Union Minsiter of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr. L. Murugan today addressed the participants of the Startup pitching session at Cannes Next.

At the onset Dr Murugan commended the organisers for the excellent initiative at Cannes Next, which has given a prominent platform to budding talent and startups in the field of audio visual production and movie making.

Speaking on the importance of the India as film making hub he said “With more than 2000 films being produced in so many different languages every year, India is the largest producer of films, full of talented and creative filmmakers. With a 1.3 billion population, it offers one of the biggest and most lucrative movie markets. India is a great land of story tellers and movie makers and now it is emerging as a content hub of the world.”

He further added that being one  the largest producer and  consumer of smart phones, movies now  find their way to every individual through OTT platforms and other internet based media, thus giving direct access to individual movie watcher. “With one of the biggest pool of technical and software talent, India has necessary skills and technology available in the modern business of films, especially in the field of technical aspects of film making”, he said.

Dr Murugan informed the audience that “audio Visuals is the area where technology marries art. New technologies like block chain, deep learning, AI and VR are making inroads in the movie making sector for good. The content translations, effective sub-titling are breaking down the barriers once posed by the languages. With the focus on Digital India and Start Up India, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India today is one of the most vibrant start up ecosystems in the world. With more than 100  Unicorns, the march led by young tech-savvy Indians is going strong.”

Thanking the leadership of the country Dr Murugan said it is because of our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Union Minister Shri Anurag Singh Thakur that India is strongly focussing on Audio Visual Sector as a Champion Sector.

Encouraging the start-ups the Minister said that Animation, Virtual Reality, Gaming, extended Reality are the ever expanding areas where young start ups can pitch in with their fresh ideas.

“We are in the age of large scale technology-led disruption in every business, and Movie making is no exception to this. The old traditional way of business is fading away and newer structures ,hyper localisation of marketing, individual preferences and tastes, all contribute in the large scale entry of technology in Movie Making.” The Ministers said.

Expressing happiness that 5 start ups from India were pitching in Cannes Dr Murugan said “I hope their ideas will influence the producers ,and financers and business enthsiasts, and get the wider platform for their product. I am happy that they are moving from "Local stage to the Global stage"

And what could be better than this platform available in Cannes Film Festival, itself.

About Cannes Next

Cannes Next is an executive conference and innovation driven business development platform, exploring the future of the entertainment sector. It is a unique gathering enhancing partnerships and fostering business opportunities by connecting world-class creativity with cutting-edge business and technological innovation.

This is a new segment inspired by top-tier visionaries and decision-makers through a tailor-made series of inspiring conferences, keynotes, and panel discussions; to grow the network with creatives, clients, and tech companies, among our various events.

Along with the above it would encompass networking of varius country representatives with executives and entrepreneurs, attend startup pitching sessions, and explore new business opportunities.

These are startup labs which are being introduced at cannes 2022 to encourage young entrepreneurs looking for international funding for sponsoring their projects pertaining the Audio Visual & Film Industries.

Five Indian start ups pitched their ideas today at Cannes Next:

1. Pocket Aces Pictures Pvt. Ltd. (Founder: Aditi Shrivastava)

2. Kroop AI Private Limited (Founder: Jyoti Joshi)

3. VERBOLABS LANGUAGES (OPC) PRIVATE LIMITED (Founder: Prithvi Jain)

4. Roots video (Founder: Jayarajan Rajasekharan Nair)

5. Gamitronics (Founder: Rajat Ojha)

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Saurabh Singh