The Hindu Business Line : National Geographic plans awards for factual films

The National Geographic channel plans to introduce awards for factual film making under categories such as stills, documentaries and even films shot on mobile phones, covering genres such as environment, science, technology and conservation.

Mr Nikhil Mirchandani, Managing Director (South Asia), said: "There is a lot of talent in the country, a lot of good films are being made. There are about 5,000 films lying around and not aired. We get about 15-20 films a week from people who want them to be aired on TV. Everybody has a story to tell and we wanted to recognise that."

The Geo Awards will be launched in India before it is rolled out globally. The films will be judged by a six-member jury headed by Mr Sydney Suissa, Global Head of Programming.

Apart from a cash prize, winners under both amateur and professional categories will have their films telecast on the channel.

The awards are in sync with the channel's initiative to reach out to the local audience.

Recently, the channel tied up with ETV to air its content on ETV's 11 channels, dubbed in seven languages. The National Geographic Junior Hunt and the Young Visionary 2007 Awards to spot smart children and youth in the country were also efforts at understanding the local population.

Indian content does figure in the channel's most promoted programmes in the country.

"Some 15-20 per cent of our content is local. We do get a spike in viewership out of Indian content as it obviously enjoys greater relevance with Indian viewers," said Mr Mirchandani.

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