The 77th annual Cannes Film Festival is taking place in France. It commenced on 14 May and will continue till 25 May. India is a strong competitor this year, with its first entry being in the main category after 30 years. All in all, seven films from India under different categories will be screened at the Cannes.
Let's take a look at the films that have been chosen.
1. All We Imagine As Light
Directed by Payal Kapadia, the film has been nominated in the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. All We Imagine As Light is a drama set in Mumbai and revolves around a nurse, Pratibha. Her life is disrupted when she receives an unexpected gift from her estranged husband. On the other hand Anu, her roommate, is facing trouble finding a place in the city to get intimate with her boyfriend. A search for space takes them to a trip where they find a space to fulfill their desires. The film is an Indo-France co-production, featuring Kani Kusruti and Divya Prabha. The film will be screened at the festival on 23 May.
2. Santosh
Directed and written by Sandhya Suri, Santosh is nominated in the Un Certain Regard Award category. The story is set in rural North India, where a young widow Santosh inherits her husband’s job as a police constable through a government scheme. Trouble ensues when the body of a girl who has been raped and murdered is found. Santosh is pulled into the investigation under the wing of Inspector Sharma, a charismatic feminist.
3. Sunflowers Were The First Ones to Know
A film made by four students from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune, Sunflowers Were The Best Ones To Know has secured a spot in the competition at the La Cinef section. Directed by Chidanand S Naik, the 16-minute short is about an elderly woman who steals the village’s rooster throwing the community in chaos. A prophecy has to be invoked to bring the rooster back, thus sending the old lady’s family in exile.
4. Manthan
This 1976 Hindi film, also released under the translated title The Churning, is a classic by Shyam Benegal. It has been restored and is set to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival. It is a story about Dr. Rao, a young veterinary surgeon, who visits a village where he starts a pioneering milk cooperative movement. A story by Verghese Kurien and Shyam Benegal, it stars Girish Karnad, Naseeruddin Shah, Amrish Puri and Smita Patil in lead roles.
5. Sister Midnight
Written and directed by Karan Kandhari, Sister Midnight is a story about an arranged marriage which spirals into darkness as the wife, played by Radhika Apte, navigates the challenges of married life in Mumbai, turning into a ruthless feral force fueled by her desire for revenge. This drama comedy is set to be screened on 19 May.
6. The Shameless
Konstantin Bojanov’s romantic crime thriller drama has been selected in the Un Certain Regard category. The film tells the story of an Indian sex worker who confronts her past on a pilgrimage journey and defies the age-old traditions that bound her to the life of sex work. Renuka, her forbidden love affair becomes the reason of her freedom. The cast features Indian and Nepali actors including Auroshikha Dey, Omara, Anasuya Sengupta, and Mita Vashisht.
7. In the Retreat
In the Retreat, directed by Maisam Ali, has been selected for the Cannes Film Festival’s Sidebar Programme ACID (Association for the Diffusion of Independent Cinema). The film follows the journey of a nomad (played by Harish Khanna) from Ladakh who returns home after many years. The story deals with themes of identity, belonging and home and touches upon the diversity in Ladakh.
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