Twentieth Century Fox, Star to jointly foray into Asian films

New Delhi, Sep 9 (IANS) International production house Twentieth Century Fox and Asian media company Star Tuesday announced the formation of a joint venture, Fox Star Studios, to produce local language films in Asia for worldwide distribution.

'The Fox-Star joint venture is a great opportunity for us to create a strong presence in the Asian film industry and to extend the relationship across the region,' said Jim Gianopoulos, co-chairman of Fox Filmed Entertainment, here.

The joint venture will make its first foray in India and expand into other markets including Greater China and South East Asia.

Vijay Singh, who currently holds the position of president for strategy and corporate development, Star India, has been appointed the CEO of the Indian division of the new venture.

'We are very excited about building on our relationships in Bollywood and making films which reflect the changing India. We are in discussion for producing not only traditional Bollywood films but also innovating and targeting emerging genres," Singh said.

He added: 'Our vision is to become a one-stop shop that encompasses film acquisition, development, marketing, production and distribution in India.'

Apart from producing Bollywood and Indian regional films, Fox Star Studios India will also build a national theatrical distribution footprint.

The footprint is supposed to enhance capabilities in the home entertainment and digital media platforms in India while also leveraging Fox Theatrical Network's global distribution strength across 44 countries worldwide.