If reports reaching us is anything to go by, Bollywood of India, the largest producers of movies in the world and Nigeria’s Nollywood the second largest producers of movies in terms of titles will for the first time meet in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital between December 9th-12th, 2009.
It was gathered that the meeting of these great movie industries will be made possible by the producers of IONIFF Port Harcourt ’09 Omcomm who is said have appointed perminder Vir OBE as programme consultant to produce the section of the programme on connecting Bollywood to Nollywood.
Perminder Vir OBE according to our source is an award winning film and television producer of drama, documentary, current affairs and entertainment with over 20 years of experience who has worked with BBC, ITV, channel four and Carlton television.
In a chat with the press, she said, “I am always amazed at the ease with which Nigerians will recall the names of the Bollywod stars, the dialogue and even sing the songs, given that this is not their language or culture. “Over the years, I have become a great admirer of the Nollywood film industry which is very similar to the Bollywood film industry with their “can do” attitude in the absence of government support. Both have created an industry which contributes substantially to the wealth of the nations”.
As part of the programme for the IONIFF it was disclosed that leading Bollywood producers will be invited to share their experiences in the industry, its cultural and economical value and explore collaboration opportunities for Nollywood producers to work with the Indian film industry. There will also be a panel discussion on new models of financing media in terms of developing creative and financial partnerships and accessing new markets.
It was further gathered that the synergy between both movie industries will also be buttressed by celebrating the stars of the world’s largest film industry by inviting a major Bollywood celebrity to attend the festival as guest of honour.
There will also be a 3-day workshop which will be led by internationally recognised instructors in the world of cinema. It is open to film makers, students and creative minds from all over Nigeria. The workshop will focus on screen writing, digital cinematography, lighting, sound composition, budgeting, networking and financing.
Attendees will learn among other things how to develop story from an idea and shape into screen play, the basic technique of digital cinematography and lighting. The role of an Art director, the function of music in film in creating an atmosphere, examining the step-by-step on how to create a budget and how to develop a strategy to obtain finances for the films.