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India in Cannes
It’s Cannes time again. And it is time for some of our filmmakers to go and screen their films in the “market”, on space and time bought against hefty sums, outside the festival’s official sections, and then come back and claim through their PR companies – and the ‘anything goes’ media is only too happy to reproduce these claims – that their films have been “screened at Cannes”. (Closer home: would anyone claim that his or her film has been screened at IFFI if it is screened at the market section? The glamour of Cannes is to blame, I guess!)
It is these claims that prompted me to go to the Cannes website archive two years ago, and prepare an exhaustive list of all Indian films screened (in any official section) in Cannes since its first edition. Here it goes – in alphabetical order, and updating for 2007 & 2008 – for all of us to see which Indian films went to the “real” Cannes:
Alphabetical list of Indian films in official sections of Cannes over the years:
Film Director Category Award Year
1. A Very Very Silent Film Manish Jha Short Films Prix du Jury 2002
- court métrage
2. Aag (1948) Raj Kapoor Homage 2002
3. Akbar Santi S. Varma Short Films 1968
4. Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Saeed Mirza Section parallèle 1981
Kyon Ata Hai
5. Amar Bhoopali V Shantaram In competition 1952
6. Antarjali Yatra Goutam Ghose Un certain regard 1988
7. Arimpara Murali Nair Un certain regard 2003
(A Story that Begins at the End)
8. Awara Raj Kapoor In competition 1953
Homage 2002
9. Bagh Bahadur Buddhadeb Dasgupta Section parallèle 1990
10. Bandit Queen Shekhar Kapur Section parallèle 1994
11. Barsaat (1949) Raj Kapoor Homage 2002
12. Bhuvan Shome Mrinal Sen Section parallèle 1970
13. Biraj Bahu Bimal ROY In competition 1955
14. Boot Polish Prakash Arora In competition Mention 1955
15. Chakra Rabindra Dharmaraj Section parallèle 1981
16. Creation of Woman Charles Schwep Short Films In 1961
Competition
17. Dakhal Goutam Ghose Section parallèle 1982
18. Devdas Sanjay Leela Bhansali Out of competition 2002
19. Devi Satyajit RAY In competition 1962
20. Do Bigha Zamin Bimal Roy In competition Prix 1954
International
21. Ekdin Pratidin Mrinal Sen In competition 1980
22. Ekti Jiban Raja Mitra Section parallèle 1988
23. Elippathayam Adoor Gopalakrishnan Un certain regard 1982
24. Feminine Fashions N Bhavnani Short Films 1954
25. Festival Time N Bhavnani Short Films 1951
26. Ganashatru Satyajit Ray Out of competition 1989
27. Garam Hawa M S Sathyu In competition 1974
28. Genesis Mrinal Sen In competition 1986
(India-France-Belgium-Switzerland co-production)
29. Ghare Baire Satyajit Ray In competition 1984
30. Golden River P V Pathy Short Films 1955
31. GotomaThe Buddha Rajbans Khanna In competition Mention 1957
exceptionnelle
32. Green Glory M Ahmed Short Films 1952
33. Growing Coconuts Fali Bilimoria Short Films 1956
34. Gudia Goutam Ghose Un certain regard 1997
35. Himalayan Lakes Gopal Datt Short Films 1964
36. Indradhanura Chhai Susant Misra Un certain regard 1995
37. Ishanou Aribam Syam Sharma Un certain regard 1991
38. Kangra et Kulu N S Thapa Short Films 1961
39. Khandhar Mrinal Sen Un certain regard 1984
40. Kharij Mrinal Sen In competition Prix du Jury 1983
41. Khoj Tridib Poddar Cinéfondation 2002
42. Kumaon Hills N Bhavnani Short Films 1953
43. Lajwanti Narendra Suri In competition 1959
44. Land of Mohan Wadhwani Short Films 1954
Enlightenment
45. Magic of the Moutains N Bhavnani Short Films 1957
46. Mandu Neil Gokhale Short Films 1958
47. Marana Simhasanam Murali Nair Un certain regard Prix de la 1999
(UK) Caméra d’Or
48. Maya Miriga Nirad N Mohapatra Section parallèle 1984
49. Mayur Pankh Kishore Sahu In competition 1954
50. Mother India Mehboob Khan Cannes Classics 2004
(1957)
51. Mujhe Jeene Do Moni Bhattacharjee In competition 1964
52. Music of India N Bhavnani Short Films 1954
53. Neecha Nagar Chetan Anand In competition Grand Prix 1946
54. New Lands for Old Krishna Gopal Short Films 1953
55. Nishant Shyam Benegal In competition 1976
56. Oka Oorie Katha Mrinal Sen Section parallèle 1978
57. Oru Neenda Yathra Murali Nair Short Films 1996
58. Padatik Mrinal Sen Section parallèle 1974
59. Padma Nadir Majhi Goutam Ghose Section parallèle 1993
60. Pamposh : Ezra MIR In competition 1954
Lotus of Kashmir
61. Paras Pathar Satyajit Ray In competition 1958
62. Pardesi Khwaja Ahmed Abbas & Pronin In competition 1958
63. Pather Panchali Satyajit Ray Cannes Classics 2005
In competition Prix du 1956
document humain
64. Pattiyude Divasam Murali Nair Un certain regard 2001
( A Dog’s Day)
65. Piravi Shaji N Karun Un certain Regard Mention d’honneur 1989 1989 Caméra d’Or
66. Private Life of M Bhavnani Short Films 1951
Silk Worm
67. Rajasthan No. 1 M Bhavnani Short Films 1951
68. River of Hope N Bhavnani Short Films 1954
69. Rustic Delights V R Sarma Short Films 1952
70. Salaam Bombay Mira Nair Section parallèle Prix de la 1988
Caméra d’Or
71. Satah Se Uthata Aadmi Mani Kaul Un certain regard 1981
72. Shevgyacha Shenga Shantaram Athavale In competition 1956
