The Hindu : Entertainment / Cinema : Indian films a `nonentity' at Cannes

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Thursday, May 19, 2005

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Indian films a `nonentity' at Cannes

No entry in any official selection

CANNES: Indian actors may be "almost everywhere" at this year's Cannes Film Festival but this is not the case as far as Indian films are concerned.This time round, the Cannes festival has recognised Indian actors while ignoring Indian cinema.

Despite the fact that Nandita Das was chosen as part of the jury and Aishwarya Rai was given the honour of declaring the festival open, what makes Indian cinema at the 58th Cannes Film festival seem almost a `non entity' is the fact that there is not a single entry from India in any official selection. Many films from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, and even Sri Lanka have been included in the official screenings.

This has however, been somewhat compensated for by the screening of several Indian films in the Market section.

Cannes is the biggest film market in the world, with a number of preview theatres where films are screened by intending sellers.

This year, a number of Indian filmmakers and distributors have turned up looking for buyers.

The films already screened/to be shown in the Marche (the Market section), or elsewhere privately, include Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Black, Subhash Ghai's Kisna (in its shorter, English version), and Delhi-based producer Bobby Bedi's two latest movies, The Rising (starring Aamir Khan) and American Daylight. American Daylight, which revolves around a girl employed in a Delhi call-centre, made its debut at the Goa IFFI last December. — UNI

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Indian films a `nonentity' at Cannes