By: Aditya Ahuja

The 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, which is just around the corner, holds extra significance for India as it will be the first time that the country will host a pavilion all for itself, named “Bharat Parv”.

The Bharat Pavilion, located at 108 Village International Riviera, will be inaugurated on May 15 in the presence of esteemed film personalities. It will serve as a platform for the Indian film community to engage in a wide range of activities. These include fostering production collaborations, hosting curated knowledge sessions, facilitating distribution deals, greenlighting scripts, organizing business-to-business (B2B) meetings, and networking with prominent figures in the entertainment and media industries from around the world, as highlighted in a Press Information Bureau (PIB) release.

Designed by the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, the Bharat Pavilion will be known as ‘The Sutradhara,’ resonating with this year’s theme of “Create in India.”

In the spotlight is 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 the Cannes Film Festival Official Selection after three decades. The cinematic landscape 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” 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.

Additionally, Shyam Benegal’s ‘Manthan,’ a film focusing on the Amul 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, preserved for several decades in the film vaults of NFDC-National Film Archive of India (NFAI), a unit of the Ministry, have been restored by the Film Heritage Foundation (FHM).

National Award-winning cinematographer Santosh Sivan will receive 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 honored with this distinction.

Many Indian states including Goa, Maharashtra, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Jharkhand, and Delhi are expected to participate, showcasing India’s diverse locations and film talent.

A session titled “Abundant Incentives and Seamless Facilitations – Come, Create in India,” aimed at exploring opportunities for film production in collaboration with India, is scheduled for May 15 at 12 pm.

The much-awaited film festival will kick off on May 14 and continue until May 25.