State to be promoted at Cannes

International film shooting in Karnataka to get big boost

 Karnataka will be among the states that will be promoted at the forthcoming 62nd Cannes Film Festival as being among the most-suitable locations in India for shooting of international films.

Along with Karnataka, Goa, Jammu & Kashmir, Maharashtra and a few other states will also be promoted along the same lines at the India Pavilion at the Marche du Film (Market Section) of the festival, Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF) director S M Khan told Deccan Herald here.

Karnataka had its share of fame in the international film world when portions of Jackie Chan-starrer ‘The Myth’ (2005) was shot in the famed archaeological ruins of Hampi. The film was heavily promoted at the Cannes Market, with photographers going crazy over Mallika Sherawat, who had played a small role in the film.

“We will have separate meeting facilities and presentations to promote our shooting locales with film delegations from various countries as well as individual filmmakers at the Market,” Khan says.

The decision to promote India as an international shooting locale in this year’s Cannes festival was taken after the phenomenal success of Danny Boyle’s multiple-Oscar-winning ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, which was mostly shot in Mumbai, as well as a spate of inquiries at the India Pavilion at the last Berlin Film Festival. Of late, India has seen quite a few foreign film shootings, including Wes Anderson-directed ‘The Darjeeling Limited’. The India Pavillion, set up by the Information & Broadcasting Ministry in collaboration with industry body ASSOCHAM, will have quite a few first this time, all aimed at promoting the film industry of the country, Khan says.

“For the first time, we are printing a number of booklets highlighting the various co-production agreements India has signed with various countries, the shooting facilities we have on offer, the rules and regulations to be followed for shooting, possible tie-up opportunities, as well as on the 40th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) to be held in November,” Khan says.

The whole effort, he says, is aimed at highlighting cinematic opportunities available in India and to present India as a hub of cinema. A large delegation of I&B Ministry officials as well as film industry people would help doing that, he adds.