Indian films to take center stage at Cannes 2022

It’s a matter of pride for Indians that a series of films from across the nation have been selected for screening at Cannes Film Festival 2022.

From R Madhavan’s ‘Rocketry- The Nambi Effect’ to Jayaraj’s Malayalam film ‘Tree Full of Parrots’, the 75th edition of the film festival will see the premiere of a string of Indian films.

While ‘Rocketry- The Nambi Effect will be premiered at Palais K, the other movies will be screened at the Olympia theater.

On Thursday, May 12, 2022, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry unveiled the list of feature films in Indian languages that are set to be screened at Cannes 2022

Rocketry – The Nambi Effect
Helmed by R Madhavan, the film is based on the life of Nambi, a former scientist and aerospace engineer of the Indian Space Research Organisation who was caught in a spy scandal. It stars Madhavan in the titular role. It is mounted on a massive scale and apart from donning the hat of an actor and a director, Madhavan has also written and produced the project.
It will be premiered on May 19.

Godavari
Nikhil Mahajan has helmed the Marathi film ‘Godavari’, which is the story of a family that is coping with death — one they know about and another they are not prepared for. The film is set in Nashik on the banks of the river Godavari. It had its world premiere at the 2021 Vancouver International Film Festival.

Alpha Beta Gamma
Alpha Beta Gamma, a Hindi film, is directed by Shankar Srikumar. It revolves around Jai — whose directorial career is on the uptick, though his marital life is on the rocks and he is trying to move on with his girlfriend Kaira. Mitali, his wife – wants a divorce so that she can marry her engineer boyfriend Ravi, who is sober and caring, as against her unpredictable soon-to-be ex-husband. When Jai drops in to talk divorce, Ravi is in the flat, the apartment that once used to be Jai and Mitali’s house. Ravi realising that it will be awkward for the estranged couple to discuss divorce in front of him decides to leave.
But before one of the men can make way for the other in Mitali’s life, the Corona virus lockdown intervenes. Now three souls afflicted with the love virus struggle to decide what they want, and at what cost, with nowhere to go but inside.

Boomba Ride
Assamese film ‘Boomba Ride’ is Biswajit Bora’s directorial. The film is a scathing comic satire of corruption in India’s rural education system. Inspired by a true story, the film was shot in Assam on the banks of the Brahmaputra River.
The story revolves around an impoverished school where there is only one (unwilling) student, Boomba. Desperate to keep their jobs and funding, the teachers wind up bribing the hilariously impassive and uncooperative boy to show up to class – while Boomba’s secret wish is to attend the better-funded school in town where a slightly older and very pretty girl happens to be a student.

Dhuin
“Gamak Ghar” fame director Achal Mishra has directed ‘Dhuin’, which is about an aspiring actor who is making ends meet by doing street plays for the local municipality.
Tree Full of Parrots

Jayaraj’s directorial ‘Tree Full of Parrots’ showcases the story of an eight-year-old boy, Poonjan, who earns a living by doing small jobs like fishing in the back waters and looks after his family consisting of a drunkard father, grandfather and great grandfather. The Malayalam film has been produced under Navaneet Films.

This year’s Cannes Film Festival will take place between May 17 and May 28 and the organizers will be removing COVID-19 curbs ahead of its 75th edition. They won’t be testing attendees, as they did last year, and will not institute a mask mandate.