Entertainment Desk

India’s presence at the 77th Cannes Film Festival is going to be special as a film from the country Payal Kapadia's magnum opus "All We Imagine As Light" will vie for the prestigious Palme d'Or award.

This is the first time an Indian movie will be in the competition section of Cannes Film Festival’s official selection after three decades.

The Indian participation in Cannes is further enriched by British-Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri's poignant narrative in "Santosh," in Un Certain Regard alongside Karan Kandhari's evocative "Sister Midnight" in Directors' Fortnight and Maisam Ali's compelling "In Retreat" in L’Acid.

The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) student’s film “Sunflowers Were First Ones To Know” has been selected in the La Cinef Competitive section. The short film made in Kannada language was shortlisted among entries from across the globe and will now compete against 17 other international short films in the final stage.

Shyam Benegal's film “Manthan,” which focuses on India’s largest dairy cooperative movement, will be presented in the Classics section, adding a touch of historical significance to the festival's Indian lineup. The film reels were preserved for several decades in the film vaults of National Film Archive of India (NFAI) and have been restored by the Film Heritage Foundation (FHM).

National Award-winning cinematographer Santosh Sivan will be the recipient of the prestigious Pierre Angenieux tribute at the Cannes Film Festival. He will also deliver a master class for the Cannes delegates, becoming the first Indian to be honoured with this distinction.

It will be for the first time that India will host a “Bharat Parv” at the 77th Cannes Film Festival for eminent dignitaries and delegates from around the world participating in the festival to engage with film celebrities, filmmakers, directors, producers, buyers and sales agents and showcase the creative opportunities and a rich bank of creative talent.

Also, the official poster and the trailer of the 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) to be held in Goa on 20-28 November will be unveiled in Cannes.

The Bharat Pavilion in Cannes serves as a platform for the Indian film community to engage in various activities, including, fostering production collaborations, curated knowledge sessions, signing distribution deals, green-lighting scripts, back-to-back meetings and networking with prominent entertainment and media players from around the world.

Many Indian states, including Goa, Maharashtra, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Jharkhand, and Delhi are likely to participate to help showcase India's diverse locations and film talent.

A session on exploring opportunities for film production in collaboration with India, titled “Abundant Incentives and Seamless Facilitations - Come, Create in India” is being organised at the main stage (Riviera) on 15 May. The panel discussion will spotlight India’s huge incentives for film production, co-production opportunities, and top-notch post-production facilities.

Interactive sessions at the Bharat Pavilion, organised throughout the festival, will cover topics like filmmaking in India, international collaboration in film festivals, and bilateral film co-productions between India and countries like Spain, the UK, and France, among others.