India ‘Country of Honour’ at Cannes event

NEW DELHI: India will be the ‘Country of Honour’ at the Cannes Film Market from May 17 to 25, coinciding with the completion of 75 years of the Cannes Film Festival as well as of diplomatic ties between India and France.

Union I&B minister Anurag

Thakur

on Wednesday said this is the first time such an honour has been bestowed on any country, adding that this badge will allow India to showcase its films, culture, heritage and linguistic diversity at the world stage.

As the ‘Country of Honour’, India will send five start ups to pitch to the audio-visual industry aside from 10 professionals for the animation-day networking.

The highlight of India’s participation at the Cannes Film Festival, Thakur said, is the world premiere of R Madhavan’s ‘Rocketry: The Nambi Effect’, a biographical drama based on the life of Nambi Narayanan, a scientist and aerospace engineer of Isro, which will be screened on May 19. To mark the centenary year of film maestro Satyajit Ray, India will also showcase Ray’s digitally remastered classic ‘Pratidwandi’, restored by National Film Heritage Mission.

Additionally, Cannes Film Festival has picked up Malayalam classic ‘Thamp’ (The Circus Tent), a 1978 Aravindan Govindan directorial, to be showcased as part of the Restoration World Premiere.

Five films that are a part of the ‘Work in Progress’ lab of India’s

Film Bazaar

and have not been released as yet will premiere at ‘Goes to Cannes’ section of the festival. These include Assamese film ‘Baghjan’ by Jaicheng Zxai Dohutia,

Shailendra Sahu

’s Chhattisgarhi film ‘Bailadila’, Ektara Collective’s Hindi film ‘Ek Jagah Apni’ (A Space of Our Own), Harshad Nalawade’s ‘Follower’ in Marathi, Kannada and Hindi, and Jai Shankar’s ‘Shivamma’ in Kannada.

Thakur said a dedicated India Forum, and an hour-long conference comprising of the leaders of entertainment sector from India, will pitch for India as the “content hub of the world”.

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