If you’ve been waiting to watch All We Imagine As Light, which won the Grand Prix at the 77th Cannes Film Festival last month, you might have to wait a bit longer. For several critically acclaimed film festival, AWIAL’s fate depends on if OTT platforms or theatrical distributors deem it potentially profitable.

While the Payal Kapadia directorial might still get a release due to it bagging the prestigious honour, of late films such as Gajendra Ahire’s The Signature, Anurag Kashyap’s Kennedy and Karan Tejpal’s Stolen — all of which have travelled to global film festivals, drawn rave reviews and even bagged awards, are yet to release in theatres in India or find a home on OTT.

The Indian distribution system “is heavily lopsided in favour of mainstream films” over independent, smaller festival entries, notes film critic Murtaza Ali Khan. The general uncertainty around the return on investment, too, dissuades takers.

National Award-winning filmmaker Sudhanshu Saria, who directed the much-raved-about Sanaa, points out that for middlemen “whose job it is to figure out which film should get to viewers, it seems less risky to go with [films] that feature known faces”.

Actor Adil Hussain, whose Footprints On Water recently won the Audience Choice Award at the Indie Meme Film Festival, says, “How do decision makers on OTTs know a film won’t work, if they haven’t gone all the way, like they would, for a commercial film?”

Actor Shahana Goswami, whose film Santosh had its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section at the 77th Cannes Film Festival last month, notes that since smaller films are made on modest budgets, they can’t compete with blockbuster releases.

“These films are made independently and there’s very little money to market them well enough, especially since you don’t have big stars. That’s where we fail — because mostly only a small section of people who follow the prestige of it going to an international film festival, know about a film,” she elaborates.

Last year, Stolen, directed by debutant Karan Tejpal, was the only Indian film selected for a World Premiere at the Venice Film Festival. This selection came after a notable three-year absence of Indian films from the festival’s lineup. The film has since travelled to more than 30 film festivals but still it struggles to get a release in India.

“We wanted to go directly to OTT, since we don’t have access to the kind of funding that is required to market and release a film in India. But the pandemic changed it all and the market has suddenly dried up. Maybe we’ll partner with a bigger production house to present the film,” says Tejpal.

They get standing ovations, prizes and glowing critical acclaim. But why are distributors and OTT platforms not enthusiastic about smaller films?

Nandita Das-directed Zwigato travelled to multiple film festivals over the world before releasing in India in March 2023, to a positive response. But the film has struggled to find a home on a streaming platform.

“We got an amazing response [for Zwigato] not only at A-list festivals like the ones in Toronto and Busan but also from Indian media and the few who saw it in theatres. Yet, we wait for an OTT release. The perception is that films with a unique voice and no mainstream tropes do not have an audience. Barring very few passionate individual producers, hardly anyone supports them.

Censorship remains another significant hurdle, with outdated regulations under The Cinematograph Act (1952) posing challenges to films that defy conventional narratives. In the past, Fire (1996), Hawa Aaney De (2004) Water (2005), Firaaq (2008) and S Durga (2017) have either struggled to secure a wide release in India or faced obstacles due to their them es, content or controversies surrounding them.

Despite these challenges, Sanaa director Sudhanshu Saria hopes that India’s fantastic run at international festivals — especially in the past few years, with movies such as The Shameless (2024), Sister Midnight (2024), Nirvana Inn (2023), Pebbles (2021) and The Disciple (2020) — “inspires a wave of filmmakers, who were going to give up or not going to work on their passion project, to step out and take that shot”. “I hope it also inspires entrepreneurial distributors to understand that we have a massive audience that is looking for different things,” says Saria.

Nandita Das, who has also helmed critically acclaimed films such as Firaaq (2008) and Manto (2018), remains hopeful of a shift. “We need producers, distributors and platform heads who will have faith and commitment towards diverse stories and ways in which they need to be told. Otherwise, we will keep celebrating the few and far between wins and yet not give the same films the space and respect they deserve in our own country,” she says.

Actor Radhika Madan made headlines as the youngest jury member from India at this year’s International Emmy Awards. Initially surprised by the offer, the 28-year-old shares that she was in disbelief: “When I got to know I was going to be the youngest jury member from India, I just couldn’t believe it. I felt so proud!”

She also became the first Indian actor to join the jury at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2023 in Estonia. Madan expresses her excitement about the opportunity, saying, “To be a jury member was phenomenal. It was one of the most extraordinary experiences of my life.”

For her, festivals aren’t about “titles but about experiencing diversity and meeting people”, something that she finds “de-calibrating yet inspiring”. The actor further elaborates, “After attending a festival, you are even more charged and passionate to come back to your country and add something that you never did before.”

Addressing stereotypes about Indian cinema that she observed on international platforms, the Angrezi Medium (2020) actor remarks, “While singing and dancing are integral parts of our culture, our films reflect our versatility. We need to showcase our diversity to the world, as people still associate singing and dancing with Indian films at festivals.”

Reflecting on her experience at the Black Nights Film Festival, Madan shares, “Last year, when I went there with my film Sanaa, I learned so many things about my craft, and my mind opened so much about cinema since I got to see so many movies from all over the world. It was just fantastic to know that they wanted me back there.”

Actor Radhika Madan won the Best Actor award at the recently held UK Asian Film Festival, for her upcoming film Sanaa (2022). Calling it “an overwhelming moment”, the actor says, “The reaction that we got at the screening, the tears that we shared, the hugs that we got and the love that we received — were our award. And my trophy is a cherry on the cake.”

The film had its world premiere at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and was selected for official competition at the 23rd New York Film Festival in May. But Madan says she is still waiting to see if the accolades yield commercial success.

“For an actor, all recognition matters. I came from nowhere and I’m proud of my journey. But while international recognition puts your film in a bracket where people take it more seriously, I’m not too sure if it helps it grow monetarily or in terms of popularity,” she notes.

The 28-year-old plays a headstrong and ambitious protagonist waging war with her unhealed trauma. “I was scared, and didn’t know how I was going to do this character. The uncertainty, the room to play and the team were what really made me say yes,” she says.

Talking about the rigorous prep that she underwent for the role, Madan says that besides undertaking a lot of workshops, “I had to just live in an office for a month to prepare for my character. Also, being with Sudhanshu (Saria, director) really helped me crack the role”.

Earlier this week, the UK Asian Film Festival brought down the curtain on their 25th edition. Sanaa, the festival’s opening film that was screened at BFI Southbank in London, bagged two awards. While Radhika Madan was adjudged the Best Actor, Sudhanshu Saria walked away with the Best Director award.

Saria believes the Madan, Pooja Bhatt, and Sohum Shah-starrer is an important story that should reach a wide audience. In telling the story of a 28-year-old ambitious woman working in Mumbai, the movie addresses the subject of mental health and the lasting impact of unresolved trauma.

“Sanaa is truly a personal journey for me. To see it connect so deeply with the audience has been rewarding,” says the filmmaker, whose short film Knock Knock Knock won the National Award in 2021.

Madan, who counts Sanaa as one of her most powerful offerings, is thrilled that the audience and jury recognized its potential. The actor shares, “The audience’s reactions, their warm hugs and the tears we shared [after the screening] were also an award for me. Sudhanshu had so much belief in me. He empowered me and gave me so much love that I had no option but to love myself.”