in a nation obsessed with Bollywood and Hollywood.

If the project takes off successfully in India, it will also be replicated in Japan, Russia and China at a later stage.

“What we are planning to do is to tie up with Indian multiplex chains having facilities for 2K satellite digital projection and simultaneously show selected British films in several Indian cities,” says UKFC’s senior executive export development (international) Sarah McKenzie.

In talks

The UKFC is already in discussion with various multiplex chains in India to implement the project, which results from “Summer of British Films” project done by it in collaboration with the BBC in Britain in 2007.

“But in Britain, it was done through hard discs since we don’t have satellite distribution system, but in India it will be done through satellites,” says McKenzie.

The films to be shown will be a mix of modern and earlier classics, she says, adding, “We have not done any market study on what kind of films people would be interested in, instead we would like to give them a choice of British films of a wide variety.” The project, if successful, could be a precursor to regular release of British films in India. “The United States, France, Italy, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Japan are our biggest markets, and we would definitely look forward to adding India to that list,” says McKenzie.