Holi Aayi Music Video

Here's a behind-the-scenes video featuring the song Holi Aayi from Outsourced.

12 Days of Christmas (The Indian Re-Mix)

A little fun for the Holidays.

"A Job Well Done"

The Washington Post
Friday, December 14, 2007; Page WE32

One of those unexpected gems that seems to pop up out of nowhere, "Outsourced" is a timely, topical comedy that mines the rich vein of globalization and its discontents with sharp, observant wit and a wonderfully light touch.

Josh Hamilton plays Todd, the order fulfillment manager at an American novelty company; when his entire department is moved overseas, he must travel to India to train his replacement. Callow, nervous, adamantly uninterested in the life and culture into which he is plunged, Todd (whom the locals call Mr. Todd, which comes out as "Mr. Toad") tries to teach his trainees how to pronounce the wide A in "Chicago" as well as the precise function of a yellow foam cheese-head.

Written by George Wing ("50 First Dates") and John Jeffcoat, who also directs, "Outsourced" unfolds with unforced, often outright hilarious spontaneity as Todd goes from fish out of water to enlightened cosmopolitan. Hamilton is terrific in his role of the diffident but ultimately well-meaning middle manager, and he is amply supported by Asif Basra and Ayesha Dharker, who play Todd's replacement and love interest, respectively.

"Outsourced" often recalls "Office Space" in its deadpan depiction of corporate politics, but its touching final scenes are straight out of the 1983 classic "Local Hero," proving only that the filmmakers have the good sense to steal from the best.

-- Ann Hornaday

Link to article

Outsourced Soundtrack available

For those of you who saw they movie and have been curious about getting a soundtrack, it is now available on our website WWW.OUTSOURCEDTHEMOVIE.COM at the Outsourced Store.

We've expanded several of the songs so that this is not a soundtrack of 30 second music clips but an album that can stand on it's own. You can listen to a few of the tracks on the audio player of my page in our online community.

I'll try and incorporate a music player with tracks from the sountrack in this blog soon.

There's a very grainy behind-the-scenes video of a guitarist laying down a track for the song "Ishq Mushq" or "Holiday in Goa" here:


A music video for the song "Holi Aayi" will be coming soon.

The Source of "Outsourced" is Experience, Says Director

By Mark Bourne

"If you fight the flow of India, you will be destroyed."

That's what John Jeffcoat, director of the independent film Outsourced, tells me as we drink coffee in a Thai restaurant in downtown Seattle. He's describing a key lesson that went into, and comes out of, Outsourced, which will soon begin a new wave of U.S. and foreign distribution after a successful run at film festivals and select cities. (We review the film here.)

Outsourced tells the story of an American call center supervisor, Todd (Josh Hamilton), who finds that not only has his entire department been outsourced to rural India, he must travel to India and train his own replacement. What he discovers there is a vast society of astounding diversity, one undergoing its own cultural tug-of-war between honored traditions and cutting-edge modernism.

Now, when you take Jeffcoat's ominous-sounding warning -- "You will be destroyed!" -- out of context like that, you can't tell that Outsourced is in fact a charming, good-natured comedy with a sweetly portrayed romance at its center. But that destruction Jeffcoat talks about is a vital artery in Outsourced's heart. It's something that Jeffcoat, along with his co-writer George Wing and the movie's composer, B.C. Smith, who are both also seated with us, know from first-hand experience.

READ ON HERE

Coming to a theater near you?

Here's the latest on the US Theatrical release:

Now Playing
Galleria 11
500 106th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98004

Saturday, Nov. 10 - Exclusive One Night Engagement!
Jarvis Conservatory, Napa, CA

Friday, Nov. 16-18
Theater N at Nemours, Wilmington, DE
Cinema Paradiso, Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Friday, Nov. 16-22
Lake Worth Playhouse, Lake Worth, FL

Tuesday, Dec. 4-6
Clyde Theater, Langley, WA
Denver Film Society, Denver, CO

Friday, Dec. 14-20
Kendall Square Theater, Boston, MA
E Street Theater, Washington, DC

Friday, Dec. 28-Jan. 3
Carlisle Theater, Carlisle, PA

INTERNATIONAL

We are currently in release in Melbourne, Australia and open Thursday in Sydney!

Outsourced Delivers an Indie, Indian-Flavored Comedy

by Mark Bourne

"Why would you want a goddess of destruction in your car?" asks befuddled American middle manager Todd (Josh Hamilton) about a dashboard Kali he spies from a backseat in India.

