As part of a wider package of UK partnerships announced today to coincide with Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s delegation to India, Pact has signed and committed to a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Producers Guild of India.
The MoU follows the cultural cooperation agreement signed by the Minister for Culture, Media and Sport, Lisa Nandy in May this year, and intends to lead to a more collaborative relationship between the UK and Indian production sectors and for both countries to share best practice, projects and ideas.
UK TV exports to India have remained consistent over the past five years (£23m in 2023/24) but with these new agreements and the history between the two countries, there is huge potential to increase both exports and co-productions.
As part of the MoU, both countries have committed to an ‘education piece’ about what each country has to offer, and to share best practices, market intelligence, reports on tax credits, co-production information and relevant organisations in each territory.
Pact has participated in a British Film Institute (BFI)-led webinar on the UK for Indian producers, and will host a reverse session for UK producers. These will be followed by co-development and co-production sessions, and introducing UK and Indian companies to each other via online match-making and in-person events in both countries where possible.
A new MoU between the BFI, the lead organisation for film and the moving image in the UK and its Indian equivalent the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) will establish a framework of close cooperation across film and broader screen to boost co-production, greater access for audiences, cultural exchange and support for film heritage.
Producers Guild of India’s President Shibasish Sarkar said: “The United Kingdom is already a popular destination for Indian filmmakers who choose to film abroad and the time is ripe now to take that engagement to the next level by widening and deepening ties between the filmmaking communities of both nations. I am confident that our relationship with Pact will act as a catalyst in that process and we look forward to working closely with our colleagues at Pact to realise the immense potential of India-UK creative collaborations.”
We will update Pact members about opportunities arising from this MoU in due course via the Pact Weekly Newsletter and on the website.