73. Shringar Ravi Prakash Short Films 1960
74. Sujata Bimal Roy In competition 1960
75. Swaham Shaji N Karun In competition 1994
76. Symphony of Life T A Abraham Short Films 1955
77. Taj Mahal Mushir Ahmed Short Films 1959
78. Tetris Anirban Datta Cinéfondation 2006
79. The Epithaph Gurucharan Singh Short Films 1970
80. The Great Experiment V R Sarma Short Films 1953
81. The River (India-USA) Jean Renoir Cannes Classics 2005
82. The Story of Steel Jagat Murari Short Films 1952
83. Uttoran Sandip Ray Un certain regard 1994
84. Vanaprastham Shaji N Karun Un certain regard 1999
Updated:
2007:
Chinese Whispers Raka Dutta Cinefondation
There was a special package of Indian cinema in 2007, to commemorate the 60th Year of India’s Independence that coincided with the 60th anniversary of the festival. The package was part of “Tous les Cinemas du Monde” (All the Cinemas of the World) section, and had seven films – Guru (Mani Ratnam), Lage Raho Munnabhai (Raj Kumar HIrani), Dosor (Rituparno Ghosh), Missed Call (Mridul Toolsidas and Vinay Subramaniam), Veyil (A Vasanth Balan), Saira(Dr. Biju) and Dharm (Bhavna Talwar). To put the package in perspective, the “Tous les Cinemas du Monde” section is designed for “emerging” film industries around the world, primarily to capture filmmaking traditions in little-known filmmaking centres. India was in the company of countries like Lebanon, Angola, Kenya, Slovenia and Colombia. Something that hardly can be counted as an “honour” to the size and history of Indian cinema.
2008:
Five short films selected to the Short Film Corner section. They are Hum Panchhi Ek Daal Ke (Of Haves and Havenots) directed by Manoj Srivastava, In the Land of the Nagas directed by Jaishankar Singh, Akela (Alone) by Alka Mehta, Retirement by Tushar Joshi, Viva Sunita! by Amitabh Sinha & Lolita Sarkar.
Vijay Anand’s Guide screened as part of the Cannes Classics section.
6 Responses to “India in Cannes”
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wow. good topic. I would like to know what qualifies a film for a particular segment. say, what does a film need to have to enter Cinefondation?
Shocked to see no entries this year, considering film makers were frequenting it in heavy taadaad lately, to take some acclaimed films there, and to promote the ones that badly would need acclaim in future.
I thought Shemaroo’s animated film Ghatotkach will be screened at Cannes…
Well, at least India will get some representation through Anupama Chopra–she’ll be part of the Jury for the Un Certain Regard section.
Isnt Guide supposed to be in Cannes classic section for this year ? I think I read it in HT.
Seriously, just when everything Indian is considered sooo hot!! Simply notice the mega spring campaign of retail giant Anthropology, with seven Indian designers featured as “Impeccably Indian” and books like “Eat Pray Love” which glamourize spending a year in India finding oneself… Everyone has India on their list of Must-See and the filmmakers drop the ball? What is up Indian Cinema?! There are such good films out there, as witnessed at IFFLA, and not one is at Cannes?? At the risk of becoming very unpopular, it’s shameful…
Thanks Utpal for this well researched and informative article on ‘Canz’. I don’t see any problem in producers spending money and doing market screenings of their films in the view of selling their films. Everyone does it and those who haven’t been selected in the Circus Maximus try to get as much mileage from it.
But I do agree that when one reads reports on Indian Media which give the impression that the film was selected there, it is problematic. But I do not blame the producers who try with all means to attract attention to their films. But members of the journalistic community who write these falsified reports and print them in their journals and newspapers.
Liars are punishable but those who abet them must take the responsibility too.
Hi Tushar: The Cannes film fest website says this about Cinefondation: “In 1998, the Festival de Cannes created the Cinéfondation to inspire and support the next generation of international filmmakers. Since then, with the help of the Festival, the Cinéfondation has developed complementary programmes to help schieve its goal.” The programme is for film school student films.
Amanda/ PSji: Ghatotkach, I think, will be screened at the market section. That is exactly what I was trying to say in my piece. That many films - rightly so - are screened in the market section, but here the media projection is done in a way as if they have been screened as part of the main festival. It is very important for as many Indian films as possible to get screened at the market section at Cannes or any other big festival as these are places where all kinds of prospective buyers come. But to project them as part of the main festival screening is absolutely wrong - no two ways about it.
Omprakash: Yes, I read it too, but it is not yet announced on the Cannes website, hence I did not write it. Once it is up there, I will update my list - surely.