"Sometimes destruction is a good thing," replies the gorgeous, young Indian woman, Asha (Ayesha Dharker), who sees that Todd needs an education in more than just her country's culture and the realities of a 21st-century global marketplace. "She ends one cycle so that a new one can begin." It's a sure bet that Todd will experience some of that destruction, but consequently also experience the beginning of his own very personal new cycle.

The exchange happens about halfway into Outsourced, a charming, laid-back and surprisingly affecting dramatic comedy from new director John Jeffcoat, who co-wrote the script with fellow Seattle resident George Wing (50 First Dates). This modestly budgeted, yet strikingly polished, independent film exudes such warm affection and respect for India and its people that we can reasonably wonder if a love for the country inspired the movie rather than the other way around.

Read the complete article HERE

Fest fave "Outsourced" making its way to TV

Moira McDonald of the Seattle Times wrote an article appearing in todays paper about our recent deal with NBC.

Fest fave "Outsourced" making its way to TV

by Moira McDonald
Seattle Times Movie Critic

In John Jeffcoat's comedy "Outsourced, " winner of the audience award for best film at the Seattle International Film Festival last spring, a Seattle office manager finds himself in a place he never expected to be: India, to train telemarketers at a call center there. Now "Outsourced" itself may well be headed for an unexpected destination: television.

Jeffcoat, a Seattle-based filmmaker, confirmed in a telephone interview last week that he and "Outsourced" co-writer George Wing are busily writing scripts for a planned television version of the film, under development for NBC. Ken Kwapis ("The Office"), who approached them after seeing the film and enjoying it, is attached to direct the pilot.

"This is a new world," said Jeffcoat, who estimated that in a "best case scenario" the show might air in the fall of 2008, assuming that NBC likes what they see.

Read the Entire article HERE

SIFF

Josh Hamilton in "Outsourced," about a Seattle office manager who goes to India to train telemarketers at a call center. A planned television version of the film is under development for NBC.

Outsourced in Austrailia

Outsourced will hit theaters in Australia on November 1st. Details are HERE. Our international release will continue with Germany, Israel, India, and Canada very soon. Stay tuned for details.

A favorite in Vancouver

According to the Vancouver International Film Festival, Outsourced was voted in the top 10% of the international films screened. The following is from their press release:

Top 10% of international films (listed alphabetically. All films listed in this release were very well attended, substantially voted for, and averaged between four and five out of five—four being “very good” and five being “excellent”—in public voting.):

Cristian Mungiu’s 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days (Romania); Robbie Cavolina and Ian McCrudden’s Anita O'Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer (USA); Tricia Regan’s Autism: The Musical (USA); Bertrand Normand’s Ballerina (France); Eran Kolirin’s The Band's Visit (Israel); Stuart Townsend’s Battle in Seattle (USA); Abdullah Oguz’s Bliss (Turkey/Greece); Stefan Ruzowitzky’s The Counterfeiters (Austria/Germany); Julian Schnabel’s The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (France/USA); Fatih Akin’s The Edge of Heaven (Germany/Turkey); Jan Sverák’s Empties (Czech Republic); The Hennegan Brothers’ The First Saturday in May (USA); Daniel Karslake’s For the Bible Tells Me So (USA); Suo Masayuki’s I Just Didn't Do It (Japan); Ang Lee’s Lust, Caution (Se Jie) (USA/Taiwan); Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman’s Nanking (USA); John Jeffcoat’s Outsourced (USA/India); Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud’s Persepolis (Iran/France); John Pilger and Christopher Martin’s The War on Democracy (UK); Paul Taylor’s We Are Together (UK)

High Risks of Self-Distributing Low-Budget Films

Listen to David Skinner (Executive producer of Outsourced) discuss the high risks of self-distributing low-budget films on KCRW's "The Business"

note: The first half of the show features Ang Lee's LUST, CAUTION, the interview with David Skinner begins about half-way into the show.

Audience Award at Bend Film

Outsourced tied with our friend Adrian Belic's documentary Beyond the Call for the Audience Award at the Bend Film Festival this past weekend (photo: Adrian Belic and John Jeffcoat at the Palm Springs Film Festival). A thank you to everyone at the festival that voted for us!

Also last week, Outsourced played three sold out screenings at the Vancouver Film Festival and and had an additional screening added. Thank you Vancouver for the great reception!

We also expanded our theatrical release to include the beautiful Lynwood Theater on Bainbridge Island where we had another great reception which I hope leads to a successful run. It's only there for a week, so if you're on Bainbridge catch it on the big screen while you can!

Comedy feature 'Outsourced' to NBC

This is the big news we have been waiting to announce. We are currently developing a global workplace comedy based on our film 'Outsourced' for NBC.

Comedy feature 'Outsourced' to NBC
By Nellie Andreeva

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - NBC is heading east with "Outsourced," an India-set comedy based on the newly released indie film of the same name.

