Hindi
Three aspiring filmmakers win Moviebuff’s theatrically showcased ‘First Clap’ contest
MUMBAI: Five filmmakers from Tamil Nadu were the shortlisted finalists in the Moviebuff First Clap film contest, India’s first theatrically showcased talent hunt for aspiring filmmakers, challenging them to tell a compelling story in three minutes on any subject of their interest. Three winners from these five were announced at an awards presentation at Sathyam Cinemas on 22 May.
Prizes include cash rewards as well as a coveted internship opportunity with Suriya’s production company 2D Entertainment.
The winners were:
1st prize – Ival Azhagu – Directed by Vijay Ganapathy
2nd prize – App(a) Lock – Directed by Pradeep Ranganathan
3rd prize – Yennaga Sir Unga Sattam – Directed by Prabhu Jeyaram
4th prize – Intha Naal Iniya Naal – Directed by Magesh Balasubramaniam
5th prize – Think & Ink – Directed by Nattu Dev
“FirstClap was conceived to identify new talent who have it in them to attract audiences to the cinema halls and benefit our industry. This is just the beginning of many more innovative initiatives keeping the interest of cinema in mind,” says Director Jayendra Panchapakesan, co-founder of Qube Cinema Technologies.
Chief guests at the event included Cinematographer and Director PC Sreeram, Director Ezhil, Director Vetrimaran, Cinematographer Magesh Muthuswamy, Director Arun Kumar S.U., CEO of 2D Entertainment Rajsekar Karpoorasundarapandian, Film Critic Sreedhar Pillai, Film Editor KL Praveen, Audiographer Udayakumar, Director Hari Viswanath, Chennai International Short Film Festival Director Srinivasa Santhanam and Film Critic, Trade Analyst, CEO of Common Man Media Sathish Kumar. They were also part of the jury that judged the final round of entries in the contest.
“I am extremely happy for the finalists and the winners that they got to realise their dream of watching live audience reactions to their content at the theatres…invaluable feedback for them for their future efforts in filmmaking. This whole endeavour would not have been possible without the active support and encouragement of the esteemed theatre owners of Qube Cinema Network. All the finalists, who visited various theatres across Tamil Nadu, were thrilled and extremely thankful for this encouragement from the theatre community. The next phase of internship with 2D Entertainment will no doubt be a period of intense learning that will hone their thinking and skills. With the success of this initiative, the next edition of First Clap will be an all-India initiative by Moviebuff and we hope to enhance the scope of assistance that Moviebuff will offer to budding filmmakers in the days to come,” says Arvind Ranganathan, CEO of Qube Cinema Technologies.
Beginning 16 December, 2016, more than 250 entries were received for Moviebuff’s First Clap contest. Of these, 17 were shortlisted by judges from Moviebuff and Littleshows. The final five films were selected from public voting via screenings at local theatres supporting the contest as well as scores awarded by the panel of judges associated with the Tamil film industry. Finally, the top three were selected by public voting from cinemas, with audiences participating by choosing the next filmmaker via a unique SMS code. A total of 170 screens showed the movies, accounting for around 23,800 shows (170 screens x 5 weeks x 28 shows) across Tamil Nadu from 10 March 2017 to 13 April 2017.
Hindi
GUEST COLUMN: Why film libraries & IPs are the new engines of growth
Unlocking value through catalogue strength and IP synergy
MUMBAI:In a media landscape defined by fragmentation, platform proliferation, and ever-evolving audience behavior, the economics of filmmaking are undergoing a fundamental shift. No longer confined to box office performance, a film’s true value is now measured across an extended lifecycle that spans digital platforms, syndication networks, and global markets. As content consumption becomes increasingly non-linear and algorithm-driven, film libraries and intellectual properties (IPs) are emerging as strategic assets, capable of delivering sustained, long-term returns. For Mohan Gopinath, head – bollywood business at Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd., this transformation signals a decisive move from hit-driven models to portfolio-led value creation. In this piece, Gopinath explores how legacy content, when intelligently repurposed and distributed, can unlock recurring revenue streams, why the interplay between catalogue and original IP is critical, and how media companies can build resilient, future-ready entertainment businesses.
