CHALIA COMMUNICATIONS CC. was founded by Shalin Sirkar in May 2004. It consists of a FILM and CONSULTANCY division.
CHALIA
FILMS specializes in developing and financing of Feature Films, Documentaries
and TV series. Nouveau Imperialist was the first documentary produced,
which explored the environmental damage caused by the 'endangered’ penguin
species colonizing Boulders Beach in the Western Cape province of South Africa.
Since its inception, CHALIA FILMS has developed:
A
Travel Series, Komkyk for MNet as well
as Ponte City, a feature film in co-production with Germany's B-Film.
The
FILM division is currently developing other projects for television, including
documentaries:
Apart Decades – explores the South African individual’s
initial experience of Apartheid;
Under-Mining – exposes the environmental impact of granite
mining in South Africa’s Northern Cape Province;
The Life of the Gaddi – explores the evolution of Gaddi
tribal life as tourists flock into their once pristine land along the Himachal
Pradesh foothills of the Himalayas;
Paternoster – spends time with residents from the quaint
fishing village on South Africa’s West Coast, listening to their views
on the imposed fishing quotas and recent gentrification altering their landscapes.
Beyond documentaries, but also for TV, CHALIA FILMS is developing a high-end
Reality Show called Ultimate Africa, From Guts to
Glory – whereby contestants from around the world compete
against each other in an overland race from Cairo to Cape Town.
The FEATURE FILM division within CHALIA FILMS has a steady focus on International Co-Productions for theatrical release. The company is involved at every stage of script development, financing, securing sales and the actual production itself, right up to ensuring the best marketing strategy along with sales agents and distributors.
Thus far, CHALIA FILMS has completed finance on: 34 South – the first South African feature film to be directed by a black woman in 100 years of filmmaking; and is currently in the process of securing finance for various other feature films.
In
current development:
Black Desire - the first Zambian feature
film ever to be made, with Zebra X Pictures (Italy) and Unlimited (France);
Distances - Indian-Kenyan feature film
based on the novel by prolific writer and economist, Bhabani Sen Gupta;
Husen – German-Tanzanian film
based on the true life events of a Tanzanian child soldier who comes to Berlin
to seek compensation for the First World War and finds himself working in
Nazi propaganda films just to survive;
Sugarcane Fields – an epic based
on a true story of indentured labour and love on sugarcane farms on South
Africa’s East Coast;
Home Sweet Home – a homegrown South African
story tracking the lives of 3 families forced to strip away their protective
cloaks and reveal their true selves when they least expect it.
CHALIA
CONSULTANCY provides a service to Producers who wish to devise the most strategic
business model for their film, including a finance and distribution plan.
Included in these services is the briefing of International Producers who
wish to access finance from and form co-productions with South Africa.
The consultancy service also extends to script development, particularly for
films to be shot in South Africa or South African stories. CHALIA is committed
to the authenticity and integrity of story telling and insists on the highest
quality script before starting production, thereby maintaining strict budget
control and ensuring optimal production conditions.
CHALIA CONSULTANCY also offers training and workshops to upcoming producers
on a wide range of topics from film financing, rights clearance, deal structuring,
contracts and negotiations and film budgeting to actual production and delivery.
CHALIA CONSULTANCY has facilitated workshops in Zambia and Cape Town and is also an ongoing mentor to several emerging Producers, assisting with proposal writing, pitching and trouble shooting during production.
CHALIA is a fast growing film production company dedicated to the upliftment and empowerment of the filmmakers of tomorrow. CHALIA has neatly placed itself at every strata of filmmaking, developing a refined skills set and creating employment for as many as possible. Apart from fair labour practice, CHALIA’S end product is of the highest quality assuring comprehensive sale of the product or service. CHALIA is also dedicated to international co-productions allowing shared creativity and production skills as well as beyond the border distribution.
Shalin Sirkar is a graduate in Psychology and Legal Studies with a post-graduate qualification in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. She has worked in various NGO’s including Gender Advocacy Program, Law, Race and Gender Research Unit and Parliamentary Monitoring Group. In 2004, Shalin created Chalia Films to develop Independent Feature Films with a focus on international co-productions.
Selected
Producer credits of Feature Films include 34 South (Hybrid Films), Adaora
(Godfather Productions) and a trainee producer credit on Forgiveness (Giant
Films & DV8). Shalin is currently producing Feature Films: Home Sweet
Home, Distances, Husen, Sugar Cane Fields and Reality TV Series, Ultimate
Africa.
In 2009, Shalin will make her directorial debut with Home Sweet Home in South
Africa.
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