Hyderabad: It’s like an Indian summer at Cannes this year! The 77th Cannes Film Festival is just around the corner, and guess what? India is making a big splash with a whopping 13 Indian or India-themed films being showcased. The festival kicks off with French musician-filmmaker Quentin Dupieux's Le Deuxieme Acte (The Second Act) on Tuesday evening, and India is all set to steal the spotlight throughout the 12-day event.
This is history in the making! Never before have we seen such a strong Indian presence at Cannes. 13 Indian or India-themed films have found their place in various sections of the festival, with six of them even in the running for awards. Back in 2013, India made a mark with five films, including Monsoon Shootout, Bombay Talkies, Ugly, The Lunchbox, and Charulata. But this year, India will have no dearth of action.
One fascinating thing about this year's lineup is that all the films are either directed by women or have strong female-centric themes. It’s a new era for Indian cinema, breaking free from the storytelling stereotypes.
Leading the pack is Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine as Light. This film, in Malayalam and Hindi, is even competing for the prestigious Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize, making it the first Indian film to do so in 30 years. Talk about making history!
But the excitement doesn’t stop there. We have Sandhya Suri's Santosh and Konstantin Bojanov's The Shameless starring Mita Vashisht representing India in the Un Certain Regard section. And let’s not forget about Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) alumnus Chidananda S Naik's Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know, which is competing in the La Cinef competition for film school entries.
Mansi Maheshwari, an Indian filmmaker based in the UK, is also making waves with her animated film Bunnyhood, while Karan Kandhari's Sister Midnight promises to captivate audiences with its noir drama featuring Radhika Apte.
But the surprises keep coming! Maisam Ali, another talent from FTII like Kapadia, is making history as the first Indian filmmaker to break into ACID Cannes with his debut feature In Retreat.
Even in the Immersive Competition, we have an India-connected title with Maya: The Birth of a Superhero by Paulomi Basu and C J Clarke.
Meanwhile, Shyam Benegal's classic film Manthan is all set to make a comeback with a 4K restored version in the Cannes Classics section. This film, highlighting the milk cooperative movement, is a timeless gem of Indian cinema.
Cannes is about to get a taste of indie Indian cinema like never before! As the festival kickstarts on May 14, India, the world's largest film-producing nation, hopes for some major wins. Cannes 2024 concludes on May 25.
- India at Cannes in a glance:
- Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine As Light will vie for the top prize Palme d'Or
- British-Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri's Santosh will be showcased at the Cannes 2024 under the Un Certain Regard section
- Bulgarian director Konstantin Bojanov's The Shameless, in which Nepal stands in for India, running for awards in Un Certain Regard section
- Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know, a short film by the FTII students, shortlisted in the La Cinef Competitive section
- Karan Kandhari's Sister Midnight will be screened in Directors' Fortnight
- Maisam Ali's In Retreat will be India's first-ever title in the ACID Cannes selection
- La Cinef has Indian filmmaker Mansi Maheshwari representing the UK with Bunnyhood
- 4K restored version of Shyam Benegal's Manthan will be screened under Cannes Classics
- Cinematographer Santosh Sivan will be honoured with Pierre Angenieux at Cannes
- Indian artist Paulomi Basu's British work, Maya: The Birth of a Superhero, selected in debut edition of Immersive Competition
- Anupriya Goenka-starer short film Break the Silence is heading for Cannes premiere
- Assam’s Hindi feature film Kooki to be screened at Cannes ahead of official release
- Sikkimese director Samten Bhutia's feature film Tara: the Lost Star selected for market screening at Cannes 2024
Read More
