The Massachusetts Senate’s Ways and Means Committee has unveiled a budget for fiscal year 2002-’03 that provides no funding for the Massachusetts Film Office. The state is facing an estimated budget deficit of some $2 billion for the fast approaching fiscal year. Stay tuned….Director Miguel Liebermann has come aboard Area 51 Films, the Santa Monica shop headed by managing director Mark Thomas, for exclusive spot representation…..Directors Michel Charpentier and Peter Darrell have joined Treat, the bicoastal commercial production arm of creative services shop Dogmatic, also bicoastal. Additionally, Kathrin Lausch has joined Treat as exec producer….Composer Espen Noreger has come aboard Bang Music, New York….Los Angeles-headquartered music and sound design house Groove Addicts is opening a Chicago creative office, with producer/composer Howard Pfeifer serving as its creative director….New York-based earth2mars has added editors Jorge Vallejo and Robert Pennington to its roster…. Composer Edward Bilous is now available for commercial work exclusively via Smack Music + Sound, New York.… Bob English and Maribeth Phillips have launched thebritpack, a New York-based design company offering strategic visual solutions for the broadcast and advertising industries….Directors Doran Smith and Francesco Cabras have entered into agreements for spot and music video representation via AP+Films International, a shop with offices in Los Angeles, Aspen and Miami….Director Brian Ades, formerly of New York-based Focus, has joined Right Brain Films, Beverly Hills….Visual effects director Hilton Treves, best known for his work in Johannesburg, has come aboard Spin Productions, Toronto and Atlanta….Editor Jon Francis (the son of the director with the same name) has joined Rough House Editorial, San Francisco…. Director Rob Cohen has just completed three months of shooting in Prague on the feature XXX, starring Vin Diesel and Samuel L. Jackson, and is again available for commercials through Los Angeles-headquartered Original Film….
India’s Official Oscar Entry, Which Failed To Make The Cut, Tops Bollywood Awards Show With 10 Wins
The film that was submitted as India's official Oscar entry but failed to make the final list of nominees has swept the International Indian Film Academy Awards, which recognize outstanding work in the country's film industry.
Director Kiran Rao's critically acclaimed "Laapataa Ladies" — renamed "Lost Ladies" for its Oscar campaign — emerged as the biggest winner at the 2025 IIFA Awards, bagging 10 wins, including best picture and best direction.
The 2023 comedy is about two veiled brides who are accidentally swapped during a train ride, and tackles issues of patriarchy and gender roles, a shift from decades of male-centered mainstream Indian movies.
"It's a rare privilege to win an award for a film like 'Laapataa Ladies.' It's been a wonderful night. It's a rare privilege to make a film like this," Rao said in her acceptance speech.
Rao's film — a rare departure from most Bollywood films, which typically feature song-and-dance routines, violence and melodrama — also won in categories for best story, best screenplay and best actress in a leading role.
The annual ceremony of IIFA began in the western city of Jaipur on Saturday and concluded Sunday.
Indian cinema's most recognizable names took part in the glitzy event and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and actor Shahid Kapoor were among those who performed at the ceremony. The event was hosted by veteran director and producer Karan Johar and actor Kartik Aaryan.
The awards show also presents an opportunity for Indian celebrities to showcase their fashion, and this year was no exception. Notable figures such as Madhuri Dixit, Katrina Kaif and Kareena Kapoor Khan displayed their fashion choices on the green carpet.
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