NFDC Film Bazaar 2016 officially announces Call for Entries for the 10th Co-Production Market from filmmakers with compelling South Asian stories seeking co-production, financial and artistic support.

The applications will be accepted from May 23 until July 11 and with late fee until July 25, 2016. The final selection would be announced in September 2016.
The Co-production Market, which is one of the main segments of the NFDC Film Bazaar, is held between 20 – 24 November in Goa.

20 remarkable South Asian stories will be selected this year. Projects get to pitch their film to the Indian and international film community that attends Film Bazaar with a focus on fiction features.

The pre-requisite of submission states that the project can be from any country dealing with a South Asian theme, must have a producer and director attached with 25% of the finance in place. In addition to the above the project must have scope for international co-production, distribution and sales.

Open Pitch, a unique platform, was created last year to increase the visibility of projects. During the Open Pitch, selected participants have a chance to present projects including mood books, trailers or any other visual reference.

Last year 384 meetings were scheduled for 19 projects over four days of the market. The duration of each meeting was 20 minutes. The CPM team provided individual support and set up meetings based on requests received from delegates and the availability of the two parties. (Pre-FB and during FB).

Nineteen projects were selected to participate in the Co-production Market 2015, including films such as Bombay Rose directed by Gitanjali Rao, Manto directed by Nandita Das, Agra directed by Kanu Behl, Pirates by directed Ritesh Raj More and produced by Ritesh Batra, A Goat’s Life directed by Fahad Mustafa (of Katiyabaaz fame),Newton directed by Amit V Masurkar (of Sulemani Keeda fame) and produced by Manish Mundra, Drishyam Films, Memories and My Mother (Bengali) directed by Aditya Vikram Sengupta (Labour of Love fame)

Past success stories: A few notable films that were represented at the Co-Production Market over the years are Chaitanya Tamhane’s Court, Aushim Ahluwalia’s Miss Lovely, Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni’s Deool and Highway, Mostofa Farooki’s Television

QUOTES

Thierry Fremaux, Delegate General, Cannes Film Festival – “I am in a position to judge this market as a professional as I have been to all major co-productions market in the world. I have to say I am quite impressed. It’s full of good filmmakers and good projects. In the long run, I see Film Bazaar at par with Cannes, Berlin and American Film Market.”

Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Filmmaker, India – “It is amazing to see how there are so many young filmmakers who are trying to make films and for me it is a great platform provided by NFDC where I get to meet this talent pool and see their work.”

Sabiha Sumar Director, Khamosh Pani Pakistan – “It is lovely to see how much and how well the FB has grown. It is serving filmmakers and the entire South Asia region and connects them to possibilities across the globe. Well done!”

Shiladitya Bora, CEO, Drishyam Films – “Kudos to NFDC for such a well-organised event. Everything is so well managed that it is hard to believe that it is a govt. agency. Thanks to NFDC for giving the filmmakers a platform. Also, the best thing is that there is something for everyone.”

The eventful journey of Co-Production Market so far….

The aim of the Co-Production Market, when it started in 2007, was to give a platform to Indian producers to find suitable international co-producers for their projects in the form of financial assistance, location support or post-production facilities.

In 2011, the market was expanded to include deserving projects from our South Asian neighbours, namely Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka making it the only film market in South Asia.

Over the last ten years, the Co Production Market has brought together film professionals to enhance opportunities for international co-productions and to actively contribute to the dynamism of the South Asian film industry.

From 16 projects in the year 2007, the market has grown phenomenally and is the main segment of Film Bazaar. Over the years, the Co-Production Market has presented projects from France, South Africa, UK, Canada, Australia, Italy, Germany.

Film Bazaar Co Production Market has a partnership with Independent Filmmaker Project, USA. Through this partnership, one project from each segment is selected for presentation in both markets.

The Co Production Market presents 20 projects to the national and international film professionals attending Film Bazaar. Apart from pitching projects in Open Pitch to an audience of investors, producers and financiers, one on one meetings are also specially scheduled for each project.

Open Pitch, a unique platform, was created last year to increase the visibility of projects. During the Open Pitch selected participants have a chance to present projects including mood books, trailers or any other visual reference.

The Co-Production Market at Film Bazaar is carefully curated to include an array of projects across different genres from animation to horror.

The Co-Production Market team creates a planner to optimize participants’ time at Film Bazaar. Over the years, the dedicated team has honed its skills for matching projects with the right delegates.

Dedicated online and print catalogues consisting of all project details are available for Film Bazaar attendees interested in Co Production Market projects.

The Co-Production Market also conducts an orientation session to familiarize participants to Open Pitch as well as the working of the Co-Production Market and Film Bazaar.

An E-Guide to Pitching is distributed to participants prior to the Market.

Last year 384 meetings were scheduled for 19 projects over four days of the market. The duration of each meeting was 20 minutes. The CPM team provided individual support and set up meetings based on requests received from delegates and the availability of the two parties. (Pre FB and during FB).

Some of the projects and people who have attended the Co Production Market at Film Bazaar are Chedomir Kolar [ Producer No Man’s Land], Mustofa Sarwar Farooki [Director Television], Michael Werner [Fortissimo Films ], Chris Paton [San Sebastian Film Festival], Christian Jeune [Cannes Film Festival], Kristen Niehuus [Medien Board, Berlin-Brandenburg] Remi Burah [Arte France Cinema], Anurag Kashyap, Madhu Mantena, Manish Mundhra, Sooni Taraporewala, Sabiha Sumar [Director Khamosh Pani], Guneet Monga, Nandita Das, Govind Nihalani, Shyam Benegal, Pablo Bertolini [Venice Film Festival], Charles Tesson [Cemaine de la Crtique Cannes Film Festival], Aviva Silver [NEA cinema, Belgium], Anup Singh [Director Quissa],Catherine Dussart [Producer Chautih Koot France], Ramesh Sippy, Kabir Khan, Shiladitya Bora, Marco Muller, [Beijing Film Festival]