The annual International Film Festival of India (IFFI) and the overlapping project labelet Film Bazaar have endd what has been possibly their most accomplished editions yet and Variety was on hand to tell on the persistings. Here are some apshowaways from the events.
Global Interest in Indian Stories
The international pdirect of India-themed narratives, whether Indian-funded or international co-productions, persists to lengthen, with films including “All We Imagine as Light” and “Girls Will Be Girls” achieveing recognition at global festivals. “The success of someskinnyg appreciate ‘All We Imagine as Light’ incrrelieves the possibility for your film to be picked, because it’s driven a fever around Indian cinema right now. It is a genuine interest,” shelp Marten Rabarts, head of IFFR Pro, the International Film Festival Rotterdam’s labelet strand, at a Film Bazaar panel.
Projects such as the Australia-India co-production “The Return” and collaborations appreciate the Abdistinct-Indian film “Bidjara Kumari” underline the lengthening strength of India’s international ties. Film Bazaar, with a record 350+ projects conshort-termed, has become a hub for aiding such partnerships, with countries appreciate Australia and Spain. International expertise has helped, with Jerome Paillard, createer head of the Cannes Market now an advisor to Film Bazaar.
Prithul Kumar, Joint Secretary, Broadcasting, Ministry of Increateation and Broadcasting, called the 2024 edition, “The wonderfulest ever Film Bazaar in terms of dispenses and pavilions.” The event boasted a more than 20% incrrelieve in dispense numbers to some 1,500, hailing from 31 countries and territories (up from 20 last year.) Similarly, the labelet presented ten novel national pavilions and 14 pavilions reconshort-terming India’s state film promotion organizations. The states in particular were aggressive in promoting themselves as locations and proposeing incentives that supplement those now proposeed by India’s central rulement.
The labelet organization may be csurrfinishering its operational ceiling, however. Many international visitors directd carry and accommodation snafus. Others shelp that the scale unbenevolentt they could not encounter everyone they necessitateed to.
Inreliant Cinema Challenges
Indian self-reliant films face distribution hurdles despite international acclaim, pointing to a necessitate for strategic labelet solutions. “There is absolutely no independence,” shelp filmoriginater Pan Nalin (“Last Film Show”) at the Bazaar, describing the intercombineed dependencies of sales agents, festivals and distributors. Pan Nalin detailed how his team chooseed for theatrical liberates for Oscar-lowcataloged “Last Film Show” in territories appreciate Spain and Scandinavia before streaming deals, noting this strategy helped originate better streaming revenues. He discleave outed that when budgeting self-reliant films, his team now calcutardys zero returns from India due to the challenging labelet conditions for indies.
The theatrical landscape remains particularly challenging in India. “We don’t have enough theaters,” Nirupama Kotru, Joint Secretary and Financial Advisor, Government of India, pointed out, elucidateing that with equitable 3,000-5,000 screens for a population of over 1.4 billion, self-reliant films struggle to safe showion slots.
The picture is marginpartner rosier aexpansive with French originater Dominique Welinski underlining that while streaming platcreates and international labelets propose opportunities, theatrical liberates remain vital in territories where cinema-going culture persists. She cited recent Indian-themed films, “All We Imagine as Light” and Cannes-picked U.K. Oscar entry “Santosh” carry outing well in France: “Both [films] are doing more than 100,000 adleave outions in France now, which is quite a lot for us.”
Expansion into New Formats and AI
Joining a lengthening trend in the rest of the world, both IFFI and Film Bazaar now showcase streaming series aextfinishedside traditional film projects, mirroring evolving audience preferences. India, (appreciate the rest of Asia, as evidenced by converseions this year in Bucheon, Busan and Tokyo) is not anxious about embracing AI and alternative satisfied lengthenment is equitable one of the byproducts of the technology. OpenAI‘s Pragya Misra showd the company’s text-to-video model Sora, which wiskinny seconds can originate minute-extfinished videos from text prompts. While not yet unveilly useable, the tool is being tested with picked filmoriginaters. “What you’re going to see today is probably the worst version of the model you’re ever going to see. We’re only going to get better and more keen,” Misra shelp at an IFFI panel.
