As Mumbai, India, is the nexus of the world's most prolific film production centres, the Hindi film industry otherwise known as Bollywood, a local film school is planning to expand there.

On February 20, the Vancouver Film School announced that it will be opening a new campus in Mumbai in July, located at the Mackichan Complex of Wilson College.

The partnership was one of 66 commercial contracts by Canadian and Indian companies announced by Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau during his visit to India.

VFS founder and president James Griffin attended a meeting in Mumbai with Trudeau, Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, and Digital India's Ashish Kulkarni, who is the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry's chairman for animation, visual effects, gaming, and comics.

"There is a massive demand for VFS programs in India. However, for every one student that can come to VFS in Vancouver, there are 10 who cannot due to several limiting factors," VFS international strategy director Diwakar Gandhi stated in a news release. "Now we can provide the same quality of education and training to prepare students for a career in global film and entertainment industry right here in India." 

VFS Mumbai students will have an option to transfer to the school's Vancouver campus after completing programs in Mumbai.

The school is also making 36 scholarships available for Indian students, including one specifically for women, in the areas of film productions, animation and visual effects, game design, and digital design.

VFS launched in 1987 and opened its first international admissions office in Mumbai in 2004. The school has since opened recruitment offices in Brazil, China, Colombia, Mexico, Russia, South Korea, Taiwan, and Turkey.