The 79th Cannes Film Festival has selected three Indian films across its prestigious sections, marking the strongest showing for Indian cinema at the festival in over a decade. The lineup signals a renaissance in Indian art-house filmmaking that has been building steadily since the pandemic era.
The Selections
Payal Kapadia's "All We Imagine as Light 2" leads the Indian contingent with a slot in the main Competition — the section that awards the Palme d'Or. Kapadia won the Grand Prix at Cannes 2024 with the first film, becoming the first Indian director to win a major Cannes prize since 1946.
Chaitanya Tamhane's Marathi-language drama "The Pilgrim" has been selected for Un Certain Regard, the festival's section for innovative and bold cinema. Tamil filmmaker Vetri Maaran's dark comedy "Viduthalai Part 3" rounds out the trio with a slot in the Directors' Fortnight sidebar.
Significance
The triple selection reflects the growing international appetite for Indian stories told outside the Bollywood mainstream. All three films were produced independently, with modest budgets supplemented by international co-production funding.
"Indian cinema has always had the talent. What's changed is that international distributors and festival programmers are finally looking beyond the song-and-dance stereotype," said film critic Anupama Chopra.
The festival runs from May 20 to May 31. Indian distributors are already in talks to acquire theatrical rights for all three films, hoping to capitalize on festival buzz for wider domestic releases.
