Global Flicks: Indian Film Magnate and Businessman Ramoji Rao Dies At 87
Gospel Cinema International is set to release its newest film, CHAINS - No Longer A Slave, on August 14, 2024. The film will be released across theaters in Nigeria. CHAINS, billed as a faith-based drama, explores the internal conflict faced by a gospel music artist who must balance his devotion to church with the demands of the music industry. The film is written, produced, and directed by Bright Wonder Obasi. The title outlines the grand metaphor of the movie: the artist feels he must break free from the “chains” placed on him by the industry. The movie has a diverse cast, including actors, ministers, and musical artists including Apostle Anselm Madubko, Solomon Lange, Onos Ariyo, and more.
The National Film Authority of Ghana has joined forces with Silverbird Cinemas to organize the Africa Cinema Summit in Accra. This will be the second year for the event and it will run from October 7 to 10 at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel. The theme will be “The Relevance of Cinema in African Communities.” At last year’s summit, representatives from 20 African countries participated. The discussion focused on exploring and creating cinematic opportunities to suit the unique characteristics of each geographic location across the continent. The meeting was the source of multiple strategic gains for the regional industry. Ghana’s president Nana Akufo-Addo pledged to approve a film tax incentive for the Ghanaian film industry. Following the event, Nigerian operator Filmhouse Group also committed to distributing Ghanaian films across Nigeria and other partner nations. Silverbird Ghana pledged to incorporate local snacks into their cinema foods at Ster-Kinekor, the leading cinema chain in Southern Africa. Ster-Kinekor has committed to exploring e-sports in their cinemas. The 2024 summit will focus on the “growth in quality of local content production and consumption driving the case for increased cinema investment.” Attendees at the summit will include cinema exhibitors, industry leaders and investors, filmmakers, producers, distributors, studios, policymakers, and stakeholders from across the continent and the globe. This will be the biggest cinema event in Africa, according to Juliet Yaa Asantewa Asante, CEO of the National Film Authority of Ghana. She said, at this summit, they plan to expand the cinema industry so much so that the continent can create over 20 million jobs and the governments can contribute $20 billion to the continent’s combined GDP.
“Over 80% of Africans on the continent have never been to a cinema, as the lack of cinema infrastructure has meant the eroding of the cinema culture in African communities,” she said. “This is a big opportunity, and we have the mindset that it is possible to drive Africa’s 1 billion youth population to think about Cinema as a viable entertainment option. The entire cinema world must join us on this journey that holds the future sustainability of not only African cinema but world cinema,” said Asantewa Asante.
Ramoji Rao - The India Today Group
Asia: Indian film magnate and businessman Ramoji Rao dies at 87 years old. He passed away on June 8, 2024, following a brief stay in a hospital in Hyderabad. Rao was best known for being the head of Ramoji Film City and ETV Network. Cheruki “Ramoji” Rao was born into village life in the Madras region of India in 1936. He went on to lead the Ramoji business group, which owned the world’s largest film production facility Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad. His many other business ventures included owning the Dolphin group of hotels and Mayuri Film Distributors. For his film work, Rao earned four Filmfare Awards South, five Nandi Awards, and the National Film Award for his works in Telugu cinema. Eight years ago, he received the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian honor for his contributions to journalism, literature, and education. The Telangana government has decided to give Rao an official state funeral. Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi expressed his sadness with a statement on social media.
“The passing away of Shri Ramoji Rao Garu is extremely saddening. He was a visionary who revolutionized Indian media. His rich contributions have left an indelible mark on journalism and the world of films. Through his noteworthy efforts, he set new standards for innovation and excellence in the media and entertainment world,” Modi said in a post on X.
Many Japanese anime films are currently earning more in China than they are in their native Japan. Last year, Suzume earned $117 million in China, ahead of the film’s $104 million total in Japan. The scale of the Chinese international film market is not just limited to Japan. In 2016, Dangal earned $190 million in China, compared to $77 million in its native Japan. That same year, Bad Genius earned $41 million in China, compared with $3.3 million in Thailand. The list goes on and on. However, the most prominent of these numbers is anime. Anime films make Japanese cinema the second largest category of imports into China by nationality, after those from the U.S. About 75 Japanese anime films have had a China theatrical release since the beginning of 2015. The massive success these anime films have in China can be attributed to cultural similarities between the two countries. Both societies are characterized by late marriage, dual income and no-children households, and aging populations.
India’s Dream Slate Pictures is in development of a biopic of Kiran Bedi, the first woman officer in the Indian Police Service (IPS). Before the IPS, Bedi was India’s national junior tennis champion. She joined the IPS in 1972 and became notable for her campaign against drug abuse in Delhi. She also introduced reforms at Delhi’s Tihar jail, which earned her the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1994. According to Dream Slate Pictures, the upcoming film, Bedi: The Name You Know. The Story You Don’t, promises to dive deep into the “untold incidents, personal and professional challenges, and unwavering determination that shaped her extraordinary career in policing,” The film is written and directed by Kushaal Chawla (Another Time) and is set to be released in 2025.
“This story is not just my story. It’s an Indian woman’s story – an Indian woman who grew up in India, studied in India, was raised by Indian parents, and worked for the people of India throughout her career. My story began at the age of nine when my father told me, ‘Life is on an incline, you either go up or you come down,’ and my mother said, ‘You shall be a giver and not a receiver.’ These statements remained my guiding principles. As we aim to release this film in the 50th International Year of the Woman, this will be an Indian woman’s story representing our great nation internationally,” said Bedi.
Okuyama Hiroshi screened his second feature, My Sunshine, in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard lineup. Hiroshi is known for his student film Jesus, which he put out when he was 22 years old and won the New Directors Award at San Sebastian for in 2018. My Sunshine will be a coming-of-age drama about two tween ice skaters, Takuya and Sakura. Takuya is bad at both hockey and baseball, two must-do sports for boys, so he tries out figure skating. Sakura’s coach is touched by his ambition and has the two train together. The film was inspired by Hiroshi’s own childhood, when he learned ice skating form age 5 to 12. He wanted to do it professionally. In order to shape a whole movie around his scattered memories, Hiroshi found inspiration from the song Boku no Ohisama (2014) by Humbert Humbert. The song, named “My Sunshine” in English, supplied the title of the film and the lyrics gave him the idea for the protagonist, Takuya. The film explores more than just ice skating and the difficulties of growing up. My Sunshine also explores the difficulties and dangers of being a sexual minority in conservative Japan. The film will be released in Japan by Tokyo Theaters and in France by Art House Films.
Mohammed Al-Turki - Daniele Venturelli
Middle East: Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Foundation has announced that Mohammed Al-Turki is stepping down as its CEO to focus on personal projects and his career as an independent film producer and businessman. The foundation oversees the Jeddah-set Red Sea International Film Festival and has also been given credit for building a healthy cinema ecosystem in the nation quickly after the cinema ban was lifted. News of his departure comes after the foundation had a successful year at Cannes, with it supporting Norah, which was the first Saudi film selected for Official Selection in Un Certain Regard. Under Al-Turki’s leadership, Red Sea Film Foundation held the first three editions of the RSIFF and supported 250 projects from Saudi, MENA and Africa and Asia.
“We look forward to watching his career as one of Saudi’s most prominent film executives continue. We also look forward to welcoming new leadership to the Foundation alongside our existing team which remains spearheaded by our Managing Director Shivani Pandya Malhotra.” said Red Sea Film Foundation chairperson Jomana Alrashid.
