International
Books to read before they hit theatres in 2014
MUMBAI: Today, we kick off a 10-part series on the books that are being adapted into Hollywood movies in the Year 2014. Here’s the first one from the lot…
Vampire Academy – Richelle Mead
Higher Learning, Higher Stakes!
It’s time the Salvatore brothers took a backseat, for the students of St. Vladimir’s Academy are taking center stage in the upcoming big screen adaptation of the bestselling Vampire Academy series. The first book revolves around 17-year-old, Rosemarie “Rose” Hathaway, a half-human, half vampire Dhampir and her Romanian Moroi vampire best friend, Vasilisa “Lissa” Dragomir, who return to St. Vladimir’s Academy after being on the run for two years.
The characters are smart, simple and very funny. The story has the right amount of blood, action and Gossip Girl-ing to make the book unputdownable. It has stark amount of detail and research the author has done about the Romanian vampires while still maintaining the snarky and sarcastic gift of gab.
The book received positive reviews throughout most of the literary review mediums, with a Goodreads average of 4.20/5, based on 2,15,253 ratings. In June 2010, Michael Preger’s Preger Entertainment optioned the film rights to the Vampire Academy series.
Australian actress Lucy Fry (H2O: Just Add Water) plays the royal Moroi Lissa and Zoey Deutch (Beautiful Creatures, Ringer) plays her Dhampir guardian-in-training Rose, who soon starts to develop strong feelings for her Dhampir mentor Dimitri Belikov played by Danila Kozlovsky, in his first mainstream English film. The two best friends begin to realise that the threat of the Strigoi (bloodthirsty, undead vampires) is bigger than ever. The film is directed by Mark Waters, director of the hit Lindsay Lohan teen romedy, Mean Girls.
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Deepak Nayar, Owner & Producer, Kintop Pictures, one of the leading producers of the film said adapting bestselling young adult (YA) series into film franchises is not new, citing the example of Harry Potter. “Already having an existing audience, we expect the $10 million in book sales alone to turn into $100 million in ticket sales. We’ve made this film expecting a certain degree of longevity and success once made into a franchise.”
Vampire Academy stakes Indian theatres Valentine’s Day, 14 February.
(Watch out for the next one to add to your booklist…!)
International
Moskino and Bollywood: Moscow Film Cluster and Film City Mumbai signed a cooperation agreement
Moscow Film Cluster has signed a cooperation agreement with Film City Mumbai. The parties agreed to cooperate in developing the film industry, promoting shooting locations and supporting filmmakers.
The memorandum was signed on the sidelines of the India International Film Tourism (IIFTC) Conclave in Mumbai. At this forum, the Moscow Film Cluster presented Moscow’s opportunities for film shooting, including infrastructure projects such as Film City Moskino and Film Factory. Special attention was paid to the Moscow rebate system – up to 45% – and the co-production development.
Memorandum of Understanding between the Film City and Moscow Film Cluster provides for the establishment and development of mutually beneficial cooperation in the film industry development, including joint promotion of shooting locations, support for filmmakers, implementation of marketing and industry events, development of incentive support measures and strengthening of economic and cultural interaction between India and Moscow.
The parties also intend to promote the development of the audiovisual sector through the exchange of experience, joint initiatives and the search for opportunities to create new industry partnerships and clusters.
Moscow Film Cluster is a major city initiative led by Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin to develop the capital into a global cinema hub. It brings together key production infrastructure – such as the Moskino Film Сity, Film Factory and Gorky Film Studio – along with the Film Commission, digital platform and cinema chain to streamline shooting, support productions and attract international filmmaking to Moscow.
Also, Moscow offers a rebate of up to 45%: 30% as direct production cost compensation, up to 15% for visa and accommodation support. The Moscow Image Grant provides up to $255,000 for films showcasing iconic city views.
The Moscow Film Cluster booth attracted considerable attention from Indian producers and studios. Over 80 business meetings were held, including those with major Indian companies.
One of the booth guests was the famous Indian actress Khushboo Sundar, known to Soviet and Russian audiences for her role in My Soul and considered the leading star of Tamil cinema, in whose honor one of the local temples was even built. Prithul Kumar, representative of the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and one of the officials responsible for regulating the film industry in the country, also expressed interest in the development of the Moscow Film Cluster.
One of the highlights of the India International Film Tourism Conclave was the awarding of The Greatest of All Time in the For Cinematic Excellence category. The movie was shot in Moscow. The jury members noted the project’s contribution to the development of tourism.
The shooting of The Greatest of All Time AGS by Entertainment was organized with the assistance of the Moscow Film Cluster and the Moscow Film Commission and took place in April 2024 on the streets of Moscow. The scenes were shot in such famous locations as Patriarch Bridge, Teatralnaya Square, Manezhnaya Square, Kazarmenny Lane, Podsosensky Lane, Nikolskaya Street and one of the festival venues of Moscow Seasons.
The Greatest of All Time became a landmark event in Indian box office history. It ranked fourth in box office earnings among all movies released in India in 2024 and is one of the most successful Tamil-language movies in history.
At the same time, the shooting of another joint Russian-Indian movie started at the Moskino Film City in Moscow. A film project dedicated to badminton became one of the first participants in the Moscow rebate program.
A project by Smena & WISH Media (Russia) and Kartina Entertainment And Sports Private Limited (India) will tell the story of a badminton player who travels to India with the Russian national team to compete in a tournament. Russian viewers will see for the first time the scale of sporting competitions in Asia, where badminton is a cult sport and draws packed stands of fans.
The agreement on the joint production of the Smash movie was signed st the Moscow International Film Week in August 2025. And as Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said, a rebate application was also submitted at that time to reimburse part of the costs incurred during the shooting process in the Russian capital.
