Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario, Canada, attended the high profile Bollywood style event in Mumbai where two new agreements were announced that will benefit India's film industry.
Bollywood star Ranveer Singh attended the signing ceremony in Mumbai.
The Maharashtra Film Stage and Cultural Development Corporation and the City of Toronto signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to work together on common interest in the creative screen industries, including studio production, visual effects and interactive/digital media.
Supporting a strong, collaborative partnership between Ontario and India’s film sectors. pic.twitter.com/BghlnnKmcK
— Kathleen Wynne (@Kathleen_Wynne) February 6, 2016
The Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) and the Toronto International film Festival (TIFF) highlighted their collaboration on a boot camp to help Indian filmmakers bring their work to International film festivals.
"The Toronto International Film Festival is one of the worlds most dynamic and prestigious film festivals. I had the good fortune to have my film Dhobi Ghat premiere there and it was a wonderful experience for me. TIFF has always been very generous to MAMI and we are very happy to be growing our association with them. We hope to bring some of the expertise and excellence of TIFF to the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival with Star," Kiran Rao, chairperson, Mumbai Academy of Moving Image, said.
Thanks for the selfie @RanveerOfficial! #bollywood pic.twitter.com/NjTV4zBiXW
— Kathleen Wynne (@Kathleen_Wynne) February 6, 2016
These new partnerships will enhance the relationship between India and Ontario's film industries and pave the way for more collaboration between producers, directors, artists from both regions.
The Premier also met leaders from India's film industry at the event to promote Ontario as an ideal location for future productions. Ontario is a leading North American film and TV production centre that offers decades of experience, high quality infrastructure and generous tax credits.
On our mission to India, our delegation signed 65 agreements to bring over $240M & 150 high-value jobs to Ontario. pic.twitter.com/4Y3E72HOCH
— Kathleen Wynne (@Kathleen_Wynne) February 5, 2016
"Ontario is one of the best locations in the world for film and TV production and today's event has reinforces our provinces reputation as a leader in the creative screen arts," Wynne said.
"With almost 700,000 people of Indian descent living in our province, and world class production facilities, the partnership between India and Ontario's film industries is a natural one. The agreements signed at today's event will help bring Ontario and India closer - both on the screen and off," she added.
"Toronto is respected as one of the world's premier filming locations due to the depth of production talent we have built over many years of success. We are delighted to share our best practices and experiences and to learn more from the achievements of India's creative screen industries," John Tory, Mayor of Toronto, Ontario, said.