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India’s National Film Development Corporation and the South Asian Screen Council of Canada put their names to a Letter of Intent at the Toronto Film Festival market, launching a plan to connect Indian and South Asian filmmakers
with fresh openings across Canada’s screen business.
The signing was witnessed by the Consul General of India in Toronto, alongside representatives of NFDC, SASC Canada and TIFF. Under the pact, projects that come out of NFDC will be plugged into SASC Canada’s platforms for finding new content, building international programming slates, forging industry ties and breaking into the Canadian market.
“This collaboration is about building a practical two-way bridge between Canada and India,” said Sunny Gill, president of SASC Canada. “It creates stronger pathways for Indian filmmakers and stories to be discovered and engaged within Canada, while opening new connections to India’s industry and market for Canadian storytellers. For us, the opportunity is to build a more connected screen ecosystem where talent, projects and industry relationships can move in both directions.”
SASC Canada bills itself as Canada’s biggest South Asian screen ecosystem, an umbrella group whose initiatives take in IFFSA Toronto and the South Asian Screen Office of Canada. Its work touches professional and talent development, project development, market access, international engagement and exhibition.
“NFDC has always been about creating meaningful opportunities for Indian stories and filmmakers to connect with the global industry,” said Prakash Magdum, managing director of NFDC. “This collaboration with SASC Canada creates a focused pathway into the Canadian market, giving filmmakers greater access to festivals, industry partners and audiences while expanding the international reach of their work.”
NFDC serves as India’s national body for growing and promoting the country’s cinema, with a hand in production and co-production deals, developing projects and talent, and building the country’s presence in markets and international engagement circles.
The Letter of Intent aims to open a direct pipeline between the Indian and Canadian screen industries, moving films and filmmakers beyond festival discovery and into deeper market and industry engagement in Canada.
