NEW YORK: Time Warner Cable of New York and New Jersey and Saavn (formerly BODVOD Networks) are showing their support for Bollywood and South Asian cinema by sponsoring the Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council Film Festival (MIAAC) which is now in its seventh year of bringing the finest films of Indian independent and Diaspora cinema to New York City.

The cable company has teamed up again with Saavn, the company that powers the Bollywood category on Time Warner Cable International Movies-On-Demand Channel with Bollywood movies from UTV, Adlabs and Yash Raj Films. "We are excited to be working with Time Warner Cable of NY&NJ this year," states Indo-American Arts Council Executive Director Aroon Shivdasani.

"The availability of International Movies-On-Demand is an important step towards highlighting Indian cinema. MIAAC's commitment to present quality Indian cinema creates a perfect partnership with Time Warner Cable's commitment to ensure availability of these genres," she adds. This year marks a groundbreaking year for the convergence of Hollywood and Bollywood. Eyes are turning towards the East, as Hollywood studios are beginning to invest in Bollywood films.

Warner Brothers, Viacom, Disney and Sony Pictures are now all part of the booming Indian movie-making industry. Bollywood actor Salman Khan has been working on two upcoming movies with Indian Film Company and Viacom. Not to be left out of the Bollywood game, Sony Pictures has its hands in "Saawariya" directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

"Time Warner Cable of New York and New Jersey is excited to sponsor the Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council Film Festival. Through this partnership, we're proud to deliver even more Bollywood and South Asian movies to our customers through International Movies On Demand," stated David Goldberg, Vice President, Marketing Time Warner Cable of New York and New Jersey. "To help serve the diverse, multicultural communities in our service area, we're delighted to offer international films that can be enjoyed by South Asian and mainstream viewers alike," added Goldberg.