The story centers on a customer service manager in Seattle whose department is outsourced to India, and he goes there to train his replacement. The project explores the clash of the Western and Indian cultures, and chronicles the manager's romance with a local woman. NBC ordered a pilot script.

Read the whole story HERE

Thank You New York!

Last weekend we opened at the Quad in New York and remained the #1 film in the complex for the entire week, becoming one of the Quads top three grossing films all year. Thank you to everyone who came out to see the film, we heard reports of big laughs and much applause which is wonderful to hear over here. It was also our largest box office draw, with Seattle coming in a close second.

You might be wondering why it isn't there anymore? We're wondering the same thing. We were told that if we had the numbers and were bringing in the crowds, the movie would be held over. We brought in the numbers but were still kicked out of our strongest market when every other theater screening our film has decided to hold it over. This experience has just strengthened our story of how tough it is to distribute a film independently in the current marketplace.

One other positive thing that has come out of our New York screening is that theaters in Boston and DC saw the success of our run and have contacted us about releasing the film in their markets. So now we are planning a December release of Outsourced in both Boston and DC. I'm hoping that list may grow in the coming weeks and maybe even include a return to Manhattan!

So thanks again to everyone who has come out to support the film, and I hope you continue to spread the word! Cheers!

- john

••• There will be a big announcement on Monday regarding Outsourced. As soon as I get word it has been released in the trades I will post the news on this site.

The New York Times Review!

Life Lessons in a Global Marketplace

By MATT ZOLLER SEITZ

Published: September 28, 2007

“Outsourced,” in which a Seattle call center manager named Todd (Josh Hamilton) is fired and then dispatched to India as a consultant to train his own replacement, is a wonderful surprise.

Read the Review

Local indie film ready to roll 'em

Today's Seattle PI explores the current state of film distribution and how ShadowCatcher is taking on the system:

Local indie film ready to roll 'em

By WILLIAM ARNOLD
P-I MOVIE CRITIC

Among the dozen or so movies opening around the country Friday, there is one lower-budget Seattle production that could have a major effect on the film business -- and it is no exaggeration to say the whole movie world will be watching.

The film is "Outsourced," a romantic comedy set in Seattle and India that was voted best film at the last Seattle International Film Festival. What's unique about "Outsourced" is that it's entering the hectic movie marketplace in seven cities Friday without a distributor, all on its own dime.

Read the complete article

KPLU interview with John Jeffcoat

Seattle Movie Outsourced Debuts
Bellamy Pailthorp and John Jeffcoat

SEATTLE, WA (2007-09-26) Offshore outsourcing is often a topic of controversy.
A new Seattle movie tackles the topic with a light touch.
Outsourced tells the story of a call-center manager who has to lay off his entire staff and then travel to India to train his replacement.
The movie won the Golden Spaceneedle award for the most popular movie at this year's Seattle International Film Festival and there's a special local screening tonight (Wed.), before its nation-wide release on Friday.
KPLU's Bellamy Pailthorp sat down with the film's director, John Jeffcoat.
Listen to the interview

Seattle movie company ShadowCatcher finds its niche

A key figure in ShadowCatcher's growing roster of feature films is Tom Gorai, who became a producing partner in 2001. A Seattle native who left to find success in the business (he eventually produced the Jeff Bridges thriller "Arlington Road"), Gorai says he is ShadowCatcher's "eyes and ears in New York and Los Angeles."

But Gorai and Skinner were also determined to make a good movie driven by Seattle-born talent, something ShadowCatcher hadn't done yet. That goal led Gorai to "Outsourced" 's Wing and Jeffcoat, whose script had gained attention in Hollywood, though no one wanted Jeffcoat attached as a first-time feature director.

ShadowCatcher offered the creative team what it sought.

"ShadowCatcher's dedication to the film," says Jeffcoat, "and to my vision of what the film was, is what directors dream about."

Read the complete article
By Tom Keogh Special to The Seattle Times

Robert Horton interviews John Jeffcoat

An interview with the director and co-writer of Outsourced, John Jeffcoat, by Robert Horton for CityStream the Seattle Channel.

OUTSOURCED featured in American Cinematographer

Keep an eye out at the news stand for Rachel Bosley's in-depth article on the making of Outsourced, featured in the September issue of American Cinematographer Magazine!

ASC SEPTEMBER ’07 HIGHLIGHTS:

• The Bourne Ultimatum
  
• Outsourced
  
• Caravaggio
  
• Muse music video “Knights of Cydonia”

Outsourced Poster

Outsourced Poster, originally uploaded by bollywoodandme.

