Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan will lead the Indian delegation to the Cannes International Film Festival while Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur will address the inaugural session through a video message to showcase India as a global hub for content creation at the 76th edition of Cannes Festival. Murugan will also walk the red carpet at the festival along with Oscar awardee Guneet Monga of "The Elephant Whisperers" fame and actors Manushi Chillar, Esha Gupta and Kangabam Tomba, said an official release.
At the internationally recognised festival, several Indian movies and productions will be showcased. Anurag Kashyap's crime drama "Kennedy" and FTII alumnus Yudhajit Basu's "Nehemich" will be showcased in the official section. While the "Kennedy" will be screened in Midnight Screenings the "Nehemich" will be showcased in the 'La Cinef' section of the Festival de Cannes.
Manipuri Director Aribam Syam Sharma's "Ishanou" will also be showcased in the Cannes Classics section of the festival. It is scheduled to open on May 16 in the resort town on the French Riviera.
Earlier, the movie was played in the festival's "Un Certain Regard" section in 1991 and its film reels were preserved by the National Film Archive of India. The Manipur State Film Development Society got the film restored through the Film Heritage Foundation & Prasad Film Labs, an official said, as reported by news agency PTI.
Kanu Behl's "Agra" will be showcased in its world premiere at Cannes, at the Directors' Fortnight. The "She Shines: Contribution of Women in Cinema" will also be showcased, as it highlights the presence of women in filmmaking.
An official said, these Indian films being screened in the segments of both Festival de Cannes and Marche du Films, underline that the Indian cinema has truly come of age, reported PTI.
A series of interactive sessions organised throughout the festival at India Pavilion will showcase the country as a Complete Filming Destination. The Ahmedabad-based National Institute of Design has conceptualised and designed the India Pavilion with the theme of "Showcasing India's Creative Economy" to the global community, reported PTI.
The pavilion design has been inspired by the Saraswati Yantra, the abstract representation of Goddess Saraswati, keeper of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom and learning, said the official statement.
In addition to these, the colours of the pavilion draw inspiration from India's national flag, which has saffron, white, and green, and blue colours.
The Indian Pavilion will give a platform to the Indian film community to sign distribution deals, greenlight scripts and crack production collaborations. It will also help in networking with the world's major entertainment and media players.