Friday, October, 6, 2023, time TBA
Sunday, October 8, 2023, time TBA

ADMISSION:
Admission is free. Please check back to RSVP.

DESCRIPTION:
India’s Bombay cinema is widely recognized as one of the most exciting and beloved forms of entertainment in the world. It is also a chronicle of change and adaptation. Born under British colonial rule and rivaling Hollywood’s film empire, Bollywood has been part of massive international and local shifts in technology, politics, and finance since the 2000s.

The production company that best represents millennial changes in India is Excel Entertainment. Founded by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar, Excel has created hugely popular releases such as the blockbuster Don franchise; youthful storylines for multiplexes including Dil Chahta Hai, Rock On, and Luck by Chance; and streaming shows like Made in Heaven, Mirzapur, and Dahaad, which capture explosive class divisions, extravagant wealth, crushing prejudices, and exuberant rebellion in India’s small towns and big cities.

This lively two-day event will include screenings of an Excel Entertainment theatrical feature film and an episodic streamer, and prominent Bollywood actors, producers, and writers in conversation with USC School of Cinematic Arts professor Priya Jaikumar about critical changes in media industries. How have digital platforms altered film and media content? How do Bollywood production companies, creatives, and actors navigate these transformations? Can we compare the Indian and U.S. media landscapes?

Don’t miss this unique showcase of the Bollywood industry and its spectacular vantage point on how digital markets are disrupting business practices and profit-sharing models around the world.

Presented by USC Visions and Voices. Organized by the USC School of Cinematic Arts and co-sponsored by the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles.