IIFA acting workshop: bridging the industry divide

This will probably be one of the most interesting acting workshops in history!

Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey will conduct an acting workshop at the upcoming 15th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Weekend and Awards, which are making their US debut this year. The Oscar winner will be joined by Bollywood megastar Vidya Balan, according to IMDb.

The IIFA extravaganza will be held April 23-26 in Tampa Bay, Florida.

For the workshop, the Oscar award-winning actor will join other dignitaries from the Hollywood and Bollywood fraternities to share insight and opinions on a variety of cinema-related subjects, reports IANS. Since IIFA has always been viewed as a platform to bridge the gap between the Indian film industry and the international audience, what  could be better than involving Hollywood in it?

“It has been our dream to be able to do this with the participation of Hollywood artistes being featured within our events, and this year as we debut in the US, we are proud to have achieved this with a masterclass that celebrates accomplished actors Kevin Spacey and Vidya Balan from the respective industries,” Andre Timmins, the Wizcraft International and IIFA director, said in a statement.

“This masterclass will be an enthralling event that will create a great platform for knowledge exchange in the world of film and media,” he added.

The IIFA Acting Workshop takes place during the main awards weekend, where keen participants attempt to delve into the minds of well-known names from the film world.

Spacey has given Academy Award winning performances in The Usual Suspects and American Beauty, as well as memorable performances in Se7en, Beyond The Sea and most recently, as Francis Underwood in House of Cards.

He also has a rich history in the theatre world and he has been the artistic director of the Old Vic Theater Company in London for the last decade.

Spacey was made a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth for his services to theatre and won the Evening Standard and Olivier Awards for Best Actor for his stage role in The Iceman Cometh as well as a Tony award for Best Supporting Actor in Neil Simon’s Lost in Yonkers.

He has also featured in the Broadway and West End productions of Long Day’s Journey into Night as well as the title role in the Sam Mendes production of Richard III.

Vidya Balan is a household name in Bollywood. She has starred in movies such as Pyaar Ke Side Effects, and its more recent sequel Shaadi Ke Side Effects. It will be interesting to see the two industries coming head-to-head in order to impart knowledge at the IIFA Awards.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 10^th, 2014.

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