Hindi
Masterclass with Hugh Hudson
MUMBAI: A thin, 5 foot 2 inches security man tries to guard the auditorium screen door at MAMi film festival against a long queue of film and advertising enthusiasts awaiting a ‘Masterclass‘ with the award winning filmmaker of “Chariots of fire”. In his attempts at keeping the queue at bay, he almost stops the white haired distinguished guest, Hugh Hudson, from entering.
Soon, the Masterclass proceeds after the announcement that Prasoon Joshi, who was supposed to have a conversation on Hudson‘s body of work, is unable to make it. Nevertheless, an interesting chat follows as the charming and humourous filmmaker shares interesting anecdotes about his work and what the audience wants to know most – the experience with Al Pacino.
Talking about the powerful use of the famous Vangelis music in all his work, he also elaborates on the use of silence. “Silence is more important than sound,” he says. “Something Americans don‘t understand,” he adds jokingly.
When asked about his working style with actors, he reveals that he prefers unknown actors along with strong actors for supporting roles. “Stars can spoil a story,” says Hudson, in response to which the audience nods vigorously.
Talking about his style in advertising, he says that he works on going to the core of the simple idea, something not so easy and as simple as it sounds. “Just present the product at the very end.” he adds.
After showcasing the magnificent commercials on British Rail, British Airways, Fiat Strada, Benson & Hedges, he talks about the difference in the advertising scenario in the seventies, eighties and today. “That was the era of grand spending in the advertising world,” he says.
He parts with wise words to all filmmakers in the audience:”Don‘t make a film for the fame or the money. Do it because you believe in it.”
Hindi
VAM Summit & The Content Hub to host VFX breakdown of ‘Border 2’
Siddhartha Jayakar to unpack film’s war visuals at Mumbai event
MUMBAI: A making-of session on Border 2, known for its war portrayal, will be held at the VAM (VFX and More) Summit and The Content Hub. The session will be led by Labyrinth Studios co-founder and creative director Siddhartha Jayakar.
Mumbai-based Labyrinth Studios has worked across blockbuster films, television shows, and commercials spanning multiple genres, including projects like IC814 The Kandahar Hijack, Thamma, Kalki, Sitaare Zameen Par and many more.
The VAM Summit and The Content Hub continue their legacy of spotlighting key trends and developments shaping the filmmaking, content and VFX industries. Taking place across 14 and 15 May 2026 at Nesco, Mumbai, the event will conclude with the VAM Awards on the evening of 15 May.
The ceremony will spotlight the best in visual effects, recognising top artistry and technical excellence from VFX studios, freelancers, and production houses.
This year’s combined theme, “AI x Creativity: Redefining Storytelling in 2026” and “Content Acceleration: The Race for Attention,” highlights the growing role of artificial intelligence and the increasing pace of content creation in shaping the future of storytelling.
The event will offer audiences a comprehensive look at the latest trends and developments in content consumption, regional content, visual effects, AI-powered creative workflows and related fields through a curated programme of keynotes, panel discussions, presentations, making-of sessions, and fireside chats, concluding with the awards ceremony.
The event will be graced by big names in the filmmaking and entertainment industry, some of which include Reliance Entertainment CEO Shibasish Sarkar, Red Chillies Entertainment producer Aashish Singh, Black Warrant series co creator Satyanshu Singh, Roy Kapur Films business head Malvika Khatri, Sony south-regional chief content officer Rajaram Sundaram and Google AI head of sales Naren Kachroo. Participating VFX studios include Dneg, Framestore, PhantomFX, NY VFXWaala, philmCGI and more.
The combined platform is set to bring together producers, cinematographers, VFX supervisors, studio heads, technologists, AI developers, content creators, filmmakers, directors and many more.
The event is co-powered by SideFX and Tathastu Techno Solutions. The associate partners include ARK Infosolutions, Autodesk, and Foundry. The industry partners are Chana Jor, Famous Studios and Hoichoi. The community partner is MIDCCA.
For more information, visit here: https://event.animationxpress.com/vam/ and https://www.thecontenthub.in/
To register for VAM Summit & The Content Hub: https://event.animationxpress.com/vam_summit_2026/index.php
