Spirits were high at the Marriott Resort, Miramar in Panjim, where distinguished filmmakers, collaborators and cine enthusiasts occupied every seat at the inaugural ceremony of the Film Bazaar on Monday, November 20, 2023.
Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur inaugurated the 17th edition of the Film Bazaar and also launched a new digital hub – Google Arts and Culture – in the presence of Joint Secretary and MD of the Film Bazaar, Prithul Kumar and Sanjay Gupta, the country head of Google India.
The Film Bazaar is an initiative of the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) that honours the craft of storytelling through teamwork and collaboration. It provides a unique platform and propels international filmmakers and producers, sales agents and festival programmers for potential creative and financial collaborations.
“Like a bustling market place, the Film Bazaar is a haven for filmmakers, producers and storytellers from all corners of the globe,” Thakur said, adding that it only takes translation or subtitling to break barriers across borders.
He said that the Indian media and entertainment industry, with an annual growth rate of 20 per cent, is hailed as the fifth-largest and most globalized industry in the world.
This year, the bazaar witnessed a head start with the inaugural taking place on November 20 itself, unlike the previous years.
Kumar walked the attendees through this year’s Film Bazaar and highlighted various segments. One was the co-production market where filmmakers with conceptualised films having 25 per cent of the production completed, look for partners, co-producers and financers.
“This year we have curated projects that aren’t just 20 feature films (from 11 countries) but also 12 documentaries (from seven countries). Addition of documentaries has been done for the first time recognising it as a medium of expression and its acceptance globally and to mark India’s documentaries that have done so well worldwide like Elephant Whisperers,” Kumar said.
Other sections include the Work In Progress Lab, knowledge series and viewing room (that has 200 feature films including shorts and documentaries). An important addition this year is the showcase of India’s collection of 10 classic films restored under the National Film Heritage Mission Project.
There are 10 Film Bazaar recommendations that even include animation films. There will be eight scripts at the segment called Screenwriter’s Lab. Apart from this, the book-to-box office section that started last year will have books pitched in that have the potential to be turned into a film.
Technology is pivotal in filmmaking and recognizing this, a VFX pavilion has also been set up at the bazaar where cutting-edge technology will be presented. Netflix, Amazon, Sony and Google Arts and Culture are some of those who will be showcasing their technology.
With an interactive and collaborative ecosystem, this year’s edition of Film Bazaar will be held form November 20 to 24 at the Marriott Resort, Goa.
