Palador Pictures (also Palador Pictures Private Limited) is a content production, programming and publishing company based in Mumbai, India, dealing mainly with the acquisition and distribution of foreign-language films, also known as

world cinema World cinema is a term in film theory that refers to films made outside of the American motion picture industry, particularly those in opposition to the aesthetics and values of commercial American cinema.Nagib, Lúcia. "Towards a positive de ...

, in the Indian subcontinent through DVD, television and theatre. It was the first company to focus on world cinema in India in 2005. Published reports indicate that Palador controls the distribution of close to 1000 films made from the 1920s to the present.

Company name

"Palador" is derived from "Pala", a fictional island in the novel '' The Island'' by

Aldous Huxley Aldous Leonard Huxley (26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963) was an English writer and philosopher. He wrote nearly 50 books, both novels and non-fiction works, as well as wide-ranging essays, narratives, and poems. Born into the prominent Huxle ...

. Palador is also a planet in Arthur C. Clarke's short

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

story "

Rescue Party "Rescue Party" is a science fiction short story by English writer Arthur C. Clarke, first published in '' Astounding Science Fiction'' in May 1946. It was the first story that he sold, though not the first one published. It was republished in Clar ...

," the first story Clarke sold. It is also the name of a dental alloy.

Acquired films

The company has acquired films from many parts of the world, and especially at film festivals. It acquired the rights to around 300 films during the Cannes Film Festival of 2007, including the 'Extra-Special' anniversary prize-winning film '' Paranoid Park''. In a recent

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the fest ...

, Palador is said to have acquired films like '' Shine A Light),'' the biography of the Rolling Stones directed by

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of many major accolades, inclu ...

, and the Lou Reed documentary ''Berlin''. On television, eight films from Palador's catalog were shown in association with

Tata Sky Tata Play (stylised as TΛTΛ PLΛY, formerly TΛTΛ , sky) is an Indian direct broadcast satellite (DTH) service provider using MPEG-4 digital compression technology, transmitting using INSAT-4A and GSAT-10 satellite. Incorporated in 2005; i ...

during October–November 2007, including films by directors

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dyna ...

, Wim Wenders, François Truffaut and

Wong Kar-wai Wong Kar-wai (born 17 July 1958) is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter, and producer. His films are characterised by nonlinear narratives, atmospheric music, and vivid cinematography involving bold, saturated colours. A pivotal figure ...

. The company recently closed a deal with

Zee Studio Zee Studio was an Indian English-language television channel featuring Hollywood films. It was part of the wider Zee Entertainment Enterprises, Zee Network. History The channel was launched on 15 March 2000 as ''Zee Movies''. In October 20 ...

to show 26 of its films for six months.

DVD releases

Palador has launched a DVD Label called 'The One World Collection' and have released world cinema titles under it. The films are being sold as box sets and as individual titles. Some of the movies include:

's '' Seven Samurai'', ''

Yojimbo is a 1961 Japanese Samurai cinema, samurai film co-written, produced, edited, and directed by Akira Kurosawa. The film stars Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yoko Tsukasa, Isuzu Yamada, Daisuke Katō, Takashi Shimura, Kamatari Fujiwara, and Ats ...

'', ''

Throne of Blood is a 1957 Japanese '' jidaigeki'' film co-written, produced, edited, and directed by Akira Kurosawa, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film transposes the plot of William Shakespeare's play ''Macbeth'' from Medieval Scotland to feudal ...

''; and Ingmar Bergman's '' Wild Strawberries'' and ''

Summer Interlude ''Summer Interlude'' ( sv, Sommarlek), originally titled ''Illicit Interlude'' in the United States, is a 1951 Swedish drama film co-written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. The film opened to highly positive reviews from critics. Plot Marie (Ni ...

''. Palador has tied up with Moser Baer, to offer 50 films on DVD. These titles expected to cost INR 399, will mark the entry of Moser Baer, known for their inexpensive DVDs and VCDs, into a premium category.

Online promotion

The company is promoting world cinema online via different partnerships. It is selling its DVD titles and box sets with Indiaplaza.in and from their own online store.

, François Truffaut and World Cinema Collectors Box Sets are available in these stores. As a promotional measure Palador has also begun a 'Trip To Cannes' contest that allows those that buy these box sets to win a trip to the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

2008. The online store does not have customer support, and there are no listed phone numbers to contact in case of ordering or shipping problems. E-mails to their support team are not entertained in case of disputes.

Valuation

Palador raised funding of US$6 million from private investors including Mahesh Mathai, the director of Indian film, ''Bhopal Express'' in August 2007, after a 15% dilution of equity. By this estimation the valuation of Palador is US$40 million. The valuation is understated considering that the world cinema market in the country has been estimated to reach a valuation of Indian Rs.1,500 crore by 2009 and compose 20 percent of the non-Indian language movie segment in India.

Dispute with UTV

The company was in a joint venture agreement with

UTV Software Communications The Walt Disney Company India Private Limited, known simply as Disney India, is the Indian subsidiary of the Indo Pacific region of the American media and entertainment conglomerate The Walt Disney Company and headquartered in Mumbai, Maharasht ...

Ltd. in 2006–07. The partnership soured and UTV terminated the contract, citing 'material breach and non-performance' in May 2007. However, after a court arbitration UTV had to unconditionally withdraw the allegations in August 2007. Things soured further between the two and Palador took UTV to court in November 2007.Palador drags one-time partner UTV to court over film rights.
Financial Express , 2 November 2007,

References

{{reflist

External links

New York Times Article

Palador Pictures' Website

Palador Pictures' Library

Online Store to Buy World Cinema DVDs

Hollywood Reporter

Business StandardEconomic Times
Film distributors of India Film production companies based in Mumbai 2005 establishments in Maharashtra Indian companies established in 2005 Mass media companies established in 2005