India is making a remarkable mark at the 77th Cannes Film Festival with multiple films set to be screened under prestigious sections. Payal Kapadia’s “All We Imagine As Light” will compete for the Palme d’Or, while Sandhya Suri’s “Santosh” will be featured in Un Certain Regard. Chidanand S Naik’s “Sunflowers Were First Ones To Know” and Mansi Maheshwari’s “Bunnyhood” will be part of the La Cinef section. National Award-winning cinematographer Santosh Sivan will also receive the prestigious Pierre Angenieux tribute at the festival and deliver a masterclass for Cannes delegates, becoming the first Indian to do so.
The Bharat Pavilion at Cannes was inaugurated by Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Sanjay Jaju and Ambassador of India to France Jawed Ashraf on May 15. The Pavilion, organized by the National Film Development Corporation in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry, aims to be a platform for the Indian film community to foster collaborations, attend knowledge sessions, sign deals, and network with industry players from around the world. The first glimpse of the Taiwanese action-comedy “The Demon Hunter” was unveiled at the Pavilion, showcasing Indian projects backed by the government.
India is hosting the Bharat Parv (Festival of India) for the first time at the ongoing film festival, where the official poster and trailer of the 55th India International Film Festival will be revealed. The Bharat Pavilion is christened as “The Sutradhara” and aims to promote the theme of “Create in India” through various events and stalls. On the second day of the festival, India hosted a session at Marche du Cannes to promote its role in the global film industry and highlight its incentives and facilitation process for co-productions.
Several Indian films have been selected to be screened at Cannes Film Festival 2024, including Karan Kandhari’s “Sister Midnight,” Maisam Ali’s “In Retreat,” and Manoj Annadurai’s “Iruvam.” Director Chidanand S Naik’s film “Sunflowers Were The First Ones To Know” and Mansi Maheshwari’s “Bunnyhood” will compete in the La Cinef section. Additionally, Paulomi Basu and C J Clarke’s “Maya: The Birth of a Superhero” and Pranab J Deka’s “Kooki” have also been selected for the festival. Indian filmmaker Shyam Benegal’s classic “Manthan” will be screened in the Classics section, preserved and restored by NFDC-National Film Archive of India.
At the Bharat Pavilion, the trailer of the Indo-US co-production “Paro – The Untold Story of Slavery” will be unveiled, shedding light on the grim reality of bride slavery system, human trafficking, and injustice. Indian stars Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Aditi Rao Hydari, along with Kiara Advani, Jacqueline Fernandez, and others, will walk the Cannes red carpet for L’Oréal Paris. In addition to celebrities, social media influencers, content creators, entrepreneurs, and fashion influencers will also be seen on the red carpet. India is showcasing its talent and creativity at Cannes Film Festival 2024, highlighting the diverse and vibrant Indian film industry on a global platform.
