Mahindra and Sundance partner for Screenwriters lab in India

Sundance Institute and Mahindra Group entered into an agreement yesterday which will mean that Mantra-Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab shall become an annual event in India. In addition, the Sundance Institute-Mahindra Global Filmmaking Award will be awarded annually at the Sundance Film Festival.

Scheduled for Spring 2012, the inaugural Mumbai Mantra-Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab will provide an opportunity for six-to-eight filmmakers from India to develop their works under the guidance of accomplished Creative Advisors. The Mumbai Mantra Sundance Institute Screenwriting Lab March 2012 is inviting applications on www.mumbaimantra.com as part of its Open Submission Process.

Under the Sundance Institute-Mahindra Global Filmmaking Award, four visionary filmmakers from around the world will receive a grant, attendance at the Sundance Film Festival for targeted industry meetings, mentoring from Institute staff and creative advisors and participation in a Feature Film Program Lab, along with year-round support.

This initiative will extend over a three-year period, benefiting 12 awardees. Beginning in 2012, one out of the four directors will be an Indian. Recipients of the 2011 Sundance Institute-Mahindra Global Film Making Award will be announced on January 25.

“Our entry into Media and Entertainment is positioned to create a rich resource for Independent Filmmakers and to encourage original storytelling from all parts of the world in line with the Mahindra Group’s global foot print. The first step in this direction is the collaboration with the Sundance Institute which three decades ago heralded a unique nurturing spirit for Independent Cinema in America”, said Anand Mahindra, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Mahindra Group.

“For Sundance Institute, this initiative represents our commitment to cultural exchange and allows us to extend our support of international filmmakers to a next generation of film artists emerging from India”, said Robert Redford, President and Founder of Sundance Institute.  

Sundance Institute is a global nonprofit organization founded by Robert Redford in 1981.Mumbai Mantra is the media and entertainment company of Mahindra, an Indian multinational. Mahindra  also presented last year’s Indian National Award winning Best Feature Film and has recently co-produced The Tempest directed by Julie Taymor.

Posted by NewsDesk on Jan 20 2011. Filed under Features & Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry