WWW.BOLLYWOOD.TV LAUNCHES THE FIRST EVER INDEPENDENT ONLINE SOUTH ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL

With an average number of one million hits per month, www.bollywood.tv is quickly securing the largest online movie subscriber base in the world and evolving into the number one site for Bollywood and independent South Asian films.

Through this rapid expansion, www.bollywood.tv is the foremost online film promotional vehicle to reach audiences on a global level.  As part of The Bindies online film festival, www.bollywood.tv is welcoming entries for: Short Films (3minutes – 59 minutes duration); Features (60 minutes and over); and Animation 2D or 3D, claymation and puppets (in short or feature format). www.bollywood.tv will carry all the costs in uploading, hosting and streaming the film. Closing date for entries is 15^th August 2008, with the Festival Launch Date on 1^st September 2008.  

In relation to the launch of The Bindies, CEO of www.bollywood.tv, Nigel Glynn-Davies, comments, “We are celebrating the wealth of talent that exists among the pool of indie filmmakers, whose films reflect a South Asian experience or sensibility, and provide a platform to showcase their innovative and highly original talents, where they may otherwise have not been able to do so “With the launch of The Bindies, we are demonstrating that filmmakers do not need a distributor on board to get their films out there. We are showcasing their work beyond financial and logistical restraints to ensure their art form receives the exposure it deserves. 

“The awards ceremony will reflect the people’s preferences and choices as awards will be presented according to votes placed by visitors to the site.” Nigel, having recently returned from the Indian Cinema Conference at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival where the portal became the first ever New Media company to be invited to speak on the panel, recently announced the future content plans for the portal to position it as a 360 degree hub for entertainment.

Following staggering growth of the site and its number of users in its first quarter, the exciting new portfolio of content makes www.bollywood.tv the first South Asian-focused New Media company to incorporate the following elements: the independent online film festival and voting poll; content for mobile platforms, including clips, ringtones, screensavers, wallpapers to download and money-can’t-buy competitions; regular live sports content, including the ICL Twenty/20 series; an online market featuring the best of Bollywood materials and luxury goods from South Asia; the latest entertainment and music news; and an online betting exchange which will allow for the placing of bets on the Bollywood stars.