India explores international mkt for its films at Cannes
India made its presence felt at Cannes with a large contingent of officials and industry players participating in the robust Cannes Film Market. Cannes Film Festival
By PTI |
CANNES: India made its presence felt at the 61st Cannes Film Festival, despite the much-lamented lack of representation in the event's official selection, with a large contingent of officials and industry players participating in the robust Cannes Film Market.
The world's largest movie industry had more films screening in the market this year than China, Japan and Korea, the other Asian cinema powerhouses and the event also saw Bollywood corporates pushing a wide range of cinematic products and plans.
"India is probably the biggest Asian participant in the market here in terms of numbers," said Uday Kumar Verma, additional secretary, information and broadcasting ministry.
The world's largest movie industry had more films screening in the market this year than China, Japan and Korea, the other Asian cinema powerhouses and the event also saw Bollywood corporates pushing a wide range of cinematic products and plans.
"India is probably the biggest Asian participant in the market here in terms of numbers," said Uday Kumar Verma, additional secretary, information and broadcasting ministry.
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The big Bollywood corporate entities - UTV, Indian Films-Studio 18, Eros, Shemaroo and Reliance Big - as well as the fast-reviving National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) - were in the Market pushing their films into new territories and firming up strategic plans and partnerships for future.
"India is uniquely poised in the global economic scenario and so are we in the entertainment space," said Amit Khanna, chairman, Reliance Big.
"The Indian film industry has recognised the need to see cinema through a new prism and to stop being inward-looking," he added.
Despite the Cannes Film Market being relatively sluggish this year, India made an impression with big-ticket commercial films as much as it did with small arthouse products.
UTV found new buyers outside the US and UK - in non-traditional markets like the Netherlands and Russia - for films like 'Jodhaa-Akbar', 'Race' and 'Taare Zameen Par'. Meanwhile, Studio 18 achieved a fresh wave of worldwide sales for its 2008 hits 'Welcome' and 'Jab We Met'.
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NFDC, back in the thick of the production after a long hiatus, had success with Anjali Menon's 'Lucky Red Seeds' and Aijaz Khan's 'The White Elephant', while iDream Independent Pictures unveiled a bunch of off-beat films, led by Santosh Sivan's 'Tahaan'. "The demand for offbeat films is on the rise," said Rohit Sharma of iDream.
Reliance Big, a part of the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, and Eros, a 31-year-old Indian entertainment major, made the biggest splash in Cannes.
Reliance Big announced an investment of $1 billion in film production, promotion and distribution, besides concluding non-exclusive development deals with some major Hollywood stars - George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Tom Hanks, Jim Carrey and Nicholas Cage.
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With over 250 screens across the US and 50-odd screens in Malaysia, the company is set to emerge as a major global production and distribution force. Eros, on the other hand, announced a wide-ranging pact with Hollywood's Lionsgate for production of new films and distribution of thousands of titles in their respective libraries.
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Individual Indian filmmakers who made the trip to the festival which ends tomorrow - Ketan Mehta, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Sudhir Mishra and Jahnu Barua, among others - also had reason to be happy. "I come here every year because Cannes makes me feel globally connected," Mishra said.
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