Kannada film industry to collaborate with Australia

If there is anything that binds Australians and Indians together, it's their love for cricket and films.

At an interactive collabora tion event held in the city on Thursday, as part of the Australian Film Showcase 2017, the discussion centred around the need to explore collaborations and more co-productions between the Australian and Kannada film industry.

Addressing members of the Kannada film industry at the interactive event were Australian consul-general for South India,

Sean Kelly

, film producer

Nelson Woss

, actor and producer Bryan Brown.

“Last November, among the films that released in

Australia

was a low-budget Indian movie called Dangal. The film did really well in Australia. It was a story that had heart and soul; it was a story about a father's relationship with his daughter; it was a story about ordinary people doing extraordinary things and so it resonated with the Australian audience,“ said Woss.He encouraged Kannada filmmakers present in the audience to make movies in Australia, taking advantage of the country's diverse locations and the attractive tax incentives its film industry offers.

“Australia is a hugely multicultural country and as such, we need to tell stories that are multicultural. Lion was a story of an Indian boy who lives in Australia and returns to India looking for his parents and roots. It's a simple story about an Indian, but it's an Australian film,“ said Brown, reiterating how blurring boundaries today make it essential to have cross cultural collaborations.

“We are working towards getting a co-production treaty between India and Australia,“ said Kelly before inviting SV Rajendra Singh Babu (chairman,

Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy

) to “bring a delegation of Kannada filmmakers to Australia for the Screen Forever seminar.“

“It will be the best way for them to learn about our industry and the country ,“ said Kelly.About the objective behind the showcase, Kelly added, “Our objectives are both to introduce Australian cinema to the people of Bengaluru and to promote