English Entertainment
India-born American filmmaker bags two awards at Manhattan Filmfest
NEW DELHI: Emmy-nominated America-based filmmaker Tirlok Malik has been honoured with the special Outstanding Achievement in Multicultural Arts in acting, filmmaking, and immigrant advocacy at the International Film Festival in Manhattan.
The Festival held recently showed films dealing with social issues. The festival has the most diverse selection of world class films and a focus on social issues and advocacy as part of the programming and goals.
Malik has made many films starting from Lonely In America, Khushiyaan, On Golden Years, and many more. They all deal with the effects of migration in America.
Malik, who has given a break to many new faces in his films in front or behind the camera, said, “I am happy to be a part of this festival and I feel honored for this awards.”
Malik also received an award for best film award for On Golden Years.
Luis Pedron, co-founder of the festival, said the film On Golden Years deals with social issues of retirement that millions of first generation immigrants face in their lives.
Films from many countries, including Israel, Australia, Philippines, Sweden, Singapore, and the United States were shown at IFFM.
Malik accepted the award on the behalf of the team of On Golden Years and said, “It was team work making this film.”
The film is produced by Golden Movies. The idea of the story is inspired by the book Seeking Roots by Iggy Ignatius who is also the co-director of the film. The film stars among others Ranjit Chowdhry, Jyoti Singh, Reeves Lehmann, Shetal Shah, Noor Naghmi, Tirlok Malik, among others.
The film has been shot at the Indian retirement community Shantiniketan in Florida.
Meanwhile, Malik recently launched a website for streaming Indian-American movies www.nritvfilmclub.com. The website seeks to promote new talents as Malik wants to create what he calls ‘NRI-wood’ just like Hollywood and Bollywood.
English Entertainment
ZEE5 UK partners Narrative Entertainment to add UK channels
Six FAST channels added as platform sharpens hybrid play in Britain
LONDON: ZEE5 UK struck a first-of-its-kind deal with Narrative Entertainment, bringing mainstream UK television channels onto an Indian streaming platform as it pushes to deepen its footprint in a crowded, mature market.
The partnership adds six of Narrative’s FAST channels to the service, including Great! Movies, Great! Romance, Great! Mystery and kids brands POP, Tiny Pop and POP UP, widening ZEE5 UK’s appeal across genres and age groups.
The move reflects a clear shift in strategy. ZEE5 UK is betting on a hybrid model that blends on-demand content with curated, always-on channels to drive discovery and increase time spent on the platform.
“This partnership represents a meaningful evolution in how we serve audiences in mature markets like the UK, where viewers are defined by habits, convenience and choice rather than geography or language alone,” said Parul Goel, territory head, Europe, Zee Entertainment. “By bringing trusted mainstream UK channels together with our premium originals, movies and kids’ content, we are building a more consumer-centric platform that simplifies viewing while increasing depth and relevance.”
Fateha Begum, commercial director, Narrative Entertainment, said the tie-up would fuel growth for both sides. “Our portfolio of quality programming, with such wide and enduring appeal, is a perfect complement to ZEE5 UK. This is a strong partnership that will support growth for both parties, and we share Zee Entertainment’s vision of an increasingly partnership-led future for the industry.”
ZEE5’s global library spans over 4,000 films and more than 500 originals, with over 130 new titles added annually. The addition of Narrative’s channels strengthens its kids offering and introduces genre-led linear experiences alongside its on-demand catalogue.
The deal also gives Narrative access to ZEE5 UK’s fast-growing user base, extending reach without diluting brand identity, while reinforcing ZEE5 UK’s network of more than 40 live channels.
As streaming wars intensify, ZEE5 UK is widening its playbook, blending content, convenience and partnerships in a bid to win screen time in one of the world’s toughest markets.
