India’s esteemed Film Bazaar, recognized as the largest film market in South Asia, has curated a diverse array of global projects for its yearly co-production market event.
The 20 distinguished projects hail from 11 different nations, with the majority already structured as co-productions, all encapsulating South Asian themes. Among the selections is Israel’s Hebrew-language narrative “Raju” by Dror Sabo, known for “Dead End”, with production credits to Lee Yardeni of MY TV Productions, famed for “Nevelot”. Berlinale acclaimed director Rafael Kapelinski brings forth a multi-lingual venture titled “The Distant Near,” a collaborative effort among Germany, India, France, Poland, and the U.K., produced by Katharina Suckale of Bombay Berlin Film Production, notable for “Loev”.
Marking a Germany-Luxembourg-France collaborative narrative is the Hindi-language “Kohinoor” by Udita Bhargava, known for Berlinale selection “Dust”, with Martin Lehwald of Schiwago Film, celebrated for Berlinale winner “Styx”, at the production helm. Following an appearance at Busan’s Asian Project Market, debutant Aakash Chhabra introduces the Hindi-language narrative “I’ll Smile in September”, produced by Sanjay Gulati for India’s Crawling Angel Films alongside Fran Borgia for Singapore’s Akanga Film Asia.
Adding to the debutant’s bench, Bangladesh’s Golam Muntakim Fahim unveils the Bengali-language “Khekshiyal” (“The Jackal”), produced by Rezwan Shahriar Sumit, known for “The Salt in Our Waters”, under the banner of mypixelstory. Another Bengali endeavor, “Raya’s Wedding,” from Bangladesh by Maksud Hossain, sees a production collaboration among Maksud, Barkat and Trilora Hossain for Fusion Pictures.
Venturing from Telugu to English is “Mouna Tharangam” (“A Silent Wave”) directed by Sachin Dheeraj Mudigonda of “Testimony of Ana”, with production courtesy of Praveena Paruchuri for Paruchuri Vijaya Praveena Arts and Janani Vijayanathan for Kinostreet. Producer Jitendra Mishra, known for “The Last Color”, transitions into direction with the Odia-language narrative “Baghuni” (“Dance Like a Tiger”), produced by Partha Sarathi Panda for Glocal Films U.K. Limited.
Sri Lankan duo, director Ilango Ramanathan and producer Hiranya Perera of Silent Frames Productions, reunite post their 2023 Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival endeavor “Tentigo,” bringing forth the Sinhala- and Tamil-language narrative “Rabbit Hole.”
The plethora of projects emanating from India remains a hallmark, as showcased in the upcoming Film Bazaar. Included in this vibrant collection is the narrative “Lost and Found” by “Bombay Rose” creator Gitanjali Rao, encapsulated in Hindi and brought to life by Ranjan Singh from Good Bad Films. Following suit is “Bhopal Boys” by “WOMB – Women of My Billion” director Ajitesh Sharma, a Hindi narrative nurtured by Monisha Thyagarajan at Awedacious Originals, known for the Tokyo selection “Madina”. Adding to the Marathi realm is “Aaath” (“The Eight”) by “Tendlya” filmmaker Nachiket Waikar, with Shwetaabh Singh (“Eeb Allay Oo!) helming production for NaMa Productions alongside Tarun Sharma for OneShot Films.
The Indian narrative spectrum broadens with Gujarati-language “Bhai Band” (“One Two Three Mic Check”), conceived and nurtured by Manish Saini (“Dhh”) for Amdavad Films. Phulawa Khamkar’s Marathi venture “Fashigate” sees production stewardship by Amar Khamkar for Golden Lily Entertainment, while the Hindi- and Gujarati-language “Heirloom” is crafted by Upamanyu Bhattacharyya with Shubham Karna and Arya. A. Menon orchestrating production for Odd & Even Pictures.
Adding an Indo-Ukranian flavor is Dar Gai with Hindi-language “In Law” (known for Busan selection “Namdev Bhau in Search of Silence”), with production under the banner of Jugaad Motion Pictures by Dheer Momaya and Pranit Sahni, recognized for “Last Film Show”. The Kannada-language “Kaalakoota” (“Toxic Nectar”) by Abhaya Simha (“Paddayi”) sees production leadership by Vachan Shetty. Hindi narrative “Mog Asundi” (“Let There be Love”) by Bhaskar Hazarika (noted for Tribeca selection “Aamis”) comes alive under the production expertise of Ashwini Sidwani (“The Silence”) for SMR Entertainment. The trilingual narrative “The Priest and the Prostitute” in English, Malayalam, and Hindi is both directed and produced by Arunaraje Patil (“Rihaee”) for Gaahimedia. Hindi-language “A Love Supreme” by Dev Benegal (known for Berlinale selection “Road, Movie”) is produced by Neeraj Jain and Maya Patel for min(d) studio.
The Film Bazaar, scheduled from November 20-24, is orchestrated by India’s National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), serving as a vibrant platform for a myriad of global cinematic endeavors.
