By Naman Ramachandran
The South Asian House initiative is back at SXSW with the festival’s first-ever South Asian music showcase. Featured acts include Jay Dhami, Bodur, Simar, Avara, Meetu Chilana, The Tabla Queen, DJ Anupi, Bollyflow and The Diversity Band. In addition, South Asian co-founder and film producer, Jitin Hingorani (“Zende”), will highlight the Telugu-language film industry becoming a healthy disruptor in the business of global cinema along with producers and directors Deepak Reddy and Sachin Dheeraj, actor Pooja Kumar, and Enowate’s Anil Shankaramanchi, who markets Telugu films in the U.S.
Following the SXSW U.S. premiere of South Asian-themed “The Queen of My Dreams,” which bowed at Toronto 2023, South Asian House will co-host the film’s premiere party in partnership with Canada House, AGLIFF, ISF, and the film’s producers Baby Daal Production, Spark Features, and Shut Up & Colour. South Asian House is also hosting a mixer to celebrate the more than dozen South Asian films at SXSW.
Monika Samtani, film producer (“Priya’s Mask”), co-founder of South Asian House, and lead event producer of the music showcase, said: “We hope the fusion sounds, movements, and vocals represented on stage will provide a glimpse of how our talent is crossing boundaries and inventing new genres of music.”
Rohi Mirza Pandya, who serves as the other event producer of the music showcase, as well as lead producer for partnerships, co-founder of South Asian House and film producer (“Eid Mubarak”), added: “We are thrilled that SXSW is benefitting from the fruits of our labor from last year’s inaugural South Asian House; as more and more South Asians become aware of this festival, the buzz around our culturally-specific events grows multifold.”
Producer and Korean American star Don Lee has set April 24 as the date for the commercial release of “The Roundup: Punishment,” the latest instalment in the action franchise that he heads. The film had its world premiere last month, in an out-of-competition slot, at the Berlin festival.
The two previous parts of the series, both released in mid-summer, were among the highest grossing films of 2022 and 2023 respectively. Variety’s review of “Punishment” described it as “ludicrously watchable.”
Separately, Lee told Variety that he now expects the franchise, which is loosely adapted from real life cases, to run to eight films.
The 2025 editions of Brunico Communications’ global unscripted industry gathering Realscreen Summit, and North American content marketplace NATPE Global, will co-locate at the InterContinental Miami hotel the week of Feb. 3-7. Each event will retain its own agenda and programs while providing attendees the option to participate in both markets. Realscreen Summit will kick off the week, followed by NATPE Global, with a mid-week crossover day bridging the two events.
The events will be co-led by NATPE executive director Claire Macdonald, who will helm the sales effort as senior VP revenue NATPE and Realscreen, while Realscreen executive VP Mary Maddever will lead the content teams as executive content director for both events. The first NATPE and Realscreen collaboration kicks off in June at NATPE Budapest, with a Realscreen-branded format track as part of the agenda.
“In this challenging climate, clients and buyers alike have asked for a single market that meets the full scope of their business needs across their organizations,” said Russell Goldstein, president and CEO of Brunico Communications. “In response, we’re creating the most comprehensive North American-based content market available and an unbeatable value proposition.”
Screen Queensland in partnership with Changer and with the support of YouTube has launched Channel Lab: YouTube Accelerator. This new initiative will support emerging Queensland creators who use online platforms to share their screen stories improve their production skills, help them better understand their audience and build their YouTube presence. It will see up to 20 creators or teams participate in a 16-week program starting on Monday May 13 with Changer. The program includes masterclasses with online experts and one-on-one mentorship. The team demonstrating the strongest growth during the program will receive an opportunity to travel to a prominent online creator conference.
Sony Music Entertainment has launched its first recording studio in Southeast Asia, in Jakarta. The studio is equipped with advanced immersive sound capabilities for artists to mix their recordings in spatial audio formats, including Dolby Atmos. The space has multifunctional capabilities that support the creation of audio and visual content for social platforms. It also can host livestreams and in-person performance sessions.
Actress, former head of the Film Development Council of the Philippines and producer (“Last Shadow at First Light”) Liza Diño has been selected as the first Filipina to participate in the EAVE Producers Workshop 2024. Diño is also the only producer from Southeast Asia for the year-long program in 2024. Diño was awarded France’s Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres honor last year.
The EAVE Producers Workshop, in partnership with Film Fund Luxembourg and supported by Creative Europe, is a training lab based in Europe aimed at fostering professional development and international collaboration for global producers in the film industry. The includes a series of three week-long intensive workshops focused on the development of fiction, documentary, and TV series projects, providing participants with networking opportunities and the chance to work alongside seasoned industry professionals.
“We are already witnessing the significant impact of our efforts, with Southeast Asian films triumphing at top-tier festivals and beginning to establish a foothold in the market. However, the work is far from over. It is crucial to sustain this momentum and strive for continuous improvement in the quality of films we create. I am grateful to EAVE for enabling me to persist in the work I have initiated,” Diño said.
A Variety and iHeartRadio Podcast
The Business of Entertainment

source