Redford to support Indian talent with Sundace-Mahindra venture

Los Angeles: Hollywood icon Robert Redford wants to discover and support new Indian talent with an annual screen writers lab being organised by Sundance Institute in partnership with India`s Mahindra Group. "I am enthusiastic about the work ahead. For Sundance Institute, this initiative represents our commitment to cultural exchange and allows us to extend our support to international filmmakers to a next generation of film artists emerging from India," said the Academy-award-winning actor.

The lab will bring together 6 to 8 screenwriters from India to work with accomplished international screenwriters. "We are at an exciting storytelling stage in the history of the film industry, both in India and internationally and are constantly evaluating very interesting scripts. This collaboration will raise the bar further," said Rohit Khattar, Director, Mumbai Mantra Media Ltd, the media and entertainment division of Mahindra Group. Sundance and Mahindra had also recently announced the setting up of the `Sundance Institute Mahindra Global Filmmaking Award`, to be given to four emerging independent filmmakers from around the world. Beginning next year, one out of the four award recipients will be an Indian director. The winners of the inaugural Sundance Institute Mahindra Global Filmmaking award are, Romanian director Bogdan Mustata for `Wolf`, Mexican director Ernesto Contreras for `I Dream In Another Language`,Malaysian director Seng Tat Liew for `In What City Does It Live?` and Israeli director Talya Lavie for her film `Zero Motivation`. Sundance is a global nonprofit organisation founded by Redford in 1981 and through its artistic development programme, it has nurtured projects like `Born into Brothels`, `Troubel the Water`, `Amreeka` and `An Inconvenient Truth`. Mumbai Mantra last year presented national-award-winning film `Antaheen` and has recently co-produced `The Tempest`, directed by Julie Taymor and starring Helen Mirren. PTI