At the just-concluded Busan International Film Festival, at least 10 Indian films were screened, most having their world premières in China. Critic and journalist Naman Ramachandran, who was there, says Indian representation at international festivals has grown exponentially over the years. However, not all film festivals are created equal, warns Sanjay Bhutiani, the Mumbai-based producer of independent films like Mukti Bhawan. “There is a general lack of knowledge in India about which festivals to go to. Just because it is somewhere abroad does not do anything for a film. You need to research which ones will bring you credibility, what platforms there are, and which categories you should be looking at.”
The drawback: A lot of films do PR in India when they should be doing it abroad, says Bhutiani — like Newton, which is not sold in any territory outside the country, or Village Rockstars. Signing agencies like International Sales UK, Max Factory and UFO Distribution will help bring visibility. “Filmmakers must also set up meetings in advance, and not just show up and wait for something to happen,” Ramachandran adds. “A good example, from the Busan Asian Project Market this year, is the Nirvana Inn team (starring Adil Hussain and Sandhya Mridul). They set up meetings and got completion funding on the second day, from Singapore.”
Strategy planning: After Mukti Bhawan premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2016 — where they were assigned a PR agency — Bhutiani and his team took a few months to build their strategy. They got a sales agent on board from the UK, who specialised in distribution, and by the time they participated in the European Film Market in Berlin, in February 2017, they had spent money (“we invested a little over $60,000) on PR and advertising. “Mukti Bhawan was in magazines like Variety and Screen International, there was social media engagement through blogs, Twitter and Facebook, and many meetings and screenings were organised.” This helped them sign over 50-60 countries, and show at over 70 festivals.
Way forward: What is trending now, and helps tremendously in international markets, is co-production. “Today, we are looking at international co-productions with European, American and South East Asian producers (generally two to three) — to use their local strengths and leverage their familiarity with the market,” says Bhutiani.
Point of entry
“With over 2,000 film festivals across the world — accredited and non-accredited — filmmakers need to make informed decisions as to where their work will most likely be appreciated, and find buyers,” says producer Samir Sarkar, whose Nirvana Inn found a buyer at Busan. His pick of film festivals that are best for Indian projects:
Cannes Film Festival: Getting into any of the categories gives the film a boost and makes it easier to sell.
Toronto International Film Festival: The programming heads, like Cameron Bailey, are personally interested in Indian cinema and make a big difference by being inclusive.
Berlin International Film Festival: Their interest in the cinema from South Asia is keen, and they have Meenakshi Shedde as a consultant.
Venice Film Festival: While the films get a wide European audience, but on the downside there is no market.