Thanks for all of your comments on the posters, and we do have a final version with a new tagline.

We will be using the version with clouds for the black and white ads and we may use the color version for releases outside of the US.

Next up is our soundtrack. Stay tuned for a sample of the tracks. Also our movie trailer is currently playing in theaters across the country.

- john

Outsourced Screening Update

There's been a lot of activity at the Outsourced camp and there will be a host of announcements coming soon. What I can tell you now is that we're on target to launch the film theatrically in the US on September 28th. We will be having a red carpet Gala in Seattle on the 26th.

Here are a list of Theaters that will be screening Outsourced in the coming months:

Wednesday, September 26
SEATTLE PREMIERE
Majestic Bay

Thursday, September 27
SEATTLE PROMOTION Kane Hall (U of Washington)

Friday, September 28
SEATTLE, WA Majestic Bay
TACOMA, WA Grand Cinemas
BELLEVUE, WA Galleria
PORTLAND, OR Hollywood 3
EUGENE, OR Bijou 2
SAN FRANCISCO, CA Opera Plaza
AUSTIN, TX Dobie
NEW YORK, NY Quad

Friday, October 5
FRIDAY HARBOR, WA Palace
LOS ANGELES, CA Sunset 5
WEST HILLS, CA Fallbrook 7
BERKELEY, CA Shattuck
SAN JOSE, CA Camera 3

Friday, October 12
BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, WA Lynwood Theater

---------------------------------------------------------

This list may change as we move closer to the dates. If the film opens well, there is also the hope that we'll be able to expand the release to more cities. We have also just been notified that Germany is ramping up their theatrical release and I should have more news on that soon.

If you know anyone in these cities, be sure to tell them not to miss it!

-john

Seattle Magazine Jeffcoat Interview

Datebook: A Passage to India
By Paula Nechak

This past June, writer, director and Magnolia resident John Jeffcoat took home SIFF’s Golden Space Needle Award (which goes to the festival’s most popular movie) for his first feature film, Outsourced—a colorful, cross-cultural romantic comedy that lampoons the trend of outsourcing U.S. jobs to India. Local distributor ShadowCatcher Entertainment is prepping Outsourced, which was filmed in Seattle, for national release at the end of September, so we figured we’d pester its director with our not-so-Bernard Piveau-ian questionnaire before he becomes too famous to speak to us. For more info, visit outsourcedthemovie.com.

READ THE Seattle Magazine Interview

A Win at the Hardacre Film Festival

Last weekend we screened at the Hardacre Film & Cinema Festival in Tipton, Iowa and walked away with the Audience Award!

The theatrical release is heating up and I'll be posting the dates and the cities we'll be screening in very soon.

-john

Choosing Posters.

We are currently working on designing a new poster for Outsourced. Feel free to voice your opinions and leave a comment on this page.

Do you prefer the Sky? (Below)

The Yellow/Gold? (left)

Or the original poster shown on the homepage of this blog??? (Right)

Stuttgart film fest connects art with commerce

he 4th Bollywood And Beyond Film Festival got off to an excellent start on July 11 with the enthusiastic audience response to its opening film Outsourced. Director John Jeffcoat and lead actor Josh Hamilton from the US and Ayesha Dharker from the UK, who arrived in Stuttgart hours earlier, had to bow on stage repeatedly at the protracted applause. The film has already been sold in Germany to Concorde Home Entertainment. It will release in the US towards late September in nine cities.

Read the entire article by Uma Da Cunha

A win in Germany!

Last night at the closing party for the Bollywood and Beyond film festival it was announced that OUTSOURCED won the Audience Award for Best Film! That is the fifth award in a row for Outsourced!

India in Stuttgart

Last night we were entertained by the Bhangra Brothers and Juggy D at the Bollywood Boogie Night until 5am. Great fun at another day of the Bollywood and Beyond Festival of Stuttgart, Germany. The night before we had the pleasure of a live performance by the Bombay Dub Orchestra. These guys are tremendous musicians who bring a modern vibe to great classical Indian music. If you enjoyed the music from our film you should check out their album, and if you have a chance to see them live -don't miss out!

We've had some time to explore Stuttgart and even had a chance to visit the Schmuck Basar! This is a great walking city and supposedly one of the safest in Germany. I have to wonder if the town in 'Hot Fuzz' was modeled after it...
Ayesha had to leave a few days ago for an audition in London but Josh and I have one more night before we head home tomorrow.

Tonight is the Awards dinner and the closing night film Vanaja, a great film if you haven't seen it already. The sun is out again and the heat is back with a vengeance. Josh and I will be off shortly in search of a fresh Stuttgart pretzel.

