French cinema to soon woo Indian audiences

Mumbai: French cinema is yet to penetrate the Indian market strongly but Xavier Lardoux, deputy director of Unifrance Films, believes that French movies will soon enter the Indian market and impress Indian audiences.

Unifrance Films is an organisation known for promoting French cinema around the globe. At the ongoing 15th edition of the Mumbai Film Festival (MFF) they have presented 30 films in a special section called "Rendezvous with French Cinema". "French cinema is very strong abroad with 300 films per year. We are number one cinema industry in Europe and in 18 other countries around the world. We hold third place after Hollywood. It`s just a matter of time before we enter other markets as well, including India," Xavier told IANS. He says films like "The Artist" prove that French cinema can woo Indian audiences as well. "In 2012, thanks to films such as `The Artist`, `Taken 2` and `The Intouchables`, French cinema gross represented over 150 million tickets sold worldwide with an increase of 90 percent compared to 2011. "Our films may not have been successful in India vis-a-vis Bollywood, but we are convinced that our cinema could seduce more Indian people soon," he said. "The Artist", which managed to have a pan-India release last year, was critically acclaimed by Indian audiences. French films such as "Young and Beautiful", "Blue is the Warmest Colour" and "The Past" are being screened at MFF this year.