The Black List, an online yearly survey that features Hollywood’s most popular unpublished screenplays, is all set to make an imprint in India.
The survey’s founder Franklin Leonard revealed this during a masterclass at the ongoing Mumbai film festival, where he is also serving as the head of the India Gold competition jury.
“One of the reasons I’m here is to meet with Indian film producers to talk about ways where we can work more closely with the Indian market, both to make films here but also to help people from here source talent from other places,” said Leonard.
“In an international film community, good stories don’t have national borders,” said Leonard. “If we can help everybody get good movies made, that’s a win for me as an audience member.”
He said that in a crowded global marketplace it is not possible to know what every buyer on Earth wants. “It is possible though for the Internet to know that, because if people go searching for it and they can find it, then we match people up,” said Leonard.
Since The Black List was founded in 2005, more than 400 scripts emerging from the survey have been produced, grossing some $26 billion at the box office and winning 53 Oscars, including 10 for best screenplay.
The company also produces. Its “Breaking News In Yuba County” is in post-production.