Documentary
Sundance, World Cinema award-winning Indian docu ‘Machines’ to premiere at MAMI
MUMBAI: After making the World Premiere at Sundance Film Festival 2017 and bagging the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for excellence in Cinematography, Rahul Jain’s internationally acclaimed directorial debut documentary feature, Machines to make its India Premiere in the competition category, India Gold in Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI), 2017.
Jain says, “I am happy to bring Machines in the place where it was made. I am really looking forward to the film’s reception in India. And what better a place for that than MAMI itself.”
The film will also be screened at Dharamshala International Film Festival, 2017. The documentary is a sensorial and kaleidoscopic meditation on the meaning of labor in an Indian textile sweatshop.
The film was selected as one of the Work-in-Progress Lab projects at NFDC’s Film Bazaar 2015 from where it got picked by international buyers and started its film festival journey.
Since then, the internationally acclaimed docu-feature has been screened and won awards in over 50 prestigious film festivals including Sundance Film Festival.
The film produced by Jain (Jann Pictures) and co-produced by Likka Vehkalahti (IV FILMS LTD), Thanassis Karathanos (Pallas Film) has released theatrically in across the world.
Synopsis: Our technological times enable us to reduce working hours like never before in human civilization. But, the reduction of effort by technology is a first world reality, where relatively comparable technology with lesser material infrastructure could do the same for a much higher mass of the population.
‘Machines’ attempts to examine the experiential reality of factory culture and labor processes through temporal observation. Rather than documenting chronology or history, it creates a portrait of the breathing rhythms of the humans who inhabit the labyrinths of the textile factory with its machines.
Background: India has domestic migration issues. There is historical inequality in the Indian government’s push for the development of industrial infrastructure. This has led to cases of extreme poverty and wealth being generated in particular states, leading to mass migrations for employment.
Film Festival journey and Awards: Institute of Contemporary Art – New York City. Frames of Representation – Opening Film. CPH DoX Denmark — Best Film. Thessaloniki Film Festival, Greece – Best Film. Greek Hellenic Parliamentary Award — Human Rights Award. International documentary festival of Amsterdam – Netherlands – Producers Award. Documenta Madrid – Spain — Best Film. Docs Barcelona – Spain – Best Film. MakeDox – Macedonia – Best Moral Approach Award.
Documentary
Netflix and Warner Music ink landmark documentary deal
The streaming giant has just unlocked one of the richest vaults in music history. Its rivals should be worried
CALIFORNIA AND NEW YORK: Netflix and Warner Music Group have signed an exclusive multi-year deal to produce documentary series and films drawn from the label’s storied artist roster, the companies announced on Friday — a move that hands the streaming platform access to one of the most formidable catalogues in music history.
Warner Music Group represents legends including David Bowie, Cher, Fleetwood Mac, Aretha Franklin and Joni Mitchell, alongside contemporary superstars such as Charli XCX, Coldplay and Bruno Mars. That is a staggering breadth of material for a platform hungry for prestige content and subscriber growth to match.
Under the agreement, Warner Music will work with Unigram, the production company aligned with the label, which will serve as the studio for its long-form projects. Each title will be developed in collaboration with the artists themselves or their estates, ensuring the kind of intimate access that turns a documentary into an event.
The deal reflects an intensifying race between music-rights owners and streaming platforms eager to turn deep catalogues into premium visual content. Music documentaries have become a vehicle for fan-driven, culturally resonant programming — a trend underscored by Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” film, which grossed over $260 million globally and reminded every platform chief just how lucrative the genre can be.
Netflix already boasts formidable credentials in music storytelling, with “Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé” and “Quincy” among its highest-profile releases. The Warner deal sharpens that edge considerably. Rival platforms have not been idle: Disney+ has released “The Beach Boys”, while Max has drawn attention with “Stax: Soulsville U.S.A.” Apple Music, meanwhile, has pushed into original content through its Apple Music Live series, producing documentaries and livestreamed concerts featuring Harry Styles and Billie Eilish.
The battle for music’s visual soul, then, is well and truly on. Netflix has just made its boldest move yet.
