India has been participating in the Cannes Film Festival in some capacity since its first edition in 1946. This year was extra special, as the 75th edition of Cannes coincided with the 75th year of India’s independence. India It was also invited as a country of honor by the Marché du Film, a film market that runs parallel to the Cannes Film Festival.
We saw a large Indian delegation representing our cinema and taking the conversation forward this year. Actress, producer and CBFC board member and IFFI Steering Committee member Vani Tripathi Tiku was a proud part of the Indian delegation this year. He spoke to News18 about India’s relationship with Cannes and the achievements made at the festival this year.
My relationship with Cannes dates back to 1999
Cannes and I have a very old relationship. I was an official representative with Prasoon Joshi in 2018. We had opened a few conversations about IFIs and the co-production market. My relationship is older than ever – in 1999 I did a French-Italian film where I was the only Indian actor and it was in celebration. So I probably have a very old relationship and went to Cannes for years. Now, of course, I’m also a producer, I’m not just an actor. So I am also looking forward to seeing this festival which focuses on cinema.
75 meet 75
This year was undoubtedly a big year as it was the 75th year of the Cannes Film Festival. The Marché du Film, which is the Cannes market, invited India as the country of honour. It was the first time this had happened. This is also the 75th year of India’s independence. So very, very timely.
Neecha Nagar won the Grand Prix in 1946
In 1946, when Chetan Anand took Neecha Nagar to Cannes and won the Grand Prix, which is now the Palme d’Or (the highest award given at the Cannes Film Festival), India was on the verge of becoming a new nation. That’s why the relationship between Cannes and India is very deep. From 1946 till now, this festival and for us as a country has come a long way.
First time an official delegation walked the red carpet
I sincerely thank Shri Anurag Thakur and Mantralaya for thinking of me. But it was also a momentous occasion for me as my country was a country of honor for the first time and an official delegation walked the red carpet together. This has never happened before in my opinion. Red carpets are always personal appearances or film focused. But a delegation is not commonly seen. So I guess it’s a matter of prestige.
@Festival_Cannes
Mixture! pic.twitter.com/0PKdBsUrrm— Vani Tripathi Tiku (@vanityparty) 26 May 2022
Cannes supports independent cinema
What came out in a conversation with the Hon’ble Minister was that the superstar industry of India is very prosperous from its place. But Cannes is a plethora of independent cinema. This is where the filmmaker who probably can’t ride the 100 crore club in India. When you watch The Lunchbox, Masaan and Gangs of Wasseypur, you realize that Cannes celebrates the independent part of cinema.
6 films by independent filmmakers sourced from India
So we selected six films, including Rocketry – which marks R Madhavan’s debut as a director, writer and a producer – and five other friends from big Indian languages. We decided to sell our property there, which means the Indian panorama to be held at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) needs international attention. It is a well-understood fact that these films should go to some other festival as well. Berlinale is strongly supporting this. But this year at Cannes, we made a conscious decision not to take big budget films. The benefits that a young filmmaker might get from a market screening at Cannes may never be reaped if the support is not there now. A little government support always helps a filmmaker find a way forward.
India as a Global Content Hub, Benefited at IFFI
I moderated a large session in which the minister delivered the keynote address about India as a global content hub. In addition, we did a lot of meetings with film funds, producers and film commissions in the co-production market as well. We will try to bring a lot of elements from Cannes to IFFI in November this year.
Representing Indian Textiles at Cannes
I think nothing presents Indian women better than a saree. I wore a sari to all the Cannes events. I got tremendous support and love for wearing that beautiful blue silk saree on the red carpet. I wanted to point out how hard our weavers work. She was a silk saree from Bangalore straight from the source.
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