By Utpal Borpujari य New Delhi
Indian cinema may be missing this year from the marquee sections of the ongoing 70th Cannes Film Festival, barring FTII student Payal Kapadia’s short “Afternoon Clouds”, the government has chosen to use the platform to showcase India’s initiative to develop the film sector in the country.
The National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) tied up with veteran film festival director Marco Mueller, currently Artistic Director of Pingyao International Film Festival, to showcase at Cannes the “Film in India” initiative of NFDC’s Film Facilitation Office (FFO).
The various initiative were introduced to acclaimed international filmmakers and representatives of various National Bodies from Countries that have an international coproduction with India.
“This meeting enabled us to introduce internationally celebrated filmmakers to IFFI, which is in its 48th year and thus showcase the latest critically acclaimed films. We would be delighted to have these eminent personalities conduct master classes and workshops in Film Bazaar and visit different locations in India, which is in sync with our Film in India initiative under the aegis of the Film Facilitation Office. We also had the opportunity to speak about international collaboration between talent and co-creation of content since we have signed coproduction treaties with several countries,” senior I&B Ministry officials said.
The invitees at the event that took place at the India Pavilion were also informed about the setting up of the National Centre of Excellence in Animation, Visual Effects and Comics in Mumbai and a new Film and Television Institute in Arunachal Pradesh.
The congregation was also informed of the Ministry’s ambitious National Film Heritage Mission through the National Film Archives based in Pune and the National Museum of Indian Cinema in Mumbai under the aegis of Film Division, as an endeavour on the part of the Government’s effort to preserve the century old cinematic heritage of the country.
The meeting also discussed how the Directorate of Film Festival could promote Indian cinema across various cities in the UK and Poland and at the same time give their films a footprint in India.
Ambassador of India to France, Dr Mohan Kumar, said after the event, “We had very useful discussions centered around two fundamental objectives: how to achieve greater visibility for Indian Cinema worldwide and how to promote India as a destination for foreign movies. Discussions with Directors, Producers and Policy-makers from UK, Italy, Poland Germany and China proved fruitful and a possible road map to increase the global footprint did emerge”.
Among the noted filmmakerswho attended the meeting were Germany’s iconic Fatih Akin and producer Nurhan Sekerci, Austrian-Luxembourg producer director Bady Minck, Italy’s Simone Gattoni, British Film Institute creative director Heather Stewart, Polish Film Institute’s Head of Film production and Project Development Izabela Kiszka-Hoflik and Telefilm Canada’s Michel Pradier and Marielle Poupelin.