The 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival that concluded on May 25 has become a subject of some riveting conversations on social media. While many were thrilled with the recognition bestowed on ‘Shameless’, ‘All We Imagine As Light’ and ‘Sister Midnight’, some called out the presence of a plethora of influencers who marked their debut on the red carpet. However, one couldn’t ignore the overwhelming Indian presence at the film gala.
Amid this, Tillotama Shome took to social media recently and called out the film industry for not offering enough support to independent films that won big at Cannes and highlighted how much indie filmmakers struggle to sell and release their stories in India. “I wanted to put some flowers out today, to celebrate the women from my country at Cannes. How did they get there? Ask them and you will weep (sic)” she wrote.
When News18 Showsha reached out to Malayalam actor Kani Kusruti, one of the two leads in ‘All We Imagine As Light’, she acknowledged Tillotama’s comments on the treatment meted to indie films. “Our producers helped us. Since our film was in one of the main categories, they could pool in that money at least to go. But for others, I don’t know how [tough] it is,” she told us exclusively.
Hoping for a streamlined system to be put in place for indie actors and filmmakers who get their films screened at Cannes but face difficulty in affording flight tickets, Kani stated, “I wish there was some other support system for everyone to make the process easier. Producers of independent films don’t have money. They only see the vision of the director and whatever little money they have, they give it to them to make the film.”
The actor, who created waves with her watermelon clutch – an indication of her support to Palestine – on the Cannes red carpet, added, “We stayed for only two days because that’s how long the festival supports us. However, it was okay for us because our producers saved up some money.”
Apart from Saba Azad and Tillotama, Kani also pointed out that Tanmay Dhanania, her friend and actor of ‘Shameless’, echoed a similar sentiment a while back. “Even Tanmay wrote about it. He’s a part of the film Anasuya Sengupta has acted in. The day it was announced that Shameless is a part of the festival line-up, he wrote about how wrongly some celebrities are attending the festival and resources are going elsewhere,” she said.
For the unversed, Tillotama while talking about Payal Kapadia’s ‘All We Imagine As Light’ that won the Grand Prix award, the second-most prestigious prize of the festival after the Palme d’Or, in her post, wrote, “It is nothing short of a miracle for an Indian indie film with no institutional, financial or emotional support from the country, to make it this big.” Interestingly, it’s the first Indian film in 30 years and first ever by an Indian female director to be showcased in the main competition.
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