The Bollywood market could soon open up on a large scale to Canadian filmmakers, with the coming into force of the Canada-India Audiovisual Coproduction Treaty, which will enable film producers of both the countries to utilise a common platform for collaboration on various facets of film-making.
The treaty, which came into force on July 1, was announced in MumbaiNo on Wednesday by Canada's minster for citizenship and immigration, Chris Alexander, and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). "We look forward to a deeper level of engagement between our respective audiovisual sectors, greater cultural and economic benefits to both countries and increased access to audiences worldwide," Mr. Alexander said.
The agreement was signed by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Canadian High Commissioner earlier this year. The agreement is expected to benefit producers from both the countries and allow them to combine their creative, technical and financial resources for co-production.
India is the third largest source country of immigrants to Canada. The Indo-Canadian community currently numbers around one million. In 2013, Canada issued more than 130,000 visas to Indians.
