Deakin University, Australia, conducted conference on Indian Cinema and Alternate Networks in India, named ICAN 2018, on November 16–18, 2018, in collaboration with Delhi Metropolitan Educations’ School of Media, India. The conference dealt with changing facets of Indian cinema, especially regarding its reception, consumption, collaboration and distribution. The conference also focused on cooperation between Australia and India in cinema.
Australia-based India Cinema scholar—Dr Vikrant Kishore, Course Director—Film, Television & Animation and Senior Lecturer in Screen and Design at the Faculty of Arts and Education, Deakin University, and Australian Film Scholar and Deakin academic Professor Sean Redmond were the leading speakers of the conference.
Professor Matthew Allen, Head of School, School of Creative Arts and Communication, Deakin University, said, “ICAN reflects Deakin’s long-standing commitment towards shaping meaningful relationships with Indian Universities, Institutes and Colleges. Our aim has been to increase research-oriented dialogue between Australia and India and this conference will provide a good opportunity for scholars, industry experts and students in the field of Film, Television and Animation to present their work and continue to develop this mutually beneficial dialogue.”
Adding to this, Ms Ravneet Pawha, Deputy Vice-President (Global) and CEO (South Asia), Deakin University, shared that the event marks beginning of a new chapter in Deakin University’s in-country collaboration with academia in India. This unique collaboration will bring about India’s rich and diverse cinematic heritage and Deakin’s expertise in contemporary culture and newest technologies.
The conference analysed various aspects of Indian Cinema and the Bollywood “brand” on how its reception and consumption, collaboration and distribution have changed over the years, especially post 2000s.
Dr Ambrish Saxena, Conference Advisor, ICAN 2018 and Dean, DME Media School, Delhi Metropolitan Education (DME), Noida, says, “International Conference on Indian Cinema and Alternate Networks – ICAN 2018 is focused on enriching understanding and experience about Indian Cinema, particularly Bollywood. The collaboration between Deakin University, Melbourne and Delhi Metropolitan Education, Noida (Delhi NCR) will open new doors for academic proximity between Australia and India in this subject area.