Bye und auf Wiedersehen!

-john

Proskar Award Winner!

We've just been notified that we have won a Proskar Award for Outsourced.

I am delighted to officially inform you that Outsourced has won the Top PROSKAR in the category of Best Film at the the Seattle International Film Festival

The PROSKARS are the Awards given out by PROST AMERIKA!, the Seattle German Language Website who produced the largest non English coverage of the Festival, the largest in North America.

You can see the full list of winners, runners up and nominees by clicking on www.prostamerika.com.

Steve Clare

Editor

PROST AMERIKA!

www.prostamerika.com

Outsourced Opens Bollywood and Beyond

Guten Tag!

Last night we screened as the opening night film for the Bollywood and Beyond Film Festival in Stuttgart, Germany. We had a fantastic screening and a wonderful reception from the German audience who reassured us that it would be a big hit in Germany.

I'm here with Josh hamilton who plays Todd and Ayesha Dharker who plays Asha. It's the first time in Germany for all three of us and it's been fantastic so far. This is also the first time that we've been together since we finished the film. Great to be together again. This is also Josh's first festival experience since he has been tied up with Coast of Utopia in New York.

We had a nice walk down the red carpet which led to a bar stocked with premium single malt scotch, a nice welcome indeed! We'll be frolicking in Stuttgart for the next several days and I'll try to continue posting pictures of our adventures. The Bombay Dub Orchestra will be performing a concert here tomorrow night which should be great. I've also heard the pretzels are not to be missed. We shall see...

I met our German distributor who is keen on getting the film out to an audience very soon and I'm hoping that it will happen parallel to our US theatrical release which begins September 26th.

-john

Variety - Indie films crave great reviews

"as more inexpensive indie films are produced, filmmakers blocked by the theatrical distribution bottleneck will follow the lead of John Jeffcoat, whose "Outsourced" won the audience prize for best film at the Seattle Fest. Jeffcoat has decided to self-distribute his film: Its premiere in September will be at Seattle's Majestic Bay Theater."

Read the entire article by Anne Thompson

PA! German Review gives Outsourced 9/10

Outsourced (HR) John Jeffcoat (USA 2006)
A superb comedy about a Seattle man whose job is outsourced to India. To add insult to injury, he is sent there to train his replacement.

Cultural differences abound when he instructs the Indians to speak and think like Americans. Josh Hamilton plays the lead excellentlly without overacting and Ayesha Dharker is a superb foil as the inevitable love interest.

You won't be checking the watch hoping this one will end and the backdrop of colourful but rural India makes this a delight to watch.

This is a must see.
PA Guide 9/10

Link to the Official Site Review in German

"A film to which you could safely take your mother, and I mean that as a compliment."

"It's a pleasing, modestly executed version of what Hollywood usually ruins with big stars, bloated budgets, and endless rewriting. The Indian locations are real, and actress Ayesha Dharker is particularly winning—put that woman on The Office already! The movie is a refreshing alternative to what might be called the local-auteur-with-head-up-his-artsy-butt syndrome (see Zoo). It's a film to which you could safely take your mother, and I mean that as a compliment."

Read the whole article by Brian Miller:

The Seattle Weekly Blog

OUTSOURCED wins Best Film at the Seattle International Film Festival

The top audience nod at the Seattle Film Festival went to local boy John Jeffcoat for "Outsourced," a comedy about jobs moving to India.

Read Ken Eisner's article here:
Variety Announcement

Encore Screening at SIFF

We just received word this morning that we'll be recieving an encore screening of Outsourced this Sunday, June 17th at the Egyptian Theater at 9:30pm. You can get tickets here:
SIFF website

Bollywood and Beyond -Variety

BERLIN -- India's cinematic and culinary cuisine is coming to the city of Stuttgart next month for the 4th annual Bollywood and Beyond film festival, which kicks off with John Jeffcoat's "Outsourced."
Link to Variety Article
Link to Festival Page

I'm planning to attend the festival along with Ayesha Dharker and Josh Hamilton. It will be the first time they've seen each other since we finished shooting and the first festival screening Josh will have attended. He's been tied up in Tom Stoppard's "Coast of Eutopia" until just recently.

It will be the first time any of us have been to Germany, I'm looking forward to it!

-john

John Jeffcoat Interviewd by Robert Horton

Director John Jeffcoat is interviewed on Citystream by Robert Horton. The show is abailable on the Seattle Channel website:

Watch it now

The Buzz on Outsourced

One film, “Outsourced”, produced by Seattle’s own Shadowcatcher Entertainment, has been garnering its fair share of buzz. We sent reporter Isaac Kaplan-Woolner to review this homegrown hit:

Listen to the review

"Outsourced" filmmaker brings the buzz home

"Outsourced" filmmaker brings the buzz home

By Moira Macdonald
Seattle Times movie critic

Seattle filmmaker John Jeffcoat, whose comedy "Outsourced" is making its local debut at SIFF, stands in the shadow of some of his older work.

