Seven Indian films make way to Cannes

Seven films from India have made entry to the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, set to be held in the French Riviera from May 14. Malayalam film ‘All We Imagine As Light’ will be the first Indian film in the main segment (Palme d’Or) of Cannes, the last was ‘Swaham’ which was released in 1994.

‘All We Imagine As Light,’ directed by Payal Kapadia, will be screened at the festival on May 23. The film follows the story of two roommates who serve as nurses at a hospital. How love and self-discovery bring about a change in their perspectives forms the crux of the story.

Another film to be screened at the festival is ‘Santosh’. The film is directed by British-Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri and will be screened at the Un Certain Regard section of 2024 Cannes Film Festival.

Santosh stars Shahana Goswami in the lead role and follows the story of a newly widowed woman who inherits her husband’s job as a police constable in rural northern India.

Then there’s the Kannada short film ‘Sunflowers Were The First Ones To Know’ which will be screened under the Cinéfondation or La Cinef section of the Cannes Film Festival. The film is directed by FTII student Chidanand Naik. The Smita Patil and Naseeruddin Shah-starrer ‘Manthan’, which was released in 1976, is set to be screened under the Cannes Classics selection.

Actress Radhika Apte’s film ‘Sister Midnight’ too has been selected under the Directors’ Fortnight category at the Cannes Film Festival, this year.The film, directed by Karan Kandhari, is about a wife who navigates the challenges of married life in a slum. Having suffered oppression, she aims to seek revenge.

‘In Retreat’, directed by Syed Maisam Ali Shah, tells the story of a man who returns to his hometown after many years. The film is set to be screened under the Association for the Distribution of Independent Cinema Section.

The final film on the list is ‘The Shameless’ directed by Bulgarian director Konstantin Bojanov. The film’s story is set in India, and it has been shot across Nepal and India.

‘The Shameless’ follows the story of Rani, an Indian sex worker, who goes on a pilgrimage to a remote temple, where she confronts her past, including a love affair, who is imprisoned for murder in Bangalore.

The film will be screened under the Un Certain Regard section.