INDIAN DISTRIBUTORS ARE LOOKING TO ADAPT RUSSIAN FILMS AND SERIES
Indian distributors are looking to adapt Russian films and series
Russian companies summed up the results of their participation in the largest South Asian content market—Film Bazaar—in India
Participation in Film Bazaar was the first large-scale entry of the Russian film industry into the Indian film market. At the Russian Content Worldwide (RCW) stand organized by ROSKINO (Russian film promotion body), content producers presented over 30 projects.
Representatives of India, South Korea, Bangladesh, Nepal, Uzbekistan and other countries showed interest in Russian films, series, and animation. The most popular request from Indian buyers was the purchase of rights to adapt projects—the series Unprincipled, Finding Closure, The Kidney, Consent and others were of great interest. Animation also piqued the interest of international representatives. Amazon Prime India is looking at the musical animated series The Beadies (the contract for the distribution of the series was previously signed with one of the most advanced animation studios in Asia, the Indian Toonz Media Group).
ROSKINO CEO Inna Shalyto said: “ Film Bazaar was the first big step towards a large-scale study of the region. Interest in Russian projects at the market was high, and there is a clear trend for the purchase of formats—India has its own successful film industry and they really love their actors, so Indian directors and producers are ready to remake Russian film projects, with the participation of their own stars, who have a multi-million strong army of fans. Selling adaptation rights could therefore be the most effective entry into the Indian market for the Russian film industry. There was also interest in co-production with Russian companies, which was mentioned, in particular, by the Indian directors who were guests of the Russian Film Festival, held in Mumbai shortly before Film Bazaar. There was also interest in Russian projects as finished products—fantasies, animation, and family adventure films. International representatives praised the quality of the cinematography and special effects.”
Plus Studio held meetings with representatives of companies from India, Bangladesh, and South Korea. According to the company, buyers from India are mainly interested in acquiring the rights to film and television series formats, including the series Finding Closure and Unprincipled.Korean distributors are ready to consider ready-made TV series and feature films, including the fantasy film Aeterna: Part One, which was screened as part of the film market. A distribution company from Bangladesh is also looking at the company's TV series catalog with a view to buying TV rights.
Gazprom-Media Entertainment Television (GPM RTV), which presented the second season of TNT Network TV series To the Sea at Film Bazaar, noted that many producers, directors and production executives from India and other countries were interested in co-production. Representatives of GPM RTV stressed that the main genres in which TNT Network channel works - adventure and comedy - are currently gaining momentum in India. At Film Bazaar, the company explored the following aspects: production economics (government support, rebates, production budgets, etc.); locations (main destinations and timeframes, coordination of filming); genre specificity (including discussion of possible scripts with producers of Indian companies).
Online cinema KION also noted the interest of Indian representatives in buying formats. Buyers were attracted by the series The Kidney, Padre Sergius, Consent andthe family comedy Ivan Semenov – The School Trouble Maker!.
Bubble Studios, which showed international buyers the new action adventure Grom: Boyhood, noted that both distribution and co-production opportunities were discussed at meetings with international representatives.
Platoshka Animation studio presented the children’s animated educational musical series for children, The Beadies, at Film Bazaar. A spokesperson revealed that there was interest in the series from Amazon Prime India, a Korean distributor, and a local hotel television operator. Earlier this year, Platoshka signed a contract with one of the most advanced animation studios in Asia, the Indian Toonz Media Group, for the distribution of the animated series The Beadies in Hindi on Youtube channels.
For Riki Group, Film Bazaar is a very rich market. As noted by the company, meetings with industry representatives from India were very productive. Riki Group brought serial content to the market and presented the projects Tina and Tony, Babyriki and BeardyBodo to buyers, who also showed great interest in full-length films from the company's catalog.
SMF Animation held meetings with representatives of the largest distribution and production companies from India, Korea, Nepal, Israel and other countries. The animated feature film DetectiveChirp and the Golden Beehive, the animated series The Adventures of Peter and Wolf and TheSecrets of Honey Hills also aroused interest. International representatives appreciated the quality of the content and the educational component of the studio's projects.
Red Carpet Studio held meetings with representatives from India, South Korea, and Uzbekistan about the children's TV series Space Doctor Cat. Buyers for online platforms, TV channels, and distributors were also interested in the project.
Central Partnership and Art Pictures Distribution also presented their projects at the Russian Content Worldwide booth.
*** Russian Content Worldwide (RCW) https://rcw.online/is the umbrella export brand of the Russian content industry. The mission of RCW is to develop international ties and business cooperation, increase the transparency of the Russian film industry, and organize communication between Russian companies whose work is focused on foreign markets and international audiences interested in new names, original content, and new horizons in film production.