Indian cinema has always made its presence felt at the Cannes Film Festival, whether it’s through the films being screened at the event or with the inclusion of Bollywood celebrities in the juries over the years. Not to forget, all the times Bollywood celebrities have strutted down the iconic red carpet in looks that never fail to make it to the Best Dressed lists all across the world.
The 77th Cannes Film Festival will also see a host of Indian celebrities and online influencers walking the red carpet, representing the country in their own unique way. But what stands out the most is that this year’s edition of the festival also marks an unprecedented number of Indian films premiering at the event, with many being in the running for coveted awards.
Payal Kapadia has made history by having her film All We Imagine As Light in the running for the prestigious Palme d’Or trophy. It’s the first Indian film in three decades to be up for the honour. The impressive selection of Indian films at Cannes also includes a 4K restored version of Shyam Benegal’s classic 1976 film Manthan.
With the 2024 Cannes festival kicking off from May 14th and concluding on May 25th, here are all the Indian movies premiering at the event…
Indian Films At 77th Cannes Film Festival
All We Imagine As Light
Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light has made the country proud by becoming the first Indian film to screen in the main competition at Cannes in 30 years after Shaji N Karun’s 1994 film Swaham. The story follows two nurses who live together in Mumbai as they embark on a journey to find space for their desires to take shape.
Santosh
Sandhya Suri’s debut feature film Santosh has made it to the Un Certain Regard section of the festival. The section runs parallel to the Palme d’Or and celebrates films with unusual styles and non-traditional stories. This one tells a story of grief through a recently-widowed woman who inherits her deceased husband’s job as a cop in a rural region of the country.
In Retreat
In another brilliant first, Maisam Ali has become the first Indian director to premiere a film in the ACID section at Cannes. It is known to showcase and promote Independent cinema. The film follows a man as he returns to his hometown Ladakh after many years and has to grapple with the feelings of belonging and not belonging to a place that was his home.
Sister Midnight
Radhika Apte stars in this black comedy directed by Karan Kandhari. The movie follows a newlywed who has to navigate the many aspects of an arranged marriage in a small town. The film will premiere at the Director’s Fortnight section of the festival.
The Shameless
Another entry in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes, The Shameless is an Indian story told by Bulgarian director Konstantin Bojanov, featuring a mix of Indian and Nepali actors in the cast. The story follows two women whose bond develops into a forbidden romance, sending them on a journey of trying to escape their circumstances.
Sunflowers Were The First To Know
Chidananda Naik’s short film Sunflowers Were The First To Know will be competing in the La Cinef section at Cannes and is the only Indian film to have qualified for it. The story is about an elderly woman who steals the village’s rooster, causing chaos in the community and condemning her family to exile.
Kooki
This Hindi film from Assam narrates the trauma of a 16-year-old rape survivor who feels let down by the judicial system that fails to deliver justice for her. Directed by Pranab J. Deka, the movie also gives an insight into the culture of the region.
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