The School of Design, Communication and IT, University of Newcastle is organising the second edition of International Symposium and Film Festival on Indian Cinema titled “Creative and Cultural Dimensions of Bollywood,” to be held at Newcastle, New South Wales (Australia) on 8-9th May 2015. This will be both an academic conference and a community film-screening event.

 

Indian Cinema, one of the world’s oldest and most prolific film industry. Post-1990s, with the economic liberalization phase in India, and thanks to the 25-million-strong Indian diaspora, Indian cinema has emerged as a powerful cultural mascot not just for India but also the Indian diaspora in Australia. Today, Indian films occupy prime slots in mainstream cinemas on a regular basis. Australia has beyond doubt become one of the prime destination for leading Indian filmmakers, with blockbusters like Dil Chahta Hai (2001), Salaam Namaste (2005), Chak De! India (2007), Singh is King (2008), and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2014), to name a select few among the more than 100 Indian films, television serials, commercials and music videos that have been shot in Australia. Through this conference we aim to analyse the growing importance of Bollywood cinema in Australia and by bringing the Newcastle Indian Community to the screening we hope to show how these exchanges of cinema culture between Australia and India is leading to further understanding of Indian culture in Australia.

 

At the University on Friday 8th May, the academic symposium will have paper presentations and panel discussions on Bollywood cinema, followed by film festival and cultural evening on 8th & 9th May.

 

We invite scholars, filmmakers and community members to join us to celebrate and discuss various aspects of Indian cinema on the following themes (but not limited to):

 

• Creative Industries and Practices in Bollywood;

• Production, Distribution, and Consumption of Bollywood Films in Australia;

• Challenges for Australian-Indian Film Collaborations;

• Opportunities in Emerging Crossover Cinema;

• Bollywood Films and Film Festivals in Australia;

• Role of Indian Community Organisations in Promoting Bollywood; and

• Role of Indian Community Media Organisations in Promoting Bollywood.