In another move to make Whistling Woods International a global enterprise, WWI has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Calgary and SAIT for a co-production partnership. This will be an exchange program between select students from the joint University of Calgary (UC) and South Albertan Institute of Technology (SAIT) Bachelor of Film Studies Program and Whistling Woods International (WWI) film school in Mumbai, India.
 
This agreement is poised to mark an important milestone in education and training in Digital technology and knowledge exchange related to different facets of film production. This initiative is spread over six months, including pre-production, production and post-production process shared equally between WWI and UC. 10 students (5 from Mumbai, 5 from Calgary) and 4 instructors (2 from Mumbai, 2 from Calgary) will participate in this venture. WWI team will travel to Canada for part of the principal shoot and the rest will be executed in India with the Canadian counterparts in Mumbai. The project will create greater cross-cultural and mutual understanding of each other’s work processes, values, approaches and ways of working. Additionally, the project will encourage possibilities of curricula and faculty exchange in the future. Students and Faculty involved in the project will be the first to participate in this cross-cultural exchange and have the opportunity to gain international work experience. This cooperative initiative will evaluate the feasibility of future collaborative ventures related to the training of professionals in the film industry.
 
These select students along with selected instructors from both campuses will work together to produce a short 20-minute film that shall be premiered at the 2013 Banff World Media Festival, one of the biggest International gatherings of short films in the world.
 
Announcing the alliance with Whistling Woods International, the representatives from the department of Enterprise and Advanced Education (AEAE), Government of Alberta said, “We are most impressed with the quality of facilities and the people associated with WWI. We are certain that our interest in developing long and sustainable relations with India will be advanced through this partnership.”
 
Dr. Janaka Ruwanpura, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Project Management Systems representing the University of Calgary said, “We are very excited about this partnership supported by Govt of Alberta. We look forward to extend this collaborative partnership to build innovative projects in future.”
 
Umesh Gupta, Vice President – Academics, WWI and Team Leader on this project attributes this association to the high standards of education and excellent technology design that WWI has established in a short span of 6 years. He said, “It is a matter of pride for my team to represent both our country and the institute. I am certain that the success of this venture shall motivate several such initiatives in future with the support of Governmental and Non- Governmental bodies that desire to see India grow as a serious player in the global entertainment industry.”
 
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Subhash Ghai, Founder and Chairman, Whistling Woods International remarked, “It is a great privilege for Whistling Woods to be associated with universities of this stature internationally. I am truly grateful that UC and SAIT have extended their support to us for this new exchange program and look forward to a long-standing, strong working relationship together.”
 
Recently Whistling Woods International, Mumbai also announced that it would, in collaboration with Trend Media City Ltd (TMC), set up a film and media training institute in Nigeria. This will be Africa's first world-class film institute in Nigeria to be called Whistling Woods International Nigeria (WWIN).