For all these years, we thought that a film is successful if it performs well in theatres. There are opening weekend numbers, box office milestones, and distribution footprints that gave a good picture of how the movie has done commercially and also tell us about its cultural impact. However, there are multiple platforms today, always-on content ecosystem, which has caused a shift. Today, the theatrical performance is not the culmination of a film’s journey but merely the beginning of a much longer and more dynamic lifecycle.
Film libraries today are emerging as high-value, constantly evolving assets that deliver sustained returns well beyond initial release cycles. This becomes a point of great advantage for legacy content owners with diverse catalogues, to shape long-term business outcomes.
According to FICCI-EY, the media and entertainment industry of India achieved a valuation of Rs 2.78 trillion in 2025 which is expected to reach Rs 3.3 trillion by 2028 through a compound annual growth rate of approximately 7 per cent and digital media will bring in more than Rs 1 trillion to become the biggest sector which generates about 36 per cent of overall market revenues.
This shift is the expansion of distribution endpoints. We know how satellite television was once the primary secondary window but today, it coexists with YouTube, OTT platforms, Connected TV, and FAST channels. Each of these platforms caters to distinct audience demographics and consumption behaviors, helping content owners to obtain more value from the same asset across multiple formats.
For instance, films that had great reruns, now find continuous engagement across digital platforms. On YouTube, classic Hindi cinema continues to attract significant viewership, reaching audiences across generations and geographies with remarkable consistency. At Shemaroo Entertainment, this is reflected in our film library shaped over decades as part of a long association with Indian entertainment. From classics such as Amar Akbar Anthony to much-loved entertainers like Jab We Met, Welcome, Dhamaal, Phir Hera Pheri, Dhol, Golmaal, and Bhagam Bhag, many of these titles continue finding new audiences while retaining their place in popular memory. Their enduring appeal reflects how culturally resonant stories can continue creating value over time. Similarly, FAST channels have created curated, always-on environments where catalogue content can continue to thrive through star-led and genre-based programming.
This multi-platform approach has very well transformed films into long-tail IP assets which are capable of generating recurring revenue across advertising, subscription, and syndication models.
The evolution of audience behavior is equally important. Nowadays, it’s more important to find what’s more relative than what’s recent as viewers are more influenced by mood, memories, and algorithmic suggestions than by release schedules. Even if a movie was released decades ago, it can trend alongside a newly released movie, if surfaced in the right context. Thoughtful packaging, whether through festival-based playlists, actor-driven collections, or genre clusters, allows catalogue content to remain dynamic and continuously discoverable. Shemaroo Entertainment has built extensive film libraries over decades and its focus has mostly been on recontextualizing content for the consumption of newer environments. This process doesn’t just include digitization and restoration, but also re-packaging of films as per platforms.
Syndication itself has evolved into a key growth driver. In perspective, when looking at the domestic market, curated content packages continue to find strong demand across broadcast and digital platforms. Meanwhile, in the international market, especially in markets like Middle East, North America and Southeast Asia, the appetite for Indian content is opening up new monetization avenues. Here, the ability to package and position catalogue content effectively becomes as important as the content itself.
Importantly, the need to re-package catalogue content does not diminish the role of new content. In fact, originals and fresh IP are essential to sustaining the long-term value of a film library because they act as discovery engines that bring audiences into the ecosystem, while catalogue content drives depth, retention, and repeat engagement.
This interplay between the “new” and the “known” is what defines a robust content strategy today. While new films generate spikes in consumption, catalogue titles offer familiarity and comfort. These are factors that are increasingly valuable in an era of content abundance and decision fatigue. This is also shaping our strategy, drawing value from both a deep catalogue assets and a growing focus on original IPs to strengthen long-term audience engagement and build more predictable revenue streams.
There is growing recognition that long-term value in entertainment will be shaped not only by how intelligently existing content continues to live, travel and find relevance, but also by how consistently new stories are created to renew that ecosystem. In that sense, film libraries and original IP are not parallel bets, but reinforcing engines of growth. For media companies, the opportunity lies in making these two forces work together, because that is increasingly where more resilient and predictable businesses are being shaped.
Note: The views expressed in this article are solely the author’s and do not necessarily reflect our own.
