iWorld
France woos Indian content creators; lays out interesting incentives
MUMBAI: The French government is laying out the red carpet for Indian film, digital originals and TV series makers. French minister of culture Franck Riester flew into Mumbai and had a series of whistlestop meetings with members of the creative community at Mumbai’s Soho House. His pitch: come to France, film, do co-productions and we will give you all the permissions through one window, access to regional tax incentives, and credits.
Said the minister: “The French president wants to build closer relationships with India. One of the best ways to do it is through the medium of cinema. Both France and India have a long history of cinema. We are the premier film making country in Europe. India’s Bollywood has been making major strides. We have many stories which can be remade in India and likewise. And India and France have a coproduction agreement since 2010 and more than 10 films have been shot in France. ”
Centre National Du cinema et de l’mage animee (CNC) president Dominique Boutonnat said that French cinema does about $3 billion euros worth of productions while making about 300 films a year. “Even series which are travelling across the world thanks to global streaming platforms can come and film in France. We have beautiful locations which can be used.”
The single-window clearance will be done through Film France. Stephan Bender who looks after technical facilities and communications for the organisation, says that procedures have been simplified and all clearances, permissions, finding a local partner, tax credit clearances will be done through his office. “Earlier we had to go through the ministry of commerce; and that would take time. But now that we have stepped in things are bound to speed up. All you need to do to take advantage of our incentives is send us your budget and production services agreement (PSA) with your local producer, your script – to find out if you are eligible. Non-fiction and documentary makers are not eligible for the incentives though. It has to be scripted and fiction oriented.”
Riester added that a committee and film commission is being set up to facilitate Indian productions in France, which will assess projects coming to it, and turnaround time is being improved by the day. "I think it''s human relationships which will help strengthen our relations in cinema and other creative industries. I hope we will be able to increase our cooperation, business and artistic exchanges," he acknowledged.
Bender added that producers will require to spend a minimum of Rs 2 crore in France to be eligible for the incentives which tots up to 30 per cent. If VFX is added to it, then the incentives will be higher at 40 per cent for expenditure up to two million euros. The incentive and tax credit has a limit of 30 million euros for a project, but for that the expenditure in France will have to be in excess of 100 million euros.
Among the filmmakers who turned up for the interactions included Reliance Entertainment’s Shibashis Sarkar, Red Chillies Gaurav Verma, Dipti Jindal, a representative of Sajid Nadiadwala, Vivek Singhania, actor turned producer R Madhavan, Sunil Khetrapal from Azure Entertainment, Narayan Srinivasan from In2tainment, TVC digital series and film maker Rajnish Lall, Brio Studios Amit Ranekar, India Spark’s Khalid Khan, among many others.
iWorld
Epic Company launches unified Epic Studio for films and OTT
Vivek Krishnani to head films business; Samar Khan leads OTT & Television.
MUMBAI: Epic just merged its creative superheroes under one cape because when films and OTT need to fight for attention together, you don’t keep them in separate universes. The Epic Company has launched Epic Studio, a next-generation creative and production powerhouse that unites Juggernaut Productions and Movieverse Studio under a single banner. The move creates a streamlined, scalable platform for premium storytelling across theatrical films, OTT originals, television, digital-first formats and branded content.
Vivek Krishnani has been appointed chief executive officer, Epic Studio (Films), overseeing the theatrical and film business with a focus on culturally resonant narratives across Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati and Malayalam cinema. Samar Khan continues as chief executive officer, Epic Studio (OTT & Television) and retains his role as chief content officer for Docubay and Epic On.
The Epic Company managing director Aditya Pittie said, “Epic Studio brings together our entire creative ecosystem under one unified studio vision. This is not just an integration of verticals, but the creation of a collaborative environment where writers, filmmakers, creators, and brand partners can seamlessly develop and scale stories across formats and screens.”
Vivek Krishnani added, “We are building an audience-focused mainstream film studio committed to delivering fresh, engaging, and innovative stories for both theatrical and streaming platforms.”
Samar Khan commented, “This alignment allows us to approach storytelling with a unified studio mindset. We are building IP under one creative umbrella, with scale and longevity in mind from inception.”
The unified structure eliminates silos, enabling ideas to flow fluidly from concept to screen while adapting to evolving audience behaviour. Epic Studio positions itself as a creator-led ecosystem championing purposeful, resonant storytelling with commercial strength.
In an entertainment landscape where stories now leap between screens faster than plot twists, Epic isn’t just building a studio, it’s crafting a single launchpad where every tale gets the best shot at soaring across every platform.