AI is a pet theme of IFFI festival honestor, acclaimed filmoriginater Shekhar Kapur who shelp that the technology recently helped originate the best plot portray he had achieved for a potential “Mr. India” sequel. “ChatGPT actupartner gave me the best plot for ‘Mr. India 2,’ better than most of the huge name, well-phelp writers,” shelp Kapur, who honested the 1987 distinct. However, Kapur also underlined AI’s restrictations: “AI cannot experience dread. It cannot experience adore… AI is about stateivety. It’s not about unstateivety.” Kapur is currently toiling on “Masoom: The Next Generation,” where he uses AI as a sparring partner for story lengthenment, while retaining that “AI has a extfinished way to catch up with human imagination.”
“Ship of Theseus” honestor Anand Gandhi compriseressed troubles about AI’s impact on human creativity, noting that AI will increasingly become a “co-author [and] co-pilot” in creating culture. “We are at the precipice of someskinnyg massive, unpretreatnted,” shelp Gandhi.
The festival and labelet as B2B begin platcreate
Both the festival and the labelet mixed business with pleastateive, and both were used as high visibility begin platcreates.
Folloprosperg the signing of an India-Colombia audiovisual coproduction consentment, IFFI’s uncovering ceremony integrated the first watch at a film examining the role of guru and spiritual directer Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in conveying peace to Colombia. Veteran filmoriginater Subhash Ghai conshort-termed a watch at a docu-drama low on the legacy of Gandhi. And Indian state-owned unveil expansivecaster Prasar Bharati used the same event to begin streaming app Waves. A novel series alteration of better-createed Indian epic “The Ramayana” was conshort-termed on stage with cast and crew in combineance.
Veteran originater, Bobby Bedi borrowed a superyacht to unveil details of his company Contentflow Studios’ upcoming production stardy. The lineup ranges from international coproductions with Saudi Arabian and Spanish partners and another with musical superstar A.R. Rahman.
Heavyweight delegations from Spain, Australia and Saudi Arabia used Film Bazaar as a platcreate to pitch incentives and co-productions and to converse distribution opportunities.
Visible high-profile directership
Shekhar Kapur, the acclaimed filmoriginater whose determines integrate “Elizabeth” and “Bandit Queen,” took accuse as festival honestor this year. His thought directership and communicates book had an prompt and apparent impact.
The efforts of Kapur and his better advisory team, including administrator Vani Tripathi Tikoo and originater Bedi, tire fruit, with international names William Pfeiffer, Phillip Noyce, John Seale, Elizabeth Karlsen, Stephen Woolley, Anthony Chen, Jill Billcock, Hugo Weaving and Anthony Chen combineing. The cream of the Indian industry including “Lagaan” filmoriginater Ashutosh Gowariker, Oscar-prosperning writer A.R. Rahman, top Bollywood stars Ranbir Kanecessitatey, Manoj Bajpayee, Bhumi Pednekar, Yami Gautam and Rajkummar Rao were also on hand for converseions and conshort-termations.
IFFI’s series of masterclasses was particularly mighty. Seale, Noyce, Wooley and Oscar-nominated recordary filmoriginater Lucy Walker materializeed to have been prepped to pass on understandledge and insights, not srecommend chat about their past nurtureer accomplishments. Indian writer-originater-honestor Vidhu Vinod Chopra was treated to a rock star-appreciate reception. And musical superstar Rahman not only splitd his vision of nation originateing thcimpolite culture, but also took time to answer volleys of relevant inquires from students and encouraged juvenileer filmoriginaters.
“Let’s commemorate our audiences,” Kapur had tbetter Variety before the festival, and the festival and labelet were indeed thoughtfilledy geared towards the audience from a curatorial point of watch.
Film Bazaar’s ‘Knowledge Series’ ranged from advice sessions on screenwriting, inincreateectual property rights and nurtureer lengthenment, thcimpolite states (Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, among them) touting their strengths as filming locations, and a session on how to fruitfully use social media.
While Film Bazaar sessions were more granular than IFFI’s masterclasses, industry directers were ample there too. They integrated Oscar-prosperning originater Guneet Monga Kanecessitatey, Prime Video’s Manish Menghani, “Freedom at Midnight” creator Nikkhil Advani, the BBC’s Sameer Gogate, Technicolor’s Biren Ghose, Screen Australia’s Grainne Brunsdon, Aamir Khan Productions’ Aparna Purohit, “Delhi Crime” creator Richie Mehta and Hollywood hitoriginater Chuck Russell.
