Anupam Kher and Shekhar Gupta attend The Bharat Pavilion inauguration at Cannes 2025

Anupam Kher and Shekhar Gupta is at Cannes Film Festival

The Bharat Pavilion has been inaugurated at the 78th Cannes Film Festival. The inauguration ceremony was attended by IFFI and NFDC festival director Shekhar Kapur, veteran actor Anupam Kher, and Anne-Louise Mésadieu, Paris Region elected official, Ambassador, and Special Delegate for Diplomatic Relations.

In his inaugural address, Kapur highlighted the transformational power of cinema and India's evolving role as a creative powerhouse on the world stage.

"The art of storytelling is not the art of storytelling, it is the art of teaching others how to listen to your stories. And that's why film festivals are important because we all come over here from all over the world, and we tell each other our stories. That's why we have to go on having film festivals..." he added.

"Our cultures will survive if we share our culture, our stories will survive if we share our stories... We, as people, as humanity, will survive if we tell our stories because underneath every story, there is a mythology that's common to all of us," Kapur said at the inauguration on Wednesday.

Kher, who is presenting his film "Tanvi The Great" in Cannes Market, reflected on the journey of Indian cinema and his personal experiences of representing India globally.

“I am eight years younger than my country and we both grew up together. We have really, really done well. This is my first time in Cannes, I’m so happy to be here at the 'Maha Kumbh of cinema',” the 70-year-old actor said.

The IFFI 2025 poster and trailer were also launched at the event.

“IFFI’s new poster is a reflection of ‘convergence of creativity and technology’, India is ready to embrace technology and play a dominant role in the Global content creation space”, Gautam Bhanot, GM, Film Promotion (Festivals, Market and International Participation), NFDC India said.

One of the key highlights was the launch of the India Film Guide, a comprehensive resource that showcases India's vast filmmaking talent, incentives for international co-productions, and filming locations.

Mésadieu expressed admiration for India's rich cinematic history and its ability to tell stories that transcend borders. She emphasised the importance of such cultural bridges in fostering global understanding and diplomacy.

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The Bharat Pavilion is organised by NFDC and FICCI under the aegis of Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India, at Cannes.

During the festival, Neeraj Ghaywan’s “Homebound”, starring Ishaan Khatter, Janhvi Kapoor, and Vishal Jethwa, will be screened in the Un Certain Regard segment.

A restored version of legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray's 1970 classic “Aranyer Din Ratri” is part of the Cannes Classics segment.

Filmmaker Payal Kapadia, who created history by becoming the first from India to win the Grand Prix at Cannes in May last year, is part of the jury panel, led by French star Juliette Binoche, for the 2025 edition of the Cannes Film Festival.