nov 10-14 2010 - Rehoboth Beach Film Society

IndIan fIlm: fRom bollyWood and beyond
10:00 am– 11:30 am, thursday, november 11
the big tent, behind movies at midway
admission: Free (advance registration is not required)
While much about indian cinema may not be known outside of its borders, the indian film
industry is immense. in the past year, a total of 1,288 feature films were made in india plus
close to 200 shorts, a number higher than anywhere else in the world. While “bollywood” films
(movies that use song and dance numbers) dominant the landscape, this is not the only type
of films that india produces. the independent film is making a surge into theatres in india and
are being widely accepted by citizens, and the world. in 2010, india had its first entry ever into
the prestigious (and indie favorite) Sundance Film Festival with Peepli live (Page 49) and a slot
in the cannes Film Festival with Udaan (Page 54) where an indian film has not been seen in more
than a decade.
india’s vast geography is also evident in its films as each region has distinctive landscapes and
unique stories. more than 24 different languages were represented in 2009 films. While the
central Film board of india is the main organization, most of the regions have a board that
helps promote and often produce regional cinema. the governance boards can also have a
dramatic effect on the films themselves as india has a very stringent censorship control
unlike very few other nations. often the censoring process makes it difficult to get a film
made or eventually seen by the people.
in this seminar cynthia cooper from towson University and andrew Sharma of Salisbury
University bring you two sides of indian cinema: one side is the art of indian cinema, including
the craft, cultures and critical response, both domestic and abroad, and the second is the
censorship side and the impact it has on the above issues. While the two may seem mutually
exclusive, they really do go hand in hand on shaping the look and feel of the cinema of india.
dR. CynThIa a. CoopeR
Cynthia is the Chairperson and Associate Professor in
the Mass Communication & Communication Studies
Department at Towson University. She has authored
several books on media law, and teaches media
courses in management, economics and regulation.
She has presented at academic conferences on the
interrelationship of media content and government versus
private sector funding.
dR. andReW shaRma
Andrew Sharma is currently a Professor, teaching audio,
video and digital film production in the Communication
Arts Department at Salisbury University. He has extensive
academic and national and international industry
experience, having worked in the advertising, film and
television industry here and abroad. He is an accomplished
producer and director having numerous documentaries
and commercials to his credit. Recently, he was awarded a
Fulbright Fellowship to teach media in India.
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