Film Production
FridayFictionFilms: Redefining filmmaking for social impact and corporate collaboration
Mumbai: FridayFictionFilms, a film production house, is celebrated for its unparalleled dedication to storytelling that transcends the ordinary. With accolades gracing its shelves, including the esteemed Limca Book of Records, FridayFictionFilms reigns supreme, masterfully crafting narratives that not only entertain but also inspire change. Their repertoire spans from blockbuster commercial ventures to soul-stirring shorts, each imbued with a profound sense of purpose. FridayFictionFilms is renowned for its unwavering commitment to social causes.
Whether it’s shedding light on pressing societal issues or igniting empathy through the lens, every frame they capture is a testament to their dedication to making the world a better place, one story at a time.
Indiantelevision caught up with FridayFictionFilms -founder and CEO Tanmay Shah to talk about the challenges he has encountered as a filmmaker advocating for social causes and the unique approach his company takes in collaborating with brands to create impactful commercial films while staying true to its commitment to social good
On the inspiration behind establishing FridayFictionFilms
After I made my first film, I felt a lot could be done beyond what I knew. This medium can be explored to not just make films about social issues I am exposed to but can cater to individuals, companies, and brands already working towards a cause they care about. It’s also quite humbling and inspiring to listen, talk, and see how things operate at the grass-roots level. An accumulated sum of all this made it clear to start FridayFictionFilms and make films that matter.
On the significant gap in your YouTube channel’s content, particularly the last video titled ‘Horn ok please’’; Are you currently involved in the development of new projects
After the successful completion of the 52 Films Project, we started working on real-life stories. We moved from fiction to nonfiction and made two short documentaries, one feature-length documentary, and many in collaboration with NGOs. These films garnered 33 international film festival awards and ran across continents. This also led us to work with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through CWAS (Centre for Water and Sanitation) in India and Circulate Capital to fund innovations in ocean recycling and upcycling in Southeast Asia. Currently, we are working on two short documentaries and a feature-length documentary about the art and craft of local artisans.
On the challenges that you have faced as a filmmaker, especially in advocating for social causes through your work
What I have realised over the past decade in making films with social causes is that we have to be deeply invested in the cause or have a mindset towards progressively weaving the voice of the film towards a larger goal to be able to bring about any real change of any kind. If the film only leads to a space where it will be stuck at the same point as the cause itself, I guess it won’t be able to transcend the block. This entire process then becomes quite challenging because now how much to deal with stakeholders beyond the film and how much to pursue beyond making the film becomes an interesting self-journey.
On FridayFictionFilms collaborates with brands to create impactful commercial films while maintaining its commitment to social good
Brand and social good can also be a subtle introduction. It has to come out in company communication internally and externally and not necessarily always as leading the front for a cause voice. It could be more implementation-driven by showing how a brand first cares as an establishment and how it cares for and manages its employees and stakeholders and builds trust in the market. We bring out these subtle underlying aspects of brands and include them in the narratives we build for them.
On FridayFictionFilms setting itself apart from other film production companies in terms of its USP
We at FridayFictionFilms, utilise film as a solution and not just as a service. We use film also to simplify a lot of internal communication between companies and brands. The process of making the film goes even beyond making the film, it becomes a step towards bringing together the underlying values of the company to its employees and stakeholders and gives everyone more ways to connect with company goals and objectives.
Film Production
Disney to cut 1,000 jobs under new chief executive
The entertainment giant’s freshly installed boss inherits a restructuring already in motion, with marketing and corporate roles bearing the brunt
CALIFORNIA: Walt Disney is preparing to slash up to 1,000 jobs in the coming weeks, the Wall Street Journal reported, as the entertainment giant’s freshly installed chief executive moves swiftly to trim fat and tighten the ship.
The cuts, less than 1 per cent of Disney’s global workforce of 231,000, will fall hardest on marketing and corporate roles. The planning, notably, began before D’Amaro formally took the top job in March, suggesting the new boss inherited a restructuring already in motion rather than one of his own making.
Driving the push is Asad Ayaz, Disney’s newly appointed chief marketing officer, who in January assumed command of a unified, company-wide marketing operation spanning film, television and streaming. His consolidation drive has been given a suitably cinematic internal name: Project Imagine.
The move is modest by Disney’s recent standards. Between 2023 and 2025, under former chief executive Bob Iger, the company eliminated roughly 8,000 positions across several brutal rounds of cuts, saving $7.5 billion, comfortably exceeding its own targets. As recently as June 2025, several hundred more jobs were axed across Disney Entertainment, hitting film and television marketing, publicity, casting, development and corporate finance.
Disney’s structural headaches are well-documented: shrinking streaming margins, a weakened box office, and fierce competition from Amazon and YouTube gnawing at its flanks. The company is merging its Disney+ and Hulu teams into a single app, has brought in consultants from Bain & Co to guide its broader cost strategy, and is betting heavily on digital growth.
The wider entertainment industry offers little comfort. Sony Pictures, Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery have all taken the knife to their workforces in recent years, and further cuts loom if Paramount’s acquisition of Warner goes through.
For D’Amaro, the message is clear: there will be no honeymoon period. The magic kingdom still has some cost-cutting spells left to cast.
