Film Bazaar 2016 Kicks Off With Array of Exciting Experiences

Venkaiah Naidu Tours The Various Segments of Film Bazaar And Applauds The Collaborative Effort.

NFDC Film Bazaar kicked off its 10th edition with a potpourri of sessions, screenings and panel discussions.

Venkaiah Naidu, Union Minister of Urban Development of India and I & B, graced the inaugural day of the 10th NFDC Film Bazaar and took a thorough tour in the morning exploring the various segments.

“I’m very impressed by the Film Bazaar. It is like a filmy supermarket,” said Venkaiah Naidu, Union Minister of Urban Development of India and I & B. “I compliment the efforts and elaborate arrangements made by Film Bazaar and NFDC. This will help go a long way in producing films in India and films, in turn, will also encourage tourism and culture of the country.”

Concluding the first day at Bazaar, N J Shaikh, Director Finance, NFDC, said, “It was a packed and happening first day at Film Bazaar with both the pitching sessions for the Co-production market as well as the Screenwriter’s Lab, sessions at the Knowledge series and the Viewing Room/Industry screening receiving a overwhelming response. Even the Film Offices and the FFO Office at the Bazaar were buzzing with activity. We are eagerly looking forward to a next eventful day at the Bazaar“.

The Knowledge Series sessions enjoyed eager audiences throughout the day. The sessions were as follows:

In the second edition of Open Pitch, the concept of having filmmakers present their ideas and requirements to an audience of film industry members proved just how effective it was. Introduced and moderated by Urmi Juvekar, filmmakers had the opportunity to screen video presentations depicting their ideas, followed by a Q & A session with the audience. After lunch, sponsored by Gujarat Tourism Board, the Bazaar went on to witness a panel discussion particularly pertinent for independent filmmakers.

Producer Miriam Joseph, Managing Director, OLFFI, Ilann Girard and Producer, Pallas Films, Thanassis Karathanos discussed the importance and challenges of public funding, and a clear emphasis emerged on developing the project thoroughly before looking for funding. “For independent films, it is always challenging to find funding,” Ilann Girard said. “It is a multi-path relationship, and you have to look at the whole picture and understand the organic needs of your project, so there is a balance creatively and financially. It is very important to remain true to yourself.”

FILM FESTIVALS AND MARKETS – BUILDING AUDIENCES AND BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

Moderated by Deepti D’Cunha, the panelists at this session included respected Festival Programmers Paolo Bertolin and Uma D’Cunha, Sales Agent Chris Paton, and filmmakers Raam Reddy (Thithi) and Kanu Behl (Titli), whose debuts have received much critical acclaim. A riveting conversation on the intricacies of the business side of the film industry was as enlightening as it was engrossing. The importance of promoting your film was emphasised, with some gems of advice from the industry veterans.

“It is difficult for independent films in India to get selected at a festival like Venice Film Festival, and whenever a filmmaker does get the rare opportunity to promote their film, they should grab it. After years, there were two Indian films, Court and Visaranai, that were screened there,” Paolo Bertolin said. “Although this piece of advice is getting more and more controversial, you should get a sales agent, because they are the ones who know how to maximise your positioning within the festival and who already know how to work with and within the festival. You are faced with many challenges, and you don’t need to do this alone. If you don’t manage to get a sales agent, you should at least get a press agent, so that the film gets the widest exposure and reaches your target audience.”

“NFDC Film Bazaar really changed my life, and it gave me a wealth of knowledge. I was completely clueless when I came here,” Raam Reddy said candidly. “I owe my entire career to NFDC Film Bazaar, because I received so much constructive criticism and feedback from the Work-In-Progress Lab. Dreams can be built here.”

A.R. Rahman’s ‘Live-In-VR Experience’ Vande Mataram premiered at the VR Lounge, which also allowed participants to curate their viewing experience uniquely, with a range of Virtual Reality (VR) film experiences to choose from.

‘TO LOVE OR NOT TO LOVE: REDEFINING ROMANCE ON HINDI CELLULOID’ – IMTIAZ ALI IN CONVERSATION WITH NASREEN MUNNI KABIR

Clippings from several of Imtiaz Ali’s films including ‘Socha Na Tha’, ‘Jab We Met’ and ‘Highway’ were screened to a packed audience, interspersing a freewheeling discussion about his influences, process and past collaborations.

“What I’ve seen at Film Bazaar is that there are a lot of people who are smart and well-meaning, who intend to be in cinema all their lives,” Imtiaz Ali said. “My session was really interesting as a result of the audience and Nasreen’s engagement. The concept of having Film Bazaar is very interesting; it’s meaningful, and provides a platform for emerging young voices, fresh voices, to come into cinema. It’s very good that demand and supply on both sides can find a confluence point.”

The Industry Screenings segment opened with Suhas Bhosale’s ‘Koti’, an acclaimed Marathi film about a young transgender in a rural village, and went on to screen titles like ‘Trap’ by B Madhusudhan Reddy and Aloko Udapadi (Sinhala) by Chathra Weeraman amongst others.