India will be the official Country of Honour for the Cannes Marché du Film (Film Market), at the 75th Cannes Film Festival, which will be held from May 17 to 25 this year. This will be the first time that the market will have an official Country Of Honour and is expected to continue this tradition during its future editions.

Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Singh Thakur will be delivering a welcome address during a ceremony to kick off the market celebrations on May 18 at the Majestic Beach. The India Forum will be the first event to open the conference program of the Marché du Film on May 19, where the panel discussion, India: The Content Hub of the World, will feature Prasoon Joshi, CBFC chairperson and veteran filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, among others.

“We are delighted to have India as our Country of Honour this year at the Marché du Film; and even happier to be able to share the celebration of our anniversary that we have in common – 75 years of Indian independence coinciding with the 75th Festival de Cannes,” said Jérôme Paillard & Guillaume Esmiol, Executive Directors of the Marché du Film.

“It is a momentous occasion for India, the land of storytellers and a feat in our soft power as India is the first Country of Honour at the 75th Cannes Film Festival,” Anurag Thakur told us, adding, “This has come at a time when India is celebrating Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and the year 2022 also marks 75 years of diplomatic relations between India and France. I am also proud that India is also a Country of Honour at Cannes Next where five startups will get to pitch to AV industry.”

As one of the highlights of India’s status as the Country of Honour, a special screening of the restored Satyajit Ray film Pratidwandi is planned in the Cannes Classics selection. Anurag Thakur added, “We are happy that the the legendary cinematic excellence of Satyajit Ray will be on display at Cannes through his classic Pratidwandi. Through Cannes, we will send out a message to the whole world that India is the content hub of the world. With tremendous improvement in ease of doing business and industry-friendly policies, India is open to contributing in all aspects of filmmaking.”

The festival’s official press release also quoted Apurva Chandra, Secretary, I&B ministry, as saying, “We are taking giant strides in making India the content hub of the world, and this collaboration will be crucial in making the world better acquainted with what India has to offer.”

The Cannes Film Festival will also feature world premieres of a selection of Indian films, which will be held at the Olympia Cinema. India will also be spotlighted in their various other programmes, including Goes to Cannes, Cannes XR and Animation Day, stated the official press release issued by the festival.