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MUMBAI:
Mumbai Mantra, the media and entertainment division
of the Mahindra Group, collaborated with Sundance Institute
for the inaugural Mumbai Mantra/Sundance Institute Screenwriters
Lab 2012 in which eight feature film projects were selected
through a rigorous evaluation process from screenplays
submitted by Indian screenwriters from around the world.
These
screenwriting fellows had the opportunity to work intensely
on their feature film scripts with the support of established
screenwriters and directors (creative advisors) in an
environment that encouraged innovation and creative
risk-taking.
Through
one-on-one story sessions with the creative advisors,
the Screenwriting Fellows were engaged in an artistically
demanding process that offered indispensable lessons
in craft, a fresh perspective on their work and a platform
which fully realised their material.
This
year’s Screenwriting Fellows who went through
the immersive five day workshop (March 11-15) are:
Charudutt Acharya (Sonali Cable Centre), Shonali Bose
and Nilesh Maniyar (Margarita, With a Straw), Vikas
Chandra (Toothache), Rajnesh Domalpalli (Avani), Prashant
Nair (Umrica), Anusha Rizvi and Mahmood Farooqui (Opium),
Ajitpal Singh (Manjhi) and Kartik Singh (Public School).
Said
Mumbai Mantra chairman Rohit Khattar, “We are
at an exciting storytelling stage in the history of
Independent Cinema in India. With the help of our
exceptional partners, Sundance Institute, we are keen
to recognize, nurture and hone talent in India and
across the world. We welcome to the lab the 11 remarkably
talented Creative Advisors. We congratulate the 10
screenwriting fellows selected for the first Mumbai
Mantra | Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab and
look forward to their next films with great anticipation.”
Mumbai
Mantra received over 500 applications. For the selection
of the eight projects for the Lab, the selection advisory
committee comprised eminent Indian screenwriters,
directors, film critics and film academics who considered
over 90 screenplays. After an intense selection process
in consultation with the Sundance Institute, the final
eight projects were chosen.
The
Mumbai Mantra | Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab
is the first step in a three-year creative and strategic
partnership that includes a robust plan to help Indian
filmmakers connect to ever-increasing global audiences.
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