Latest collection of films brings together Shakespeare adaptations

IndiePix, the leading Internet-based distributor of critically acclaimed and hard-to-find independent films, has announced its latest collection: a series of adaptations of famous Shakespeare plays and films with a Shakespearian theme. For the first time, film lovers and educational bodies can access this new collection, which includes such classics as Laurence Olivier's Shakespeare compilation including HENRY V (1944), HAMLET (1948), and RICHARD III (1955). In addition, many of the films provide a cultural twist to the story - making it unique to the filmmaker's home country.

The

ten films in the collection are some of the most interesting and thought- provoking films within the IndiePix catalogue - containing over 3,000 independent films - and has been compiled to make it easy for consumers looking specifically for Shakespeare-themed films. Amongst the collection are MAQBOOL and OMKARA by Bollywood filmmaker, Vishal Bharadwajs. These films depict two of Shakespeare's most famous plays, Macbeth and Othello, but with a distinct Bollywood flavour. Also included in the collection is SHAKESPEARE WALLAH, a film about a struggling English troupe of Shakespearian actors touring India - based on a real-life theater company, Shakespeariana.

"Shakespeare is on the curriculum in schools and colleges throughout the world and his plays are loved by audiences old and young. Our collection of ten films, which includes both drama and documentary, offers an interesting insight into how these plays have been interpreted across the globe," commented Shreekant Pol, Catalogue and Acquisitions Manager at IndiePix. "In recent years, Hollywood has produced some outstanding Shakespearian works but it is often the independent film community that can display cultural and real-life portrayals of the 'universal' themes that Shakespeare tackles.

"Some of the films in the collection are unique to the filmmakers’ own country so, for example, in our library we have a highly acclaimed Russian adaptation of King Lear by Grigori Kozintsevs. At the moment Bollywood films are growing in popularity across the globe and we have two Bollywood adaptations within our collection. Making the films apply to the filmmakers' own culture offers IndiePix customers something unique. Modernising them through styles, such as Bollywood, brings Shakespeare into the new media."