Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr L Murugan today inaugurated the India Pavilion at Cannes at Marché du Film in presence of Shri Jawed Ashraf, Ambassador of India to France, Shri Prithul Kumar, Joint Secretary, MIB and stars of the Indian film industry.

Addressing a gathering of delegates from India including film stars and officials, Dr Murugan stated that today India is the world’s largest producer of films with over 3000 films in over 50 languages. These films carry a message of India’s strength in storytelling across the world.
Citing the example of the now famed Elephant Whisperers of Mudumalai, the Minister highlighted that today good content knows no boundaries and we are witnessing an era where Indian content is going local to global.

Dr Murugan recalled the recent stellar success of Indian movies and movie makers at world stage and added that today it’s difficult to find a movie without an Indian name in its credits for animation or VFX. He further said that Indian film industry has undergone significant changes in recent years with advent of newer technologies and rise of digital and streaming platforms.

The Minister stated that Indian Media and Entertainment sector is poised to experience an extraordinary growth rate of 11.4% in 2023, propelling its revenue to a staggering INR 2.36 trillion. This remarkable surge is a testament to the robustness of India's M&E industry and its potential to create novel opportunities, even in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. He further added that after the Covid pandemic, the gross box office revenues of 2022 in India, have increased almost three times the revenues of 2021 to 1.3 billion USD, and expected to touch 3 billion USD by 2025.

Speaking about the measures taken by the Ministry towards strengthening the film ecosystem in India, Dr Murugan said that a slew of initiatives through Digital India, Start Up India, rural telecom connectivity, policy reforms creating positive environment for data affordability and availability are creating a robust foundation of a Creative Economy. “Our technological forte of the IT sector merged with the rich talent pool of artists, makes India the best suited for serving as the Content Creator for the global Cinema. Our government had set up a task force for the promotion of this sector. A National Centre of Excellence for AVGC is also in pipeline”, he added.

Dr Murugan pitched India as an attractive movie destination for foreign films and said that the Government is committed to develop India as a magnet for international movie industry including shooting, co-production, animation and low-cost post-production.

The Minister expressed hope that after announcements of film incentives by Union Minister Shri Anurag Thakur last year at Cannes, India’s promising presence in Cannes 2023 will take this momentum further. As India prepares to host the G20 summit, he said that “we are placing a special emphasis on the significance of Culture & Tourism. We aim to leverage the power of media and entertainment to position culture as a driving force for inclusive, sustainable socio-economic recovery and development, paving the way for a brighter future for all. One Earth -One family - One Future is the sure way forward”.

Minister Shri Anurag Thakur addressing the gathering through a video message. In his message, the Minister remarked that ‘Festival de Cannes’ has played an instrumental role in not just promoting our cinematic excellence but also strengthening the Indo-French relations.

He emphasized that for the first time this year, we have sent an official delegation of talented filmmakers from the North Eastern states of India to the Cannes Film Festival. The idea, he said, was to bring to Cannes the depth and diversity of India’s rich cinematic culture while we recognize and promote regional diversity in filmmaking back home. He informed the audience that National Film Archive of India has digitalised the negatives of ‘Ishanou,’ the Manipuri Language film, selected in the Cannes Classic Section this year.

Shri Thakur further said that with 3 films shortlisted in 3 distinct categories and 2 of them bringing home Oscars - the world has just scratched the surface of the creativity, content and technical capabilities of the Indian Film Industry. With powerful narratives, high-end skill-based content curation and post-production capabilities and co-production treaties with 16 countries, India has emerged as an attractive destination for filmmakers worldwide, he added. (full text of the Minister's message below)

Earlier, Shri Jawed Ashraf, Ambassador of India to France, in his address to the gathering called for a bigger, more organised presence at Cannes and other festivals, and for a more aggressive approach to promote Indian films. A larger presence, he added, will do justice to the scale and strength of Indian cinema.

Mr. Guillaume Esmiol, Executive Director, Marche du Film at Cannes Film Festival said that India was an important country for the global film industry by way of being a strong market and with its scale of movie industry.

The event also witnessed the unveiling of the poster and trailer for 54^th Indian Film Festival of India to be organized in Goa in November, 2023.

HMIB’s Video Message for 76^th Cannes Film Festival

Namaskar!

A warm welcome to our delegates, esteemed dignitaries, guests and friends from the world of cinema gathered here today for the Inauguration of India Pavilion at Marché du Film at the 76^th Festival de Cannes.

I would have liked to personally be there with you all, but my work engagements do not excuse me. So here I am, making the most of technology.

India is an intriguing and intricate mosaic of multicultural experiences. We take pride in being one of the oldest civilisations in the world; a melting pot of ancient knowledge, ageless architecture, remarkable heritage, timeless traditions, innumerable attractions, rich culture and creative art.

Cinema has successfully captured and chronicled the profound cultural, economic and social drive and development of India. And ‘Festival de Cannes’ has played an instrumental role in not just promoting our cinematic excellence but also strengthening the Indo-French relations. In fact, last year, our country was the first ever 'Country of Honour' at the Marchè Du Film where we had announced two schemes to encourage filmmakers and content creators to come and shoot in India. These were – The Incentive Scheme for Audio-Visual Co-production and Incentive Scheme for Shooting of Foreign films in India.

This year, the India Pavilion aims to showcase India’s Creative Economy by leveraging our competence in content development and post-production prowess.

For the first time this year, we have sent an official delegation of talented filmmakers from the North Eastern states of India to the Cannes Film Festival. The idea is to bring to you the depth and diversity of our country’s rich cinematic culture while we recognise and promote regional diversity in filmmaking back home.

I am delighted to share with you, that National Film Archive of India (NFAI), which is a Government of India funded organisation, digitalised the negatives of

‘Ishanou,’ the Manipuri Language film, selected in the Cannes Classic Section this year.

This year, yet again, India bedazzled global audiences with a trailer of our country’s cinematic excellence, technological prowess, composite culture and illustrious heritage of storytelling.

With 3 films shortlisted in 3 distinct categories and 2 of them bringing home Oscars - the world has just scratched the surface of the creativity, content and technical capabilities of the Indian Film Industry.

The Government of India, under the dynamic leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi, has been working to facilitate and expand opportunities in the film sector by measures like single-window facilitation and clearance for filming and setting up a taskforce on AVGC.

With powerful narratives, high-end skill-based content curation and post-production capabilities and co-production treaties with 16 countries, India has emerged as an attractive destination for filmmakers worldwide.

I am confident that, the India Pavilion at Marchè du Film will provoke new conversations on creativity and content curation and promote co-creation, collaboration and cooperation between India and the world.

Today, India offers an oasis of opportunities, no wonder the land of story tellers is in the spotlight of the cinematic world!

I look forward to seeing you all at the upcoming 54^th International Film Festival of India (IFFI 54) in Goa, later this year.

Thank you!

Jai Hind.

Jai Bharat!

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Saurabh Singh