R Madhavan's 'Rocketry' to have world premiere at Cannes on May 19: Anurag Thakur

NEW DELHI: R Madhavan-directed 'Rocketry' will have its world premiere at the Cannes Film Market in Paris where Satyajit Ray's remastered classic 'Pratidwandi' and five other films will also be shown, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said here on Wednesday (May 4).

India was on Tuesday announced as the official 'country of honour' at the Marche' Du Films, which is held on the sidelines of the Cannes Film Festival. It is scheduled to take place from May 17 to May 25.

Madhavan's 'Rocketry', a biographical drama based on the life of Nambi Narayanan, the ISRO scientist who was falsely accused of espionage, will have its world premiere at the Palais des Festivals of the market screening on May 19.

At Marche' Du Films, India is also the 'country of honour' at the Cannes Next, an executive conference and innovation-driven business development platform exploring the future of the entertainment sector.

Under this, five start-ups will be given the opportunity to make a pitch to the audio-visual industry and participate in animation day networking events.

The minister said India would be promoted as the 'content hub of the world' during a one-hour conference 'India Forum' and it would comprise leaders from the entertainment sector.

India will also showcase five movies at the 'Goes to Cannes Section', Thakur said.

These movies, which are part of Film Bazaar's Work-In-Progress (WIP) lab, include 'Baghjan' (Assamese, Moran) by Jaicheng Zxai Dohutia, 'Bailadila' (Hindi, Chhattisgarhi) by Shailendra Sahu, 'Ek Jagah Apni' (Hindi) by Ektara Collective, 'Follower' (Marathi, Kannada, Hindi) by Harshad Nalawade; and 'Shivamma' (Kannada) by Jai Shankar.

At the movie gala, a brand new restoration of Ray's rare movie 'Pratidwandi' will also be presented in an exclusive screening. 'Pratidwandi' has been restored under the National Film Heritage Mission, a project undertaken by the ministry of information and broadcasting.

India's selection as the country of honour coincides with the 75th year of Independence, the 75th anniversary of France-India diplomatic relations and the 75th year of the Cannes Film Festival, Thakur said.

"It is the first time the March" du Film has an official Country of Honour, and this special focus will continue annually with different nations in the spotlight at future editions," he said.

On the opening night of the Marche' Du Films, India will showcase special performances by Indian choir bands along with folk music and fireworks. Indian and French cuisine would also be served at the event.

A cinema hall called the Olympia Screen has been dedicated to India on May 22 for screening ?Unreleased Movies?. Five movies will be showcased under this category.

The India Pavilion with the theme 'India the Content Hub of the World' will be inaugurated on May 18.

It will showcase Indian cinema across linguistic, cultural, and regional diversities of the country and will serve as a networking platform for delegates from across the global community, aiming to establish international partnerships in film shooting, distribution, production, script development, technology, promoting film sales and syndication.