CREATIVE HUBS OF INDIA

being proposed to be set up in different parts of the Country in collaboration with respective State Governments.

How is India promoting co-production, and what are the future plans in this regard?

India has been actively fostering Bilateral AudioVisual Coproduction Agreements (AVCAs) with various countries to promote collaboration and growth in the film industry. Currently, India has AVCAs with 16 countries with Australia, being the most recent ones to have signed andnow Ministry aims to expand this number.

Out of the G20 countries, India has AVCAs with 10 nations, such as Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Republic of Korea, Russia, and the United Kingdom. Additionally, India has agreements with other countries that form part of the European Union, namely Spain, Portugal, and Poland. India is also actively negotiating AVCAs with others, namely Argentina, Mexico, South Africa, and Turkey and more. These efforts aim to considerably expand the number of countries with which Indian filmmakers and professionals can collaborate.

Co-production agreements have led to the creation of remarkable cinema. An example is the Indo-French treaty co-production “Lunchbox,” which achieved both box office success and critical acclaim in the past decade. Over the years, India has granted official coproduction status to 14 films, and the goal is to increase this number and encourage more films to be co-produced. It is notable that out of the 14 projects granted coproduction status three productions namely Mia and Me (IndiaGermany) Schirkoa (India-France) and Noah’s Ark (India-Brazil) are animation films.