Two new awards were announced at WAVES Film Bazaar, the market arm of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), the UNESCO Creative Cities Network Film City Award for Best Co-Production Market Project and the Matchbox Gap Award for Best Film Bazaar Nominated Project.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), supported by Vault/Costume Peti and the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), announced the UNESCO Film Creative City Best Co-Production Market Project Award. Mr. Chanda Jadhav, Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Special), BMC, and Mr. Saurabh Kabra, Founder and CEO, Vault.rent/Costume Peti, will present the award at the closing ceremony on November 24.
As a UNESCO Creative City of Cinema, the city of Mumbai aims to use this award to highlight outstanding projects in the co-production market that demonstrate strong creative and production potential and commit to filming at least 75% of their films within the city. The initiative encourages filmmakers to showcase Mumbai’s diverse locations, artistic talent and robust film production infrastructure.
The winning project will receive free access to the Mumbai-based shoot, as well as props, art assets and costume support from the Vault.rent/Costume Peti inventory. This initiative also advances Vault.rent/Costume Peti’s and BMC’s green asset management mission, promoting recycling, reuse, and reuse throughout the production pipeline and strengthening our commitment to sustainable filmmaking practices.
Commenting on the initiative, City Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani said, “Mumbai is proud to be a UNESCO Creative City of Film and this recognition comes with responsibility.NDFC Waves Film Our collaboration with platforms like Bazaar strengthens our commitment to nurturing talent, accelerating creative entrepreneurship and establishing Mumbai as a global capital of film innovation. BMC remains focused on enabling a seamless and future-proof ecosystem that empowers filmmakers and drivers.” Culture-led economic growth. ”
Vault.rent/Costume Peti “Supporting independent filmmakers with sustainable and cost-effective production resources is essential to fostering creativity and innovation in the film industry,” Cabra said in an interview. By providing access to props, costumes, and other assets, we help filmmakers reduce waste, better manage their budgets, and enable them to efficiently recycle, reuse, and repurpose valuable resources.”
The second award, the Matchbox Gap Award, is given to the best project by Film Bazaar Recommends. The award aims to support filmmakers during the critical post-production stage and provides soft financing of 1.5 million to 20 million rupees ($16,755 to $22,335) for post-production services. The winners will also receive expert guidance from Matchbox Shots LLP, a renowned production company based in Mumbai.
Eligible projects will have principal photography 100% complete, with rough cuts and preliminary sound design required. A jury comprised of representatives from NFDC and Matchbox Shot will select the winner, and the award will be presented at the closing ceremony by filmmaker and Matchbox Shot mentor Sriram Raghavan.
Prakash Magdum, Managing Director, NFDC, emphasized the importance of nurturing filmmakers at critical stages of the filmmaking process. “NFDC remains committed to empowering filmmakers through focused support at critical stages of production. The Matchbox Gap Awards reflect this commitment by supporting outstanding projects that reach their full potential for audiences around the world,” he said.
Sanjay Routray, Producer and Partner at Matchbox Shots, added: “Our vision at Matchbox Shots is to inspire storytelling that pushes the boundaries. The post-production stage is extremely important and challenging and we are happy to support deserving filmmakers through the Matchbox Gap Award.”
