MUMBAI: The fourth edition of the IndiEarth XChange – India’s annual trade event and showcase festival for the independent music, film and media sectors – has revealed its 2015 dates. The landmark event expands this year to feature 300+ industry professionals from over 20 countries coming together for a series of conferences, workshops, showcase music performances, film screenings and think tank sessions that will take place from 27th – 29th November at the Vivanta by Taj - Connemara, Chennai.

World industry representatives, venue owners, media, labels, musicians and independent filmmakers can network, discuss, attend workshops, and experience performances and screenings by independent artists at IndiEarth XChange. The aim is to create networks between Indian and international industry members and build business relationships that develop the culture industry and arts, opening new markets for industry in India, and creating international markets for Indian artists. XChange has already facilitated several Indian artists – including The Ganesh Talkies, Filter Coffee, Shai’ir + Func, Nucleya, Ravi Iyer and classical Carnatic artist Jayanthi Kumaresh – to perform at various international festivals, and continues to push this agenda through the annual event.

Over the last few years, IndiEarth has been working to change the cultural landscape of Chennai through its music properties, festivals, and film screenings, curating a colourful selection of Indian and international independent musicians in the city, and screening a vast collection of independent cinema from around the world to engage with community and develop new audiences. XChange 2015 is an extension of that vision - bringing to Chennai a unique cross section of musicians and films from different corners of the globe, introducing audiences to diverse new sounds and cinema, and opening the conference to public should they wish to attend. Past editions have featured artists like j.viewz (USA), Robot Koch (Germany), Nathalie Natiembe (Reunion Island), Tritonik (Mauritius), Kutle Khan Project (India), Business Class Refugees (Israel), and Peter Cat Recording Company (IN). The Film Festival this year expands to showcase over 50 independent films from around the globe with an engaging series of interactive sessions with the filmmakers. Like previous years, the spectrum of films ranges from documentary to fiction, shorts to features, from the archives to current releases, international premieres, and exciting new work - XChange 2014 saw award winning films like Gitanjali Rao’s ‘True Love Story’, Nishtha Jain’s Gulabi Gang and Anand Gandhi’s ‘Ship Of Thesus’ being screened.

XChange’s Workshops program this year – an initiative under the EarthSync Academy - will offer specialised skills training with renowned experts from the Indian and international arts industries. Workshops will include media skills training sessions, designed to share knowledge and critical insights from journalists with several years of experience, and also a workshop for filmmakers on the technicalities behind ensuring quality sound design in their films. The Queensland University of Technology, Australia, are collaborating with XChange 2015 to bring the youth engagement Indie100 project to the event this year – giving 12 aspiring Indian independent musicians the rare and valuable chance to be recorded, mixed and mastered live at XChange 2015 by two of Australia’s top music producers. A once in a lifetime chance for the next generation musicians in India, IndiEarth will soon launch a ‘Call For Submissions’ campaign to select 12 artists to participate in the Indie100 program, which will also be documented by student filmmakers.

Coming soon - IndiEarth XChange 2015 reveals its full Music and Film Festival line up! XChange is also running a ‘Call For Submissions’ for all musicians interested in performing and filmmakers interested in screening their work at XChange to an international audience of industry professionals and the public.