Suva, March 2009 - Fans of Bollywood films may soon be able to see their favorite stars here in Fiji. A top Bollywood producer is now in discussions with the Fiji Audio Visual Commission on the possibility of shooting segments of a Hindi film in Fiji later this year. This was announced this afternoon by FAVC's Chairperson, Sharon Smith-Johns.

Making the announcement, Ms. Smith-Johns said that two Hindi films will be made in Australia later this year. "The producer of these films is now in active discussions with the FAVC to shoot one song and dance segment for each of the movies in Fiji," she said. She added that he will be visiting Fiji in the early part of May this year to scout for locations and to meet with local officials.

Also commenting on this, FAVC's Marketing & Public Relations Manager, Florence Swamy said that the producer will be traveling to Fiji with two renowned Bollywood Directors who will decide on the locations for the shoot. Ms. Swamy said whilst the names of the gentlemen cannot be divulged at this stage, they are popular Bollywood directors and are known for directing films in the thriller and action genre of films. They have frequently cast A-list stars in their films and an impressive cast has also been named for the films that are now under discussion.

"The Bollywood productions are great news for us, because, the production will be bringing an impressive lineup of Indian stars and crew to Fiji, they will be hiring local crew, locals will be employed as extras and they will be utilizing film industry-related support services available in Fiji," said Ms. Smith-Johns. This, she added, complements an important part of the FAVC's function which is to develop a strong infrastructure and a local services support base, hence enabling a strong film production environment that is able to support all types of production. Moreover, Fiji and India have vital cultural links which can now be further enhanced through filming, said Ms. Smith-Johns.

To attract more productions from Bollywood, the FAVC has set up a Bollywood Committee comprising of local business people with links to Bollywood. The Committee is developing a series of promotional activities that will be undertaken in Bollywood later this year.

For any additional information/ clarification, please call Florence Swamy on 330 6662/ 9926665 or email fswamy@fijiaudiovisual.org.fj.