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MUMBAI:
Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI) will travel
to the television trade event Mipcom which kicks off in Cannes,
France on Monday with a raft of new content.
SPTI
director licensing India Leena Dutta says that the company
will be taking new shows which clients have not seen before.
"Due to the Writers' strike in Hollywood this year, we,
like all the other Hollywood Studios, were not able to screen
as many shows back in May during L.A. Screenings as they were
not ready or had not been picked up at that time. Now
that we have additional pilot pick-ups, we will be introducing
these new shows to clients at Mipcom. In addition, we will
be showcasing a new multi-platform show starring movie star
Rosario Dawson called Gemini Division."
Gemini
Division is a science fiction series consisting of five
to seven minute long webisodes.
As
far as Asian content is concerned, it is showcasing the upcoming
Bollywood film Meerabhai Not Out. This is a cricket
themed film with Mandira Bedi. It also features Anil Kumble.
Korean films Venus and Mars and Open City will
also be on offer.
One
show from the US that will be showcased is The Beast.
In this pilot Patrick Swayze plays an undercover FBI agent.
The Unusuals is a one-hour dramedy set in Manhattan,
featuring Amber Tamblyn as a police officer whose choice of
profession has made her the black sheep of her wealthy family.
Tamblyn will play Casey Shraeger, a newly transferred homicide
detective who learns that her fellow officers have quirks
and secrets.
On
the animation front the company will showcase Sit Down
Shut Up. This is a new animated series, with animated
characters against non-animated backgrounds. It depicts the
lives and quirks of nine staffers at a high school in a small
fishing town. This series shows that teachers have lives and
personal problems too. It airs in the US on Fox.
Dutta
adds that while Mipcom is certainly an essential part of the
calendar, this year it is a bit unusual. Normally, Mipcom
would be a good time to close deals on new shows screened
at LA Screenings which by mid-October would have already launched
in the US. But due to the Writer's strike earlier this year,
SPTI will be looking to debut new shows at the market.
Asked
about the impact of the economic recession on the business
that will be transacted at Mipcom, she conceedes that the
global economic crisis affects every single one of the players
and it will definitely influence the mood of the market. "The
entertainment business, however, seems to be quite resilient
during times of economic hardship. History has shown that
when times are tough, people tend to turn to movies and TV
shows for escapism even more so. We hope this will hold true
as we deal with these tough times."
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