Not too long ago, AnimationXpress.com had reported that Japan is scouting for content partners on Indian shores and then PM Modi made heads turn in China when he signed deals worth billions with some of the leading tech giants who were floored with his vision of ‘Make In India’ and ‘Digital India’.
Now news comes that Prime Minister Modi has inked an agreement to increase Audio-Visual exchange between India and South Korea during his visit to the country.
The co-production agreement includes co-operation between the film industries of the two countries to promote export of Indian films and will act as a catalyst towards creating awareness about India and its culture. This will help in increasing bilateral trade between both countries.
The Agreement has been signed under the provisions of India-South Korea Exchange Programme. The agreement also covers animation and broadcasting programmes. The Agreement would enable opportunities for collaboration between Indian and Korean film industries, and facilitate collaboration and exchange.
The agreement will mean that producers from both countries would get an opportunity to pool their creative, artistic, technical, financial and marketing resources to co-produce films.
This will lead to exchange of art and culture among the two countries, and co-productions would provide an opportunity to create and showcase the ‘soft power’ of India.
It would lead to generation of employment among artistic, technical as well as non-technical personnel engaged in the arena of film production including post-production and its marketing, thus adding to the country’s gross domestic product.
The utilisation of Indian locales for shooting raises the visibility/prospects of India as a preferred film shooting destination across the globe would be promoted and this will lead to inflow of foreign exchange into the country.
This will also lead to transparent funding of film production. The audiovisual co-production agreement would open up new frontiers for the film industries of both countries. An audiovisual co-production agreement between India and South Korea is expected to open doors for wide ranging collaboration and lead to strengthening of India’s cultural presence in an important part of the world.