As part of the collaboration, Amazon and the ministry will help build pathways to promote creative talent in India, create capacity across film and TV institutes and globally showcase Indian-made creative content.
Amazon India has signed a Letter of Engagement (LoE) with India’s Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) with the objective of growing the country’s creative economy.
As part of the letter of engagement (LoE), Amazon and the ministry will help build pathways to promote creative talent in India, create capacity across eminent film and TV institutes, and globally showcase Made in India creative content.
The LoE was signed at The National Media Centre here in presence of I&B Minister Anurag Thakur; Chetan Krishnaswamy, Vice President, Public Policy at Amazon India; and Gaurav Gandhi, Vice President, Asia Pacific, Prime Video.
Among the plans, Amazon-owned IMDb and the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) will work together to improve the discoverability of Indian creative talent by listing their profiles and skills on IMDb’s ranking platform. There will also be internships and scholarships for students at the Film and Television Institute of India and the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute.
Furthermore, content from the NFDC, Doordarshan and the International Film Festival of India will be showcased on Prime Video and MiniTV, a streaming service Amazon runs in India. Amazon.in will also promote books and journals reflecting India’s heritage and there will be further tie-ins on Alexa devices and Amazon Music.
Additionally, to commemorate the celebrations around the 75th anniversary of Indian independence, iconic content from NFDC, state broadcaster Doordarshan and the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) will be showcased on Prime Video and miniTV.
Further, skill-based masterclasses will be organized for the students of various film and TV institutes and 75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow – an annual talent enrichment program under the umbrella of IFFI where 75 young, talented artists, shortlisted by the ministry, will be selected and coached.
Speaking at the launch Thakur said: “The partnership would help to strengthen industry-academia linkages through provisions for scholarships, internships, masterclasses, and other opportunities for students at Film and Television Institute of India and Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute of India and help to reduce the period of struggle for the talented artists coming out of prestigious film institutes of India.”
Krishnaswamy added: “As the Indian economy expands at a fast clip, Amazon is uniquely placed to contribute to the nation’s growth journey on multiple fronts including e-commerce, logistics, digital skilling, cloud computing, payments, artificial intelligence and in building the creative economy. Over the years, we have been working with the Indian government to create a meaningful impact at scale through our various collaborations and initiatives.
