B.C. will host film awards that are considered the Oscars of India

VANCOUVER - Vancouver will be under the spotlight this April when it hosts the Hindi film industry's annual Times of India Film Awards.

B.C. Premier Christy Clark announced her government would spend $11 million to help pay for production and hosting the event that organizers say is the Oscars of India.

Clark says the awards ceremony will be watched by hundreds of millions of people around the world and getting the chance to host the event will put Vancouver on centre stage.

The province will provide $9.5 million in matching finds to the Times Group to help produce the event and another $1.5 million for activities around the event, including hosting a B.C.-India business forum.

The three-day celebration will bring some of Bollywood's biggest stars to a special concert, showcase some of the most popular Hindi movies in screenings and wrap up with the awards ceremony on April 6.

The awards are based on a global voting system involving fans who are invited to vote for their favourite stars across 14 categories.

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  Dancers perform during an event in Vancouver, B.C., on Tuesday January 22, 2013. (Darryl Dyck / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

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  British Columbia Premier Christy Clark holds up a trophy during an event in Vancouver, B.C., on Tuesday January 22, 2013. (Darryl Dyck / THE CANADIAN PRESS)