India, Poland sign audio visual co-production agreement

India and Poland have signed an agreement for co-production of audio-visuals, including animation and documentary films for the cinema and TV, as well as films intended solely for dissemination on analogue or digital data carriers.

The agreement, signed in Warsaw on Friday, establishes a legal framework for relations regarding audio-visual co-production, especially films, and will remain in force for a period of five years from the date of its entry into force.

Minister for information and broadcasting Ambika Soni and Poland's minister of culture and national heritage B Zdrojewski signed the agreement, which will enhance bilateral cooperation in film production.

The signing of the agreement ensures better partnership and collaboration between enterprises and institutions, which produce, distribute and disseminate films. The inter-governmental co-production agreements are umbrella agreements, under which private, quasi-government or governmental agencies enter into contracts to produce films together.

The films so produced will be treated as national films in both countries and such films cannot be treated differently from a domestically produced film in each of the co-producing countries.

The umbrella agreement lays down the extent of financial contributions (usually ranging between 20 to 80 per cent) needed for both co-producers to make, modalities of sharing honours and prizes and exporting films etc.