Movies
NFDC Bazaar: Content evolution through socio-eco changes, expanding genres & innovative distribution to be discussed
MUMBAI: The 10th edition of NFDC Film Bazaar to be held from 20 to 24 November, 2016, at Marriott, Goa, will have a series of interesting and engaging ‘Knowledge Series’ sessions this year.
This year a lot of focus is on technology & its impact on narratives, digitalisation and the expanding scope of monetising films (Indie included) and of course New Voices as well as the tried and tested ones — how do they hope to tell their stories and experiment with form, what are these stories as well as how do they propose to build their viewer community and engage them.
Film Bazaar 2016 will have a Virtual Reality Sidebar and Film Bazaar VR Lounge powered by Samsung GearVR in Knowledge Series. The VR Sidebar will have three Knowledge Series sessions including a presentation by Michel Reilhac (ex-Head of Film Acquisitions at Arte France curated the VR NEXT sidebar at Cannes 2016, and has also directed 6 VR shorts) on Virtual Reality technology.
Thithi director Raam Reddy, Sairaat director Nagraj Manjule and Kothanodi director Bhaskar Hazarika will be a part of a panel discussion on stories that are being told in Regional and Small Town India. Google, YouTube’s session will be on Building Communities and Icons and Facebook to have a session on Marketing the Indie Film and Building Communities.
Knowledge Series, which consists of specially curated presentations, lectures and panel discussions with key decision makers and market drivers of the film industry, will have a Virtual Reality Sidebar.
This year Film Bazaar takes the thought forward with two key Knowledge Series sessions with two of the most engaging and popularly used platforms –
1. Google YouTube – Building Communities and Icons In Conversation with YouTube India Head of Content Operations Satya Raghavan
2. Facebook – Marketing the Indie Film and Building Communities Presentation by Facebook Head, Media Partnerships, Saurabh Doshi
Over multiple sessions during the four days of Film Bazaar, the Knowledge Series covers a wide range of topics including (but not limited to) the evolution of content through changing socio–economic structures, expanding genres, conventional and innovative platforms of distribution, various emerging co-production possibilities, international collaborations and treaties, and the art of navigating various film festivals and markets.
Among the speakers are business unit heads of major media corporations (studios/producers/distributors etc.), top executives of organizations connected with the film industry, independent aggregators and content providers from across the world.
Hollywood
Who is Geeta Gandbhir? The director behind two separate Oscar-nominated films in one historic year
The Emmy-winning filmmaker makes history with dual documentary nominations at this year’s Oscars.
LOS ANGELES:Â If Hollywood loves a breakout moment, this year it belongs to Geeta Gandbhir. Long respected within documentary circles, Gandbhir has suddenly become a mainstream name after scoring two Oscar nominations in the same season, one for a feature and one for a short. It is a rare feat. It is historic. And it has prompted one big question: who exactly is the filmmaker behind this double triumph?
Before stepping into the director’s chair, Gandbhir built her reputation as a razor-sharp editor. That technical grounding shaped her storytelling style, which is precise, unsentimental and emotionally direct. Her early career included working alongside Spike Lee, an apprenticeship that sharpened both her political lens and cinematic instincts.
Over the years, she accumulated multiple Emmy Awards and a Peabody, quietly becoming one of the most respected nonfiction voices in American television.
Her feature-length nominee, The Perfect Neighbor, released on Netflix, investigates the fatal shooting of Ajike Owens through stark police body-cam footage. The film strips away dramatic embellishment and instead relies on unfiltered visual evidence to confront viewers with uncomfortable truths.
At the same time, her short film The Devil Is Busy, streaming on HBO Max, offers an intimate, ground-level look inside an abortion clinic in Atlanta. Co-directed with Christalyn Hampton, it trades scale for immediacy and delivers impact in under an hour.
The contrast between the two projects, one investigative and expansive, the other intimate and observational, highlights Gandbhir’s range. Yet both share a common thread, which is a focus on lived reality rather than spectacle.
Documentary filmmaking is often seen as awards adjacent and respected but rarely spotlighted. Gandbhir’s dual nomination changes that narrative. It positions her not just as a contender, but as a defining nonfiction voice of her generation.
Whether she takes home one statuette or two, the achievement itself has already reshaped the Oscar conversation and cemented her place in film history.
