Crowd funding, sharing risks at MAMI

In the era of credit crunch, social networking sites like Facebook and other online communities are fast emerging as tools for independent filmmakers to crowd source their film projects.

In the era of credit crunch, social networking sites like Facebook and other online communities are fast emerging as tools for independent filmmakers to crowd source their film projects. Sanjay Suri and Onir’s recently released film I Am is India’s largest crowd funded movie with more than 400 producers from over 45 countries.

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Happy with the success of the experiment, Suri is now crowd sourcing his next film, Chauranga, through Facebook. He has already put up 60 posters and is looking forward to pull in some talent also.

Paris-based Indian filmmaker Prashant Nair, who debuts with his film Delhi In A Day, also sought help from the French government and online communities to pull in resources for his small budget movie, starring veterans like Lillete Dubey, Victor Banerjee and Kulbhushan Kharbanda.

Prashant is looking forward to perfect this method in his next film Amrika, which is again based in Delhi and takes a look at the Indian perception of the
country.

An open forum, moderated by Reliance Entertainment CEO Sanjeev Lamba and including panelists like actor-producer Suri, director Ketan Mehta, Russian director Vicktor Geinsberg and Nair, discussed various methods of co-production and crowd funding on the sidelines of the on-going Mumbai Film Festival, which concludes on October 20.