Film Club USA and Padmalaya Telefilms join hands

Aparajita Saha

Film Club USA and AAFD (Anglo American Film Distributors) joined hands with Padmalaya Telefilms Ltd to produce and market a 200 part animation series based on the popular folklore, the Jataka Tales.

The joint venture will reap the benefits of Padmalaya's state-of-the-art animation studio in Hyderabad, and the expertise of AAFD and Film Club USA, in packaging and selling of entertainment products in developed and emerging markets.

Omar Kaczmarczyk of Film Club and AAFD says, "We chose the Jataka Tales for their simplicity and moralistic value. We are retelling the tales with a dose of humour and characters that one can relate to. We want people of all age groups identifying with and enjoying the lessons the stories hold."

Film Club has, under its belt, the successful movies Bachelor Party, In The Shadow Of Kilimanjaro, The Jungle Book (the film), Pinocchio and the TV series, Mind Your Language.

The Jataka Tales will use leading international talent in the likes of Uli Meyer Studios (Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Space Jam), EMMY award winner Joseph Kleinman and ToonCity.

Story-writing, screenplay, story board, voice directions and sound recording will be handled in the US while production, layout, background, editing, titles, opticals and inserts will be managed by Padmalaya in India.

All copyrights to the series will be shared equally by Padmalaya and Film Club. The costs incurred within the country will be borne by the former while expenses incurred outside India will be funded by the latter.

The cost of production per episode is estimated at $150,000 and for the 200 episodes at $30 million. The turnover for the entire series is expected to be between $50 million to $200 million over a period of three years.

Lawrence Mortorff, attorney and producer, Film Club and AAFD, adds, "Global animation business is worth over $20 billion and is expanding phenomenally. We intend making optimum use of the technical acumen that India offers to make this venture as cost effective as possible so that both sides can benefit from the revenues generated."

Echoing Mortorff’s sentiments is Kaczmarczyk, "India is the best choice as it offers a rich culture that is combined with a high level of technical expertise and no language barrier."

Raju Patel, a graduate of the London Film School and CEO, Film Club, is confident the final product will be at par with international standards, "We want to sell Jataka Tales to over 70 countries and marketing will start from January 1, 2001. By September 2001 we hope to air Jataka Tales. We are confident of the demand, which we want to fully exploit."

Also present were yesteryear Telugu superstar Krishna (G S R Krishna Murthy), founder and chairman, and G Adiseshagiri Rao, managing director, Padmalaya Telefilms Ltd.