Pan Nalin had a remarkable experience at the Cannes Film Festival this year. The filmmaker, whose Gujarati film Chhello Show (Last Film Show) was India's official entry for Oscars 2023 and also made it to the shortlist, attended the Marche Du Film Cannes (Cannes Film Market). Additionally, he was honored with the Excellence in Film Artistry Award, hosted by the Matera International Film Festival and the Italian Pavilion at Cannes.
Reflecting on the Award
Talking about the lifetime career achievement award, Pan, who is also a registered member of the European Film Academy (EFA), laughs, "I just told them my journey as a filmmaker has just started, and the best is yet to come, so please don't make me feel old! But this is a huge honor and I feel grateful."
Fond Memories of First Cannes Visit
Pan shares, "I have been to Cannes several times, but I have very fond memories of my first visit. We (Pan and a partner) helped the team of Born Criminal, a French film, complete their shoot in India and I ended up being the accidental co-producer of the film. 14 months later, the director emailed us, thanking us for our support and saying that the film would be screened at the Cannes Film Festival. We were invited and everything was taken care of."
He adds, "The Cannes Film Market is very important for filmmakers like us, and I attend it pretty regularly. Since I am busy with back-to-back meetings with distributors and producers, I rarely get time to be a part of any film screenings at the festival. This time, I was also a part of a couple of interesting panel discussions. Japan was the Country of Honour at this year's festival and one of my new films will be filmed in Japan. I was a part of panel discussions on India-Japan friendship and the Japanese film industry. It was a great experience."
Indian Delegation Growing at Cannes
This year, except for the restored Malayalam classic Amma Ariyan (1986) in the Cannes Classics section, no other Indian film was selected in any other section. However, talking about India at Cannes, Pan says, "It's good to see Indian delegation growing at Cannes. However, for those aspiring to travel to Cannes with their films and attend the Cannes Film Market, I just want to say that the international film market is very different. The idea (at Cannes Film Market) is to find buyers for your film and even if 15 people watch it, it's considered good attendance."
He adds, "Since I make films for the international market, attending the Cannes Film Market is really helpful for me. It's one of the most important places for independent filmmakers who are looking for co-productions. To find buyers there, you have to make a film that appeals to international audiences. After all, the distributor thinks about whether the film will appeal to the audiences in their countries. Our cinematic grammar is very different. To cite an example, Homebound, which premiered at Cannes last year, had that appeal because while it was very Indian, there was nothing over the top and the story was relatable for international audiences too."
