TVF International Sends India on Film to Discovery India

TVF International has pre-sold India on Film, a two-part history documentary, to Discovery India for the India and SAARC region.

From Singapore- and U.K.-based MAKE Waves and the British Film Institute (BFI), India on Film is narrated by Bollywood actor Rahul Bose. Using previously unseen and newly restored archive films, the special charts India’s history from the early 20th century through to independence. These films are played onscreen to experts on India, who provide reactions and commentary on their content and original motives.

India on Film was commissioned by Singapore-based Channel NewsAsia. It is the latest installment of a MAKE Waves and BFI franchise, which includes the Jennifer Agutter-narrated Singapore on Film and China on Film, narrated by Christopher Doyle.

Sian Kevill, director of Make Waves, said: “Following the critical success of China on Film and Singapore on Film, MAKE Waves is excited to be partnering again with TVF International given our joint passion for history and Asia. Our latest venture, India on Film, draws on rare, never-seen-before footage stored in the vaults of the British Film Institute, which has only recently been restored and digitized. The images range from intimate family home movies to footage of the subcontinent’s major political upheavals: all of which paint a unique and compelling portrait of a nation and its peoples.”

Sai Abishek, director of content for factual and lifestyle entertainment at Discovery India, said: “India on Film is part of Discovery India’s strategy to bring focus to critical stories about India that provide high-level access and insight. India on Film uncovers history and presents it in a refreshing and contemporary format that is great for core factual-entertainment viewers.”

Julian Chou Lambert, TVF International’s acquisition manager, said: “Through exploring the characters within and the motivations behind these long lost films, India on Film questions colonial narratives and provides unique insights into Indian history. Featuring authentic voices and expertise out of India, a renowned Bollywood actor narrating and commissioned out of Singapore, this is very different from your average western history documentary, and we are confident it will resonate with Indian as well as global audiences.”