Film Bazaar concludes with collaborations and awards

Panaji: The 2024 edition of Film Bazaar, held on the sidelines of the 55th Iffi, came to a close with casting director Mukesh Chhabra announcing a collaboration with Film Bazaar on two co-production market (CPM) projects. Chhabra will offer his casting expertise free of charge for a feature film ‘Baaghi Bechare’ (Reluctant Rebels) and web series ‘Chauhan’s BnB Bed and Basera’.

Film Bazaar has partnered with Final Draft for screenwriting development, engaged with the Film Independent Episodic Writing Workshop to enhance episodic storytelling, and also formed a collaboration with SAAVA and ATF IP Accelerator, which recognised ‘Kothiyan - Fishers of Men’ in the CPM.

In addition, the Work in Progress (WIP) awards were presented to various films. ‘Kaatti Ri Raatti: Hunter’s Moon’ directed by Ridham Janve received the Prasad Labs Award for 50 hours of free 4K DI. ‘Shape of Momo’ directed by Tribeni Rai was awarded a DI package worth Rs 6 lakh by Nube Studio. Special mentions, ‘The Good, The Bad and The Hungry’ and ‘The Red Hibiscus’ were each granted a 50% discount on 50 hours of DI from Prasad Labs.

In the Film Bazaar Recommends category, the top three winners—‘Angammal’ by Vipin Radhakrishnan, ‘House of Manikanta’ by Pinaki Janardhan, and ‘Flames’ by Ravishankar Kaushik—each received Rs 3 lakh in sponsorship and promotional benefits. They will also benefit from Rs 2 lakh worth of trailer promotion in up to 300 QUBE Cinema theatres. The Student Producer Workshop Pitch Award was given to ‘Deadly Dosas’ by Anusree Kelat, with ‘Lakad Haara’ by Punjal Jain named the runner-up.

For the first time, Film Bazaar introduced the co-production market feature cash grants category, recognising standout pitches. The first prize was awarded to ‘Kurinji (The Disappearing Flower)’, directed by Payal Sethi and produced by Thanikachalam SA. The second prize went to ‘Kothiyan - Fishers of Men’, directed by Sanju Surendran and produced by Pramod Sankar, while the third prize was given to ‘All Ten Heads of Ravana’, directed by Pranjal Dua and produced by Bich-Quan Tran. A special mention for Best Pitch was awarded to ‘Baaghi Bechare’.

In recognition of its continued efforts to support French participation, the French Institute of India was honoured during the event. The evening concluded with a teaser for WAVES 2025.