Ajay Bijli, Chairman and Managing Director of PVR Limited, will receive the “Exhibitor of the Year” Award at the CineAsia Awards Ceremony on Thursday, 14th December 2017 at the Grand Hyatt, Hong Kong.
“It gives us great pleasure to present the Exhibitor of the Year award to Ajay Bijli of PVR Limited,” said Andrew Sunshine, Vice President of The Film Expo Group. “PVR has built a culture of innovation for cinema, changing the movie-going experience in India. Bijli has proven to be a pioneer in the industry and we congratulate him on this well-deserved honor.”
In 1995 Bijli started PVR Cinemas, the largest cinema exhibition chain in India today. The company began as a joint venture agreement with Village Roadshow, a global film production and exhibition company of Australia, and within a few years the company established the multiplex format in India. Since its inception, PVR Limited has redefined the movie-going experience in the country. In 2012, the company acquired Cinemax and has taken over DT Cinemas in 2016. The brand currently serves approximately 75 million moviegoers and has 579 screens across India.
Bijli completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce (Honours) from Hindu College of Delhiand shortly after pursued the Owner/President Management Program at Harvard Business School. Bijli has recently been awarded the “Asia Innovator of the Year” award at India Business Leader Awards, 2016 and Images Retail awarded him as the “Most Admired Retailer of the year 2016”. In addition to the recent recognitions, Bijli has also been honored with prestigious awards such as E&Y Entrepreneurial Award for Business Transformation, CNBC’s Emerging India Award and Most Admired Multiplex Professional by CMO Asia’s Multiplex Excellence Award. Under his leadership, PVR Limited has also received the Fortune India’s Next 500 Big and Mid-size companies award.
Bijli is on the Board of Trustees of the Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image (MAMI) and the founding member of FICCI Multiplex Association (India). He is also a member of The Film and TV Producers Guild (India), Young Presidents’ Organization and is associated with the Central Board of Film Certification, Government of India.
About CineAsia
CineAsia will take place from 11-14 December 2017 at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre in Hong Kong. The CineAsia trade show is where cinema exhibition and distribution professional come to do business and network. The convention will also feature product presentations and screenings of major upcoming films, exclusive sponsored events, and seminars relating to current and future trends happening across the industry.
About PVR Limited
PVR is the largest and the most premium film exhibition company in India. Since its inception in 1997, the brand has redefined the way entertainment is consumed in the country by bringing world class cinema formats accessible to the Indian audience, which includes IMAX, 4DX, DOLBY ATMOS along with luxury experience provided by Gold Class and Director’s cut. PVR currently operates a cinema circuit comprising of 579 screens at 126 properties in 50 cities serving approx. 75 million patrons annually.
About Film Expo Group
The Film Expo Group is the premier organizer of events in the motion picture industry. The Film Expo Group produces CineAsia, held in Hong Kong; CineEurope, held in Barcelona; and ShowEast, held in Miami. Additionally, the group publishes, Film Journal International, a trade magazine and website covering the motion picture industry with a special emphasis on theatrical exhibition.
Additional information on CineAsia can be found at www.cineasia.com.
About GDC Technology Limited – Official Sponsor of CineAsia
GDC Technology Limited (‘GDC’) is a leading digital cinema solutions provider. GDC develops, manufactures and sells media servers, content storage systems, theatre management systems and network operations center software for the global cinema industry. GDC is a licensee of the DTS:X object-based immersive sound technology from DTS, Inc. for the development of its media servers. In addition, GDC also provides a suite of digital cinema products and services, including integrated projection systems, 3D products, projector lamps and silver screens. GDC Digital Cinema Network Limited, a GDC subsidiary, manages VPF for over 6,300 theatre screens and with more than 650 studios or motion picture distributors worldwide. For more information, please visit www.gdc-tech.com.
About Hong Kong Tourism Board
The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is the supporting organization of CineAsia. The Hong Kong Tourism Board is a government-subvented body tasked with marketing and promoting Hong Kong as a travel destination and enhancing visitors’ experience once they have arrived. In fulfilling its objectives, the HKTB organizes comprehensive campaigns and a year-round programme of events, which also serve to provide a business platform for travel-related sectors. The HKTB also established Meetings and Exhibitions Hong Kong (MEHK) to strengthen the city’s position as the prime destination for meetings, incentive trips, conventions, and exhibitions (MICE) in Asia. MEHK offers extensive support services that make MICE events simple to setup and smooth to execute.