International
Surkhaab nominated to receive the prestigious REMI award at the 46th Annual WorldFest in Houston
New Delhi: Canadian film-producer Tushar Unadkat’s film Surkhaab is an Official Selection for programming into The 46th Annual WorldFest-Houston International Film and Video Festival in its TEXAS Premiere.
He had been honoured with the prestigious Trailblazer Award at the 11th Annual ReelWorld Film Festival last year..
WorldFest-Houston is one of the three original international film festivals in North America, after San Francisco and New York. It was founded in 1961 as Cinema Arts, an International Film Society. Houston will be presenting Surkhaab to the World, in the prime time of 20 April at the 30 Screen AMC.
Surkhaab is nominated to receive one of the prestigious REMI awards in its feature film categories at this year‘s WorldFest 2013. WorldFest awards are the Grand Award (Best of Category), REMI Special Jury Awards, Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze REMI awards. The WorldFest REMI Award is named after the great Western Artist Frederick Remington, who captured the spirit of Texas and The American West with his remarkable paintings and sculptures.
Unadkat shares, "Surkhaab is the name given to the Ruddy Shelduck (a type of bird) in India and Pakistan. This film is a story of a girl from India, her flight to Canada and the first 96 hours on the run! Barkha Madan, former Femina Miss India and Miss Tourism World Wide, who was seen in Bollywood‘s famous filmmaker Ram Gopal Verma‘s Bhoot and in Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi with superstar Akshay Kumar, plays the lead in the film. I collaborated with Golden Gate Creations, a California based company, Executive Producer: Vivek Kumar and Director: Sanjay Talreja to produce Surkhaab. It is a Hinglish (Hindi + English) feature film scheduled for theatrical release this summer in the US, India and Canada."
Asked about his journey as a filmmaker, he says, "It‘s been a wonderful journey and I have directed numerous shorts and features. I have had the opportunity to work with Oscar winning producers and editors, namely Fred Fuchs, Phil Svaboda and Frank Reynolds to name a few! I have also worked with the likes of Shabana Azmi and Girish Karnad."
International
Council of Europe to unveil new TV and streaming co-production convention
Series Mania Forum to host landmark signing to boost global TV collaboration
LILLE: The small screen is getting a big policy push. At this year’s Series Mania Forum in Lille, Alain Berset will take centre stage to chair the opening ceremony for a new international convention aimed at reshaping how television and streaming series are co-produced across borders.
Set for March 26 at the Théâtre Marie Curie in Lille Grand Palais, the signing marks the debut of the first legal framework dedicated specifically to the independent co-production of series. In an industry where stories travel faster than ever, the move aims to make collaboration smoother, fairer and more transparent.
Backed by the Council of Europe, the convention is designed to strengthen cultural ties, give independent producers a firmer footing, and bring greater clarity to deals in a rapidly evolving content landscape. With streaming platforms fuelling a surge in global storytelling, the timing feels deliberate.
Council of Europe secretary general Alain Berset, underscored the cultural heft of series today, noting how they carry voices and viewpoints across borders. He called on member states and countries beyond Europe to sign on, framing the initiative as a way to turn culture into a tool for cooperation and democratic exchange.
For Series Mania founder and general director Laurence Herszberg, hosting the signing is both symbolic and strategic. She described the convention as a step that could widen the range of stories reaching audiences, staying true to the forum’s long-standing mission of championing diverse storytelling.
The ceremony will unfold alongside the Lille Dialogues, a high-level summit that gathers policymakers and industry leaders to debate the future of Europe’s audiovisual sector. Berset is also set to deliver the opening address there, adding political weight to a week already rich in creative ambition.
In short, as screens multiply and borders blur, Europe is putting a framework in place to ensure that storytelling keeps pace, collaboratively and coherently.
