Filmmaker Payal Kapadia made history at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival as her debut feature film, All We Imagine as Light won the prestigious Grand Prix. But before her big win, all the limelight was on a different group of people, who if purists manned the Cannes red carpet, would never enter the festival—influencers.
The makers of All We Imagine As Light and many before them who have marshalled their limited resources, or even borrowed in certain cases, to register at the prestigious film festival don’t receive the level of attention and appreciation they deserve for their art.
The core of Cannes is, or at least used to be, films. But today, the focus has shifted to brand endorsements and social media traction. It’s about influencers and what outfits they wear, they’re not the best ‘Indian representation’ we have.
The likes of Deepti Sadhwani, Ayush Mehra, RJ Karishma and Ankush Bahuguna, and their below-average outfits got more media coverage than Maisam Ali (director of In Retreat) and Karan Kandhari, who helmed Sister Midnight. Both films were screened at two parallel programs