India At Cannes 2024: A Palme d'Or Contender, Bharat Parv, A Restored Classic And More

The red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival will roll out on May 14. One of the most prestigious international film festival will run through nine days at the French Riviera. India has strong line up of films this year, and in the spotlight will be Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine As Light, which will vie for the coveted Palme d'Or. Here's what to expect from the Indian contingent at Cannes 2024.

India to host first-ever Bharat Parv at Cannes

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

The official poster and trailer of the 55th India International Film Festival (IFFI) to be held in Goa on 20-28 November, 2024 will be unveiled at the Bharat Parv. The Bharat Parv will also see the release of the Save the Date for the 1st World Audio-Visual& Entertainment Summit  (WAVES) to be hosted alongside the 55th IFFI.    

What's in store at the Bharat Pavilion?

The Bharat Pavilion at the 77th Cannes Film Festival at 108 village International Riviera, will be inaugurated on May 15 in the presence of eminent film personalities. The Bharat Pavilion at Cannes will serve as a platform for the Indian film community to engage in various activities, including, fostering production collaborations, curated knowledge sessions, signing distribution deals, greenlighting scripts, B2B meetings and networking with prominent entertainment and media players from around the world.

The Pavilion will be organised by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) as industry partner. A Bharat Stall will be put in the Marche du Cannes through the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for providing the industry to connect and collaborate.

Beyond Bollywood: Indie movies at Cannes 2024

Never before in history have Cannes and its sidebars found space for eight Indian, or India-themed, films. As many as six of these will be in contention for awards.

At Cannes 2024, in the spotlight will be Payal Kapadia's magnum opus, All We Imagine As Light, poised to captivate audiences and vie for the prestigious Palme d'Or. Notably, this marks a significant milestone as an Indian title graces the Competition section of Cannes Film Festival Official Selection after three decades.

British-Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri's poignant narrative in Santosh, will be showcased 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 is selected in the La Cinef Competitive section. The short film made in Kannada, was shortlisted among entries from across the globe and will now compete against 17 other international short films in the final stage.

Furthermore, Shyam Benegal's Manthan, a film focusing on the Amul dairy cooperative movement, will be presented in the Classics section. The film reels were preserved for several decades in film vaults of NFDC-National Film Archive of India (NFAI), a unit of the Ministry, and has been restored by the Film Heritage Foundation (FHM).

Santosh Sivan to be honoured at Cannes

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 masterclass for the Cannes delegates, becoming the first Indian to be honoured with this distinction.