The Cannes Film Festival, also known as the International Film Festival, is among the five big film festivals celebrated across the globe. Over the years, a number of Indian films have been screened at Cannes.
Let’s take a look at the full list of Indian movies that were sent to Cannes –
1. Tree Full of Parrots (2022)
Directed by Jayaraj, this Malayalam film is about an eight-year-old boy who one day, comes across a blind man and embarks on a journey to help the man find his home, which he says is located near a tree full of parrots.
2. Boomba Ride (2022)
Filmed in Assam on the banks of river Brahmaputra, this Biswajeet Bora directorial is a comic take on bribery practices in India’s rural education system.
3. Dhuin (2022)
Dhuin is a film by Achal Mishra which chronicles the life of an aspiring actor named Pankaj. It captures his struggles and his dream to move to the city of dreams-Mumbai.
4. Godavari (2022)
This Marathi film is directed by Nikhil Mahajan. It revolves around the daily life struggles of Nishikant Deshmukh, a man who resides with his family near the banks of the Godavari river.
5. Rocketry – The Nambi Effect (2022)
The film is produced and directed by R Madhavan. It is based on the life of Indian rocket scientist Shri Nambi Narayanan.
Also Read: Vedaant, R Madhavan’s son, wins silver for India at Danish Open 2022
6. Alpha Beta Gamma (2022)
Directed by Shankar Srikumar, the film shows an estranged couple who meet one day to discuss their divorce, but get stuck together for 14 days due to a COVID-19 lockdown, along with the woman’s lover.
7. Invisible Demons (2021)
‘Invisible Demons’ is a documentary by Rahul Jain which was screened at the Cannes Film Festival on July 12, 2021. It sheds light on India’s growing economy, which comes at the cost of worsening climate change. With solid visuals and cinematography, it captures climate change’s consequences in big cities like New Delhi.
8. A Night of Knowing Nothing (2021)
Payal Kapadia’s ‘A Night of Knowing Nothing’ features a college student who pens down letters to her beloved partner. With the love letters, the film aims to capture the lives of students and a series of emotions, feelings, friendships, hopes and dreams.
9. Eka (Solo) (2021)
Eka is the directorial debut of Suman Sen. It highlights how an ordinary man views the degeneration of India’s cultural and socio-economic fabric.
10. Thirteen Destinations of a Traveller (2021)
Directed by Partha Das, this documentary film revolves around two parallel storylines about the challenges a Muslim man experiences in India, and thousands of Sufi pilgrims who embark on a march to proclaim love for mankind while experiencing suffering.
11. Manto (2018)
Manto, based on writer Saadat Hasan Manto’s life during partition and in post-Independence India, is directed by Nandita Das. Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui plays the protagonist.
12. Raman Raghav 2.0 (2016)
The film is about a serial killer named Ramanna, who finds a companion in Raghavan, the officer of his criminal cases.
13. Masaan (2015)
Masaan is an Indian drama film, which was released in 2015. The movie was sent to the Cannes Film festival. It stars Richa Chadda, Vicky Kaushal, Shweta Tripathi and Sanjay Mishra.
14. Titli (2014)
A young woman gets the chance to ignite a relationship with a superstar that she admires. However, a plot twist changes her plans.
15. Monsoon Shootout (2013)
The film is about a police official who is on a chase to find a gangster but is doubtful about killing him.
16. The Lunchbox (2013)
The movie ‘The Lunchbox‘ starred Irrfan Khan as a lonely widower and his unusual friendship with a stranger, played by Nimrat Kaur.
Also Read: Irrfan Khan Death Anniversary: Remembering the actor’s best films
17. Bombay Talkies (2013)
‘Bombay Talkies‘, released in 2013, was a compilation of four short films. The four films were directed by Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar and Anurag Kashyap.
18. Gangs of Wasseypur (2012)
Anurag Kashyap-directed ‘Gangs of Wasseypur‘ released in 2012. Written by Kashyap and Zeishan Quadri, the film centred on the coal mafia of Dhanbad and was released in two-parts.
19. Miss Lovely (2012)
Directed by Ashim Ahluwalia and set in the criminal depths of Mumbai’s C-grade (horror and porn film) industry, ‘Miss Lovely’ follows the story of the Duggal brothers who produce sleazy sex-horror films in the mid-1980s.
20. Udaan (2010)
Udaan is a Hindi-language Indian drama film that was released in 2010. The movie was premiered in Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival in the same year.
21. Devdas (2002)
The movie ‘Devdas’ is based on a romantic novel written by Sharat Chandra Chatterjee. It starred Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit.
22. Salaam Bombay (1988)
‘Salaam Bombay!‘ is a 1988 Hindi-language drama film, which was initially released in Cannes Film Festival on May 11, 1988. The film was directed, co-written and co-produced by Mira Nair, which was her first feature film directorial.
23. Piravi (1988)
‘Piravi’ is a Malayalam drama film from 1989. It was directed by Shaji N Karun, produced by S Jayachandran Nair, and co-written by S Jayachandran Nair, Reghunath Paleri and Shaji N Karun.
24. Kharij (1982)
This film revolves around the mysterious death of a young servant whose employers fear the ongoing investigation and possible revenge from his parents.
25. Guide (1965)
Guide, starring Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman, was directed by the lead actor’s brother Vijay Anand. The iconic 1965 Bollywood film was also produced by Dev Anand. It is based on RK Narayan’s novel-The Guide.
26. Pather Panchali (1955)
‘Pather Panchali‘ is a Bengali-language drama film, which was released in 1955. The film was directed by Satyajit Ray and it was produced by the Government of West Bengal.
Also Read: Satyajit Ray birth anniversary: 5 must-watch classic movies by Indian ‘Manik’
27. Do Bigha Zameen (1954)
Actor Balraj Sahni’s most remembered film, ‘Do Bigha Zamin’ was directed by Bimal Roy and was based on Rabindranath Tagore‘s Bengali poem Dui Bigha Jomin. It won the International Prize at the Cannes film festival, the second Indian movie after Neecha Nagar to win at Cannes. The film also starred Nirupa Roy and had top actor Meena Kumari in a guest appearance.
Also Read: Ray Day: Cannes Film Festival to pay tribute to Satyajit Ray screening 10 films
28. Awaara (1951)
Raj Kapoor’s 1951 Bollywood film Awaara was nominated for the top prize at the Cannes fest in 1953. It starred the famous on-screen romantic pair of Raj Kapoor and Nargis. Raj Kapoor’s father Prithviraj Kapoor played a role and his younger brother Shashi Kapoor and grandfather Dewan Basheshwarnath Kapoor had cameos.
29. Neecha Nagar (1946)
‘Neecha Nagar’ was India’s entry at the first Cannes film festival in 1946. It was directed by Chetan Anand and featured leading Bollywood star of the time, Kamini Kaushal in her debut, apart from Uma Anand, Rafiq Ahmed and Zohra Sehgal. It shared the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film (Best Film) award with 11 other films.
