International
Green Gold teams up with UK’s Red Kite for edgy animated feature ‘The Assassin’
HYDERABAD: Indian animation heavyweight Green Gold has dived into darker, high-end territory with The Assassin, a gritty India–UK co-production with Scotland’s Red Kite Animation unveiled at the Goa Film Festival and Co-Production Market. The move marks a sharp pivot for the studio as it steps beyond family fare and into globally minded, director-led animation.
For more than a decade, Green Gold has pushed original Indian storytelling; The Assassin signals its most ambitious leap yet. Written and directed by Martyn Pick, known for his painterly, hybrid visual grammar and muscular action, the film is being shaped with script editor Martha MacDiarmid and design teams in Hyderabad who are crafting its graphic-novel aesthetic.
Set in a tense, near-future metropolis, the story follows a young man whose life unravels after an industrial disaster. As corporate power tightens its grip on the city, his pursuit of justice spirals into a perilous transformation blurring rebellion, survival and vengeance. With its emotional edge and contemporary themes, the film underscores Green Gold’s appetite for bolder, globally resonant storytelling.
The project is being developed under the India–UK Audio-Visual Co-Production Treaty, with both studios partnering equally across financing, creative development, production and international distribution. A hybrid pipeline mixing guerrilla live-action, rotoscoping and high-end 2D/3D animation is being built across Hyderabad and the UK, aiming for a nimble 15–18 month turnaround and a visual signature primed for festivals and global buyers.
“Indian animation has the depth and ambition to stand shoulder to shoulder with the world’s best,” said Green Gold founder and chief executive Rajiv Chilaka. “The Assassin is a bold, original film led by a singular creative vision, and working with Ken and the Red Kite team brings two creative cultures together in a meaningful, future-facing way.”
Red Kite founder and chief executive Ken Anderson called the project “exactly the kind of internationally resonant filmmaking the UK and India can deliver together,” adding that the partnership reflects a deeper push to strengthen creative and industrial ties between the two countries.
Unveiling the feature at the WAVES Film Bazaar, one of India’s most influential hubs for global audiovisual partnerships, signals Green Gold’s growing international hunger and its intent to plant Indian animation firmly on the world stage.
The assassin may be on screen, but the ambition is unmistakably real: Green Gold is aiming straight for the global bullseye.
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.