Seattle filmmaker John Jeffcoat first learned that his comedy "Outsourced" had buzz last fall, at the Toronto International Film Festival. For the third and final screening of his film (all of which were sold out), Jeffcoat had some extra tickets, so he went down to the rush-tickets line to give them away. "It was like a feeding frenzy," he recalled, laughing. "People were going crazy trying to get tickets. It was weird!"

Read the entire article here:
Seattle Times Article

SIFF News: Seattle Filmmakers Outsourced to India!

SIFF News: Seattle Filmmakers Outsourced to India!

By Brian Miller

"We're both fighting that push to go to L.A.," says John Jeffcoat of himself and his writing partner, George Wing. The two have lived up here in Seattle for the past dozen-odd years, trying to make a living in the movie biz, without much to show for their efforts locally. Until now, since Outsourced, the first feature directed by Jeffcoat, plays SIFF this week.

Read the complete article here:
Seattle Weekly Article

Tix Available for SIFF Eastside Screening

According to the SIFF website, there are now more tickets available for the Eastside screening of OUTSOURCED at Lincoln Square.
Purchase tickets here

Behind the scenes of Outsourced: Episode 2

We're starting to create 'webisodes' of what went on behind the scenes of Oursourced. The first episoide (episode 2) one is now online. "Jelly Belly" features Matt Smith, who plays the boss "Dave," as he suffers through illness while shooting the movie in India.
Watch on YouTube here

Seattle Times Good Bet: OUTSOURCED

Good bets: Eighteen days of programming at this theater begin May 31 with the gala premiere of Seattle filmmaker John Jeffcoat's comedy "Outsourced," set in Seattle and India.

Read more about the venues and picks for the fest here:
Seattle Times, Where the films are: All about the venues

OUTSOURCED coming to Seattle!

OUTSOURCED will screen at the Seattle International Film Festival on May 31st and June 3rd.

from the Seattle Times:
John Jeffcoat's comedy "Outsourced," about a salesman who must travel overseas to train his replacement in India, has been an award winner at several film festivals, including the Palm Springs International Film Festival earlier this year.

Read the Seattle Times article

OUTSOURCED Wins the IFFLA Audienchttp://www2.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gife Award

OUTSOURCED won the Audience Award for Best Feature Film at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles tonight. Pics to come soon...
VARIETY announcement

Director John Jeffcoat celebrating on closing night with some Bhangra dancing.

India West Article on Director John Jeffcoat

Jeffcoat's fascination with South Asia dates back to 1993 when he visited Nepal during a study abroad program, the filmmaker told India-West in an earlier interview at his hotel. "I was looking for a cultural experience that was different," he recalled.

Arriving in a remote village several miles down a dirt road from Kathmandu, the first question he was asked by a village elder was, "Do you plow with oxen?"
READ COPMPLETE ARTICLE

OUTSOURCED AT IFFLA

Enjoying the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles. Writer/Director Anurag Kashyup, festival director Christina Marouda, and writer director John Jeffcoat enjoy a late evening at the Cat and Fiddle.

Outsourced was the first sell out of the festival and the Friday night screening was met by an exuberant audience and wonderful praise.

To the right, casting director and festival guru Uma Da Cunha keeps the party going with some energetic Bhangra dancing.

IFFLA Screening SOLD OUT

Our screening in Los Angeles tonight at the Arclight cinema is Sold Out. More to come...

Los Angeles Screening of OUTSOURCED

On Friday April 20th at 7pm, OUTSOURCED will be screening at the Arclight cinema as part of the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles. Tickets are available now on the Arclight website.

"it's awesome and you'll love it."

"Much like Amile, this is one of those fantastic date movies that you'll never forget even if you forget whoever it was you saw it with."

Read entire blog review

Audience Award for Best Feature at Cinemquest!

OUTSOURCED has just won the Audience Award for Best Feature Film at the Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose!

Tea with Puro in Bombay

Actor Asif Basra (Puro) and I stepped out of our cast and crew screening for a moment to grab a nice cup of chai.

I'm here for the Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI) where Outsourced is screening as part of the Film India Worldwide section. It's been a nice chance to catch up with the cast and crew, and give them a chance to see the film for the first time.

We had a wonderful festival screening at the Adlabs IMAX theater where people where laughing and clapping throughout. Anil Dharker moderated a Q & A afterwards where we received warm praise for the film.

