MUMBAI: In order to gain inspiration for future show topics, especially in the realm of global health, a group of Hollywood writers and producers of films and top television shows are on a 6-day visit to Mumbai from 8 May.
The visit is organised by Hollywood Health & Society, a programme of The Norman Lear Center at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism in Los Angeles.
Said Hollywood, Health & Society Director Sandra de Castro Buffington,“We are thrilled to bring some of Hollywood’s master storytellers to India to learn from India’s long, rich history of storytelling. We know that they will be creatively and personally inspired by what they see and learn while in this extraordinary country.”
Five Hollywood writers and producers will participate in the trip to Mumbai in order to learn more about the people and culture, gain first-hand knowledge about how people here are managing global health challenges such as TB and HIV, and to gain inspiration for future shows and scripts. They will also learn about local culture, customs, storytelling, and leadership.
The writers and producers participating in the trip are: Jennifer Cecil (Private Practice), Michael Nash (Climate Refugees), Zoanne Clack (Grey’s Anatomy), John Max Burnett III (The Troop) and Walt Disney Feature Animation executive Karen Tenkhoff.
A panel discussion has been planned for 12 May to showcase clips of the health storylines of top Bollywood and Hollywood TV and film writers and producers, including president of the Film and Television Producers Guild of India, Ramesh Sippy, Amol Gupte, and Vinta Nanda.
Topics will include writing film and TV dramas about health topics;the entertainment industry’s approach to programming about health issues in India; writers’ individual techniques for writing dramas with social impact; and film and television as vehicles for social change.
The event, hosted by Hollywood, Health & Society and supported by the Film and Television Producers Guild of India, will take place at the JW Marriot Hotel Mumbai.
