Miditech's Alva Brothers win international Gold Panda Award

The Brothers Alva – Nikhil, Niret and Nivedith – of Miditech have been known as documentary and non-fiction producers par excellence. Their shows have been aired on various channels internationally and they have pocketed many a award, including Indian Telly Awards. Now they have pocketed another award – this time it is The International Gold Panda Award at the Sichuan TV Festival 2011 for their documentary Inside: Asia’s Largest Jail which is part of National Geographic Channel’s highly acclaimed Inside series. The Inside series enters the world’s most restrictive places, unraveling the non-stop drama helmed by a compelling cast of characters. Inside: Asia’s Largest Jail goes behind the walls of Asia’s largest jail complex – the Tihar - in New Delhi, India. Through stories of several prisoners and staff, the film explores the challenges, fears, anxieties, hopes and disappointments of those who live and work inside Tihar. It’s a world set apart, on the one hand, with dreaded criminals who are prone to violent conflict with each other and with the staff. On another it is a correctional facility with a range of educational facilities and meditation programs, designed for reform and rehabilitation of prisoners. Says Miditech president Niret Alva: “This film is restless, roving, ever present, the camera is at once ubiquitous, yet seemingly invisible. Why, because Tihar jail inmates seem completely oblivious of it. The stories of different characters intersect and sometimes merge, so beautifully that you feel you have a ring side view of a big living thing called Tihar. We, at Miditech , enjoyed making this film and are truly thrilled by this news.” “Documentaries are an important part of Miditech's DNA as a production company. With this win, Miditech's Documentary division has once again proved it can create compelling documentaries on Indian subjects that appeal to audiences all over the world because of their universal themes, strong research, innovative storytelling and high end production value,” adds Miditech CEO & managing director Nikhil J Alva. Miditech supplies TV shows and series to Turner (Pogo/Imagine), News Corp (Star Plus/Star World/Star Gold/Channel [V]), the Zee Network , BBC, Disney, Doordarshan, Viacom18 (Colors/MTV), Times TV Network (Zoom), Multi Screen Media (Sony/Sab/Max) and Real Global Broadcasting (Real/Food First).