We'll have our second screening on Wendesay.

CBS Radio "The Next Big Fat Greek Wedding"

Here are a few radio spots that CBS Radio ran about OUTSOURCED during the Cinequest Film Festival:
CBS Radio Spot 1
CBS Radio Spot 2
link to official interview site

OUTSOURCED Update

OUTSOURCED had a fantastic run at the Cinequest film festival. We screened at the beautiful refirbished California Theatre, where the response to the film has been tremendous. Reviews are just started to pop up and we'll be linking everything we can find to this blog. A big thanks for everyone at Cinemaquest for showing us such wonderful hospitaity and supporting our film!

Right now, I'm in Mumba, India getting ready for our screening on the 12th (a second screening on the 14th) as part of the Mumbai Film Festival where most of the people who worked on the film will get their first opportunity to see it on the big screen. Stay tuned for more pictures and updates!

-john

'My favorite film of the festival so far' (Blog Review)

The main two characters are Todd (Josh Hamilton, who starred in a film called On_Line from Cinequest 5 years ago) and Asha (Ayesha Dharker, who apparently had a small part in Star Wars Episode II). By the time the film was over, both had transcended my expectations from earlier in the film. This is my favorite film of the festival so far. 3 1/2 out of 4 stars.

Read the entire review

San Jose METRO review

Outsourced
(U.S.; 98 min.) A good-natured, yet tart and open-eyed comedy about a hapless Seattleite called Todd Anderson (Josh Hamilton), who works for a company selling patriotic gewgaws and novelties. His company sends him overseas to whip an Indian customer-service center into shape. "Mr. Toad," as the locals call him, adjusts to India and befriends a vivacious employee (the bewitching Ayesha Dharker). Films about Westerners coming to India usually concern spiritual awakenings; what makes Outsourced different from all of those is its deep appreciation for the tangible India: the polychrome Holi festival (as seen recently in Water), the unbelievable euphoniousness of Indian speech—surely that nation is a language lab, where the future of the English tongue is being created. Director John Jeffcoat knows his corporate world: how the word "offshore" is used as a verb, and what's meant by "improving the minutes-per-incident." But the incidents per minute here seem so fresh that they might have come from a sensitive and observant person's travel diary. Only a director who met India halfway could have made this movie. The bittersweet finale is a reminder of how fine it was to see Bill Forsyth's Local Hero for the first time. (RvB) (Mar 3, 8pm, CAL; Mar 4, 6:30pm, CAL; Mar 8, 7pm, C12)
link to online version

Outsourced review, San Jose

"Outsourced"

March 8, 7 p.m., Camera 12

"Outsourced" is a feel-good movie that captures the viewer's heart and takes it on a sweet and charming journey. Director John Jeffcoat moves his first feature smartly through the mire of global economic realities, past the struggle of male-female romance, inserting major cultural differences, and tells a humorous tale without missing a beat. "Outsourced" is an elegantly thought out and presented feature that explores business-based cultural differences while young hearts do what young hearts do.

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US director makes romantic comedy on outsourcing

An Indian newspaper DNA recently ran this article:

Ashok Easwaran

CHICAGO: Outsourcing to India, which was a major election issue in the last US presidential elections, is now the subject of a romantic comedy starring actress Ayesha Dharker.

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Q&A with John Jeffcoat, director of OUTSOURCED

Thanks to the modern spam-filled miracle that is e-mail we got to ask director John Jeffcoat a few questions about his debut feature OUTSOURCED. Here's how things played out:
Link to full interview here

Outsourced to screen in San Jose

OUTSOURCED will screen next at the Cinequest Film Festival.
Dates for the festival are February 28 – March 11, 2007 in San Jose, CA – the heart of Silicon Valley.
Saturday, March 3; 8:00pm (CAL)
Sunday, March 4; 6:30pm (CAL)
Thursday, March 8; 7:00pm (C12)
www.cinequest.org

Film fest comes to dazzling close

John Jeffcoat, whose "Outsourced" wowed the opening-night audience, received the John Schlesinger Award for Outstanding First Feature.

"It's beyond anything I would have expected. I was excited to be given the slot for opening night. Getting the John Schlesinger Award is amazing," Jeffcoat said.

After the [Awards] luncheon, Macdonald called it a watershed year for the festival.

"It started on that hugely high note with 'Outsourced' and just built from there. You could feel that sense of celebration," he said.

