IIFA CELEBRATIONS TO FEATURE MUSIC WORKSHOP

TORONTO (June 15, 2011) – The fascination with Indian cinema transcends the images on screen, with its dance and musical sequences creating a dynamism that is unique to the genre. This year, the Videocon d2H IIFA Weekend explores this musical phenomenon by introducing the IIFA Music Workshop which will be held on June 25, 2011.  

The Workshop is an open invitation to students from across North America, professionals and industry stalwarts to participate in a remarkable dialogue: Music Bringing Cinema Alive. Established to explore how music underpins cinema, crosses over cultural lines, and helps bring movies to life, the Workshop is the ideal platform for Indian and international musicians and industry influencers to interact and share ideas about the art of sound and rhythm. The workshop will explore influencing factors for music in Indian Cinema.Leading composer and director Vishal Bhardwaj, legendary musical trio and film composers Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, and the renowned composer Salim Merchant will lead an interactive session delving into the impact of music in film. The Workshop will open with a brief history of Hindi Film music- its origins, uniqueness and integral role in films. In what is expected to be one of the most anticipated moments of the Videocon d2H IIFA Weekend, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy will invite audience members to make recommendations in composing a song. They will then compose one during the Workshop, and invite lucky audience members on stage to jam with them. This will be followed by Vishal Bhardwaj speaking on how music is infused into films, and how the composer must look at various elements before ever putting a note on paper.

For more information about the IIFA Music Workshop and other weekend events, please visit www.iifa.com/toronto2011 

About IIFA Conceptualized and produced by Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. and supported by the key members of the Indian film fraternity, IIFA is the International Indian Film Academy. The IIFA Awards is India's biggest media event, with a viewership of almost 700 million, it is among the world's most-watched annual entertainment events.  

From a one night celebration in 2000 at the Millennium Dome, London, the last ten years have seen the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) movement grow into a cine-packed weekend of film-festivals, workshops, exhibitions, film-showcases, global business forums and sporting events, all of which climax into the highlight of the weekend, the IIFA Awards. 2011 marks the first year the IIFA Awards will be held in North America, with its debut in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. www.iifa.com

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