The Cannes Film Festival 2024 is going to be a special occasion for India. Not only are 11 films being showcased at the 77th edition of this much-coveted gala, which is a first, but this is also the first time in 30 years that an Indian film — Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light — will be competing for the Palme d’Or category. Also, under the ‘Un Certain Regard’ category, we’ll see Sandhya Suri’s Santosh, and The Shameless by Konstantin Bojanov.
Another entry that deserves special mention is the Kannada short film Sunflowers Were The First Ones To Know that made its way into the La Cinef competition. Directed by Chidanand S Naik, this short is an FTII students project. Manoj Annadurai’s Iruvam (Tamil and English) is also one of the only four entries globally selected for the Let’s Spook Cannes event.
The other films include UK-based Indian filmmaker Mansi Maheshwari’s animated film Bunnyhood at Cannes alongside Karan Kandhari's Sister Midnight, which features Radhika Apte.
But that’s not all, Maisam Ali has been given a place at the ACID (Association for the Diffusion of Independent Cinema) Cannes — another first for an Indian filmmaker and an Indian film — with his debut feature In Retreat, which he calls a “deeply personal project”. In the Immersive competition, the India-connected title Maya: The Birth of a Superhero by Paulomi Basu and C J Clarke is also gunning for a display.
And let’s not forget the Assamese film Kooki, directed by Pranab J Deka. This Hindi feature film portrays the story of a non-Axomiya girl and her struggles and romance among others, giving us a glimpse into the various aspects of Assam and its culture.
And then there’s Vadakkan, Sajeed A’s Malayalam film that will be screened at the Fantastic Pavilion Gala. And here’s some good news for cinephiles, Shyam Benegal's classic film Manthan in its 4K restored version will be screened at the Cannes Classics section.
This year, India will also host ‘Bharat Parv’ for the first time, a special pavilion that is going to be located at 108 Village International Riviera where filmmakers can come together to network, discuss scripts, collaborations, and talk distribution, among others. Various States from India — Goa, Maharashtra, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Jharkhand, and Delhi etc — are also expected to be part of this grand activity.
Wondering who you’ll see on the red carpet at the 77th Cannes Film Festival? We are hoping to spot actors Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Aditi Rao Hydari along with influencers such as Ankush Bhaguna, Nancy Tyagi, Niharika, and RJ Karishma. And this is big news, actor Kiara Advani will be representing India at the festival as part of the Women in Cinema Gala.
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