News18.com, one of India’s leading breaking news website, announces its marquee REEL Movie Awards 2018 with presenting sponsor Reliance Digital to be held on 20th March 2018 at Taj Lands’ End, Mumbai. The distinctive property will celebrate and honour the artists who have enthralled the audiences with their outstanding creativity through excellent storytelling. Bollywood’s renowned film critic, and TV host, Rajeev Masand will be moderating the jury panel that will comprise influential Bollywood personalities such as Farah Khan, Sudhir Mishra, Sujoy Ghosh and Nikhil Advani. The unique event will be graced by dignitaries, industry veterans, leading filmmakers, actors and producers.
These awards will focus on movies and people that celebrate great storytelling as their focus. Speaking about News18.com’s marquee offering, Rajeev Masand – Film Critic said, “We are witnessing a new age of cinema where actors who know their craft well along with excellent film-makers, come together to deliver a complete cinematic experience. I am looking forward to celebrate their achievements in the industry as well as indulge in riveting discussions surrounding the evolution of content and cinema in the country.”
Sudhir Mishra who has championed new age cinema from early on, will be part of the jury. Talking about his role as the jury member for REEL Movie Awards 2018 the director said, “I wanted to be a part of this jury because the younger lot inspires me, I feel less lonely, otherwise the idea of making independent films is a lonely job if you look at the Mumbai Film Industry. I’ve been around 30 years, trying to do what I want and it’s great that now the other are also joining in as well. Age is a superfluous factor in a director’s life and there’s always so much to learn and get inspired from all the time.”
The REEL Movie Awards will also have a curated panel discussion on future of content consumption and new age cinema, which will witness participation of dignitaries from popular OTT platforms. To add to that, performance by celebrated stand-up comedians in the country, will raise the entertainment quotient of the evening.
Categorized into ‘On Screen’ and ‘Behind The Scenes,’ the awards intend to cover every aspect of new age cinema. Under these two main categories, winners will be selected by the Jury as well as the audience via online voting on News18.com. The ‘Behind The Scenes Awards’ includes categories such as Best Cinematography, Best Screenplay, Best Playback Singer Male and Female, Best Sound Design, Best Dialogues, Best Art / Production Design, Best Editor and Best Music. ‘On-screen Awards’ includes – Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor – Male and Female, Best Web Series, Best Director and Movie of the Year. Online voting under each category is now open until 17th March 2018.
Expressing his views on the announcement, Manish Maheshwari, CEO, Network18 Digital said, “While commercial movies are widely appreciated, new-age cinema is yet to receive its due for delivering outstanding cinematic experience. News18.com’s REEL Movie Awards, a first of its kind awards property, has been brought forth to recognize the best of new-age cinema. The artists associated with this cinema have put the ‘real’ back in ‘reel’ and the comprehensive platform is dedicated to their efforts of rising above the challenges to share great stories with the audience.”
The one-of-a-kind event will honor and recognize movies that are made with extremely limited budget yet deliver spectacular content. These movies are widely appreciated by audiences, receive immense critical acclaim, however, they do not find a place at many award ceremonies. The evening is dedicated to such quality cinema that appeals to millennials, who then not only access theaters but also various OTT platforms for these outstanding offerings by the Hindi film industry.
