India is missing in Cannes but Northeast filmmakers shine

For India, at 2019, Cannes, in its 72nd edition, held from May 14th to May 25th, is that it 's been a rare year when the country' s n & # 39; It is not represented at all in its official program. Unfortunately, there is also no Indian film in its three coveted segments: Un Certain Regard, Directors 'Fortnight and Critics' Week.

What augurs for the future of Indian cinema is the way Satyajit Ray, based in Kolkata, The TV Institute (SRFTI) has visited other coveted spaces of Cannes. Three SRFTI alumni will present their recent work in different sections of the festival, each of which aims to encourage and promote emerging young filmmakers from around the world.

The three filmmakers are all from the Northeast. They are screenwriter-director Saurav Rai from Darjeeling, director-filmmaker Dominic Sangma from Meghalaya and Kolkata-based filmmaker Modhura Palit.

One of the segments is The World Film Factory . Monde), a program developed by the Institut français. It invites 10 directors working on their first or second feature film at the Cannes Film Festival, as well as their producers. It presents Dominic Sangma who, last year, made his first feature film, "Ma & # 39; Ama & # 39; (Moan), in the little-known language Garo spoken in parts of his state, Meghalaya.

"Ma" Ama "was created. The Mumbai MAMI in international competition has had a good festival since 2018. That's Philip, an 85-year-old player, who has been yearning for thirty years to find his wife, is threatened by a strange dream. . The dream takes place in an arid landscape where he loses his wife among a crowd of women. He is then tormented by the doubt as to whether people continue to age after death, thus changing their appearance.

Sangma will be at the Marché de Cannes with her second feature, Rapture (Rimdogittanga), produced by Jianshang Xu (Anna Films). The film is about a village seized by a two-fold fear. While the church warns about the coming of apocalyptic darkness, there is also talk of a kidnapper who stalks the streets at night. While the villagers are frantically preparing to face these imminent fears, the kidnapper becomes more and more aggressive every night. Slowly, their fear turns into fury. When they catch a stranger visiting the village, something gets lost in translation. They lynch him to express their anger.

After graduating from SRFTI, Sangma spent two years at the National Film Development Corporation in India before opening her own production company, Anna Films. His graduation film, "Rong.kuchak & # 39; (Echoes), won the award for best Indian short film in 2014 and the following year, 2015, a special mention at the short film festival Ca & Foscari in Venice, 2015.

Modhura Palit: Pierre Angenieux ExcelLens Award in Cinematography

Last year , Cannes presented the Pierre Angenieux ExcelLens in Cinematography ceremony to present the Angenieux Special Encouragement Award, intended to reward the work of young and future filmmakers: it was presented to Cécile Zhang of China. In 2019, this prestigious honor goes to the Indian company Modhura Palit. The award is given to recent graduates of film schools with independent experience. As a future director, Palit will receive the advice of veteran director Mira Nair, who is the first Indian to win the Camera d'Or in Cannes (for "Salaam Bombay", 1988). Nair is the sponsor of La Fabrique 2019. Authors such as Cristian Mungiu, Brillante Mendoza and Jia Zhangke have sponsored the program in previous years.

Also a former student of SRFTI, Modhura worked on three feature films, numerous short films and many short films. , documentaries and TVC. She is a member of the Association of Cinematographers of East India (EICA), a former student of the Asian Film Academy (AFA), in Busan, and has worked on one of the first virtual reality movies from India. His eclectic body of work has earned him many awards. "Paper Boy", his poignant short film in black and white, is aimed at little boys in Kolkata who lead a life devoid of color, joy of life and opportunity. The world of the main character is the alleys of the old town where he delivers the latest headlines, then spends the rest of his day working in a small tea stand. & # 39; A girl on the other side of the creek & # 39 ;, under the 2015 project, titled & quot; The girl on the other side of the creek & quot ;, exploits Chinese language and references to during a difficult shooting. Yet, the complexity of the character is illustrated in a subtle way. commendable. At the Busan Asian Film Academy, Modhura directed a 15-minute Korean film called "Meet Sohee" in collaboration with AFA members. "I mostly worked on projects with a budget that was almost absent or very small. I've always tried to work around obstacles and problems to find the best solution, with the resources available. When the public watches a movie, they do not know under which conditions or what difficulties it was shot. They only see the final product, and there is no room for error, "shares Modhura. When she had very little training and advice, she had the chance to work on one of the first virtual reality movies. "The virtual reality movie was very exciting to shoot. As this is a 360-degree space, lighting and framing become a highly calculated process. There is no hiding place, no fourth wall. So it was a very rewarding experience, "she says.

Saurav Rai Launches' Nimtoh & # 39; (Invitation)

Another talented SRFTI graduate, Saurav Rai, will present his first feature film, "Nimtoh" (Invitation). The film won the Prasad Labs DI Award and Moviebuff Recognition Awards at Film Bazaar's Work in Progress Lab

. The program "Nimtoh" will feature in the program "HAF (Asia-Hong Kong Film Financing Forum) Goes to Cannes", in Cannes Film Market. It is one of five projects selected by HAF Work-in-Progress Lab in March to participate in a pitching session in Cannes. Co-producer Sanjay Gulati will be present. The HAF laureates will make their presentations during a two-hour session on May 18 at the Palais du Marché.

In 2019, Rai participates for the second time in the festival. He attended Cannes in 2016 with the short film "Gudh" (Nest) of 28 minutes, his graduation film SRFTI which was presented in the contest Cinefondation for the works of students of film schools. The film follows the confused consternation of ten-year-old Ajay, trapped in her village's demand for a new state.

'Nimtoh' also refers to the director's personal life. It was screened in the screening room of the 2018 Bazaar Film. The film follows Tashi, his ten-year-old boy, and his former grandmother, both keepers of a cardamom orchard belonging to their hostile owner. The owner and Tashi hear well and often hide in a secret hiding place where she can smoke. The sudden marriage of his son excites Tashi but his grandmother constantly discourages any hope of being invited. In the approaching marriage, Tashi is involved in an incident in which he is involved or not.

Saurav Rai, originally from Bara Mangwa Basti, a small village in Darjeeling District near Kalimpong, spent his childhood between Darjeeling and Kathmandu. He began making short films in 2010, after earning a specialization in mbad communication and journalism from St Joseph College, Darjeeling. His first institutional project was the 15-minute "Barkhay Jhari" (Mousson Rain) in Nepali. It has been presented in competition at the 34th International Film Festival of Munich (2015), as well as at the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFK), 2014.