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18th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Award Winners

"John Jeffcoat received the John Schlesinger Award for Outstanding First Feature (Narrative or Documentary) from the Opening Night film OUTSOURCED, which marked its US premiere at the Festival. This honor, selected by the Festival programming team, acknowledges the work of a first-time filmmaker whose narrative or documentary feature represents particular distinction and the promise of a major filmmaking career. He will receive Avid Media Composer Advanced Creative Editing for Mac & PC, donated by Avid Technology, Inc. and Movie Magic's Scheduling for the 21st Century and Budgeting for the 21st Century, donated by Entertainment Partners.

Commenting on the selection of the film, Carl Spence, director of programming said, "John Jeffcoat's feature debut signals a bright new talent in the ranks of American independent filmmakers. We hope that this award will help provide OUTSOURCED with the audiences it deserves and recognize John as an emerging directorial talent to watch."
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John Jeffcoat wins the John Schlesinger Award!

Director John Jeffcoat was awarded the John Schlesinger Award for an Outstanding First Feature at the Palm Springs film Festival.

"Another of the audience's favorites was "Outsourced," selected by Macdonald and his programmers for the festival's opening-night gala. Its director, John Jeffcoat, also received the John Schlesinger Award for Outstanding First Feature, selected by the programmers and presented by Schlesinger's long-time partner, photographer Michael Childers."
Desert Sun Article

Outsourced makes BEST OF THE FEST!

Outsourced will be screened again in Palm Springs as part of the 'Best of the Fest' screenings at 1pm, Monday January 15th at the Camelot.
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Desert Sun gives Outsourced 9/10 stars

The Desert Sun Newspaper rates Outsourced 9 out of 10 stars on their Film Festival Summaries Scorecard. Director John Jeffcoat will attend The festival awards luncheon on Sunday, January 14th.

'Best of the Fest' films will be screened again on Monday, perhaps Outsourced will be among them???

Party at Frank Sinatra's House!

Guests enjoy a house party like no other
Lea Goodsell
Special to the Desert Sun
January 9, 2007

"Before the party, guests had enjoyed the film festival's opening movie, "Outsourced" and were thrilled to meet its director and co-writer John Jeffcoat and star Ayesha Dharker, who mingled with guests throughout the evening."
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laughed so hard our cheeks hurt.

'We loved "Outsourced"...laughed so hard our cheeks hurt.'

Dan Paicopulos
Palm Springs
Desert Sun Forum Reviews

"This WILL be a true hit!"

Below is the result of your feedback form. It was submitted by
Heidi McDaniel on Tuesday, January 9, 2007 at 05:15:29
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Comments: Fabuleous! a crowd pleaser, a cult classic! This WILL be a true
hit. Funny, sweet, heart warming, feel good!
I was there in Palm Springs (in the airport with John, Deryn, George and
assistant) down to earth, real people - say Hi for me!
This touches everyone in America..but makes you fall in love and care about
India and root for them, and cheer for them, and hurt for them.....
A feel good film of 2007! Nice work!

Scenes from the red carpet

"Director John Jeffcoat and Ayesha Dharker, who stars in "Outsourced" (the opening night film), start the procession."

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One magical night: After-party not just for VIPs

"Director John Jeffcoat of the opening-night movie, "Outsourced," and actress Ayesha Dharker are making the rounds, happily chatting with everyone who stops them. "
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Palm Springs Life Reviews

"You could tell almost immediately this movie was a winner. The crowd laughed, clapped, cheered -- everywhere you looked, even in the dark, you could see people smiling."

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Culture-clash film 'Outsourced' makes U.S. premiere By PAT O'BRIEN

Amanda Lucidon / The Press-Enterprise

Director John Jeffcoat , from left, actress Ayesha Dharker and co-writer partner, George Wing hit the red carpet before the showing of their movie "Outsourced."

'They conceived of a plot that would take a guy who had lost his job to India, where he would train his replacements and go through a cultural awakening.

"It's basically a comedy that tackles serious issues," Wing said. "It's not 'pro' outsourcing. It's 'pro' getting to know the world'

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'OUTSOURCED reels in crowds'

"The Desert Sun: 'Outsourced' reels in crowds on opening night"

The Desert Sun also has a photo gallery on the article page:
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Pictures from US Premiere

IMDB has posted pictures from the US Premiere
Show me the pics!

Opening Night Video

Some Red Carpet Video from the US Premiere of Outsourced in Palm Springs.
Watch Video

Opening Night is a Huge Success

We had out first screening in the US tonight and were blown away by the reception we received in Palm Springs.

More to come soon...

Pictured from left to right: BC Smith, Matt Smith, David Skinner, Ayesha Dharker, George Wing and John Jeffcoat

Opening Night - SOLD OUT

Opening Night at Palm Springs is Sold Out. There may be an additional screening of the film added later in the festival. We will post any details as they become available.