'Up In The Air' producer eyes Indian collaborations

Mumbai, March 17 (IANS) Maverick Hollywood producer Daniel Dubiecki, who was nominated for an Oscar for his 2010 film "Up In The Air", is in Mumbai. He hopes to facilitate Indian collaborations and is in search of local stories that can be told from a global perspective.

"I am looking at the potential of animation films here. I am looking at financial collaborations. I'm looking at Indian stories that can be told from a global point of view," Dubiecki said in an interview.

Here are excerpts from the interview:

Q. Welcome to India and Bollywood. How has it been so far?

Oh, wonderful! I just visited Subhash Ghai's acting school Whistling Woods. It was a truly inspiring experience. I was very happy to be there.

Q. What brings you to Bollywood?

At the moment what's important is that I'm reaching to movie industries all over the world trying to forge alliances globally. We're crossing cinematic borders, and we'd like India to be part of that movement.

Q. Do you think the Indian film industry is ready for such a movement?

Yes, why not? Look, I know there's a very beloved Indian film industry here that has been so far famous for making films for the Indian market. But there are plenty of stories that can cross over. Not every story has to conform to the standards set for the Indian audience.

Q. The Indian industry is undergoing a kind of churning?

Variety of films is not a problem. What is really changing is the distribution laws. The theatrical motion picture outlet has been around for a hundred years. Now there is internet, the broadband, the mobile... the rules of communication are changing so radically for the first time since the invention of television.

We're now going through a very important transition. For me this is an opportunity to tell new stories through all sorts of mediums. I am looking at theatrical-driven movies, new TV shows and many other means of communication.

Q. In 2007, your film "Juno" did an amazing global box office turn-around. Do you think that kind of a success can be encored?

That's a very hard question to answer. What happened with "Juno" was very special. But if you look at the Oscar roster in recent five to six years, there are one or two such small films that cross over to a large audience each year. This year there's "The Artist".

Q. So as a leading producer of the US, do you favour small or big productions?

I like both. I am interested in both the small and big films. I've had an extraordinary experience with crossover movies, so I'd never let go of that. I'm not interested in the big spectacles unless they've high credibility and interesting storylines. I'm working on both kinds of films.

Q. How far do you intend to take your collaboration with Bollywood during this trip?

I'm only here for a couple of days. So it's hard to say. I am looking at the potential of animation films here. I am looking at financial collaborations. I'm looking at Indian stories that can be told from a global point of view.

Q. Which actors in Bollywood do you like?

I haven't really studied individual actors. I'm really excited to bring the expertise from my part of the world to cinema here to collaborate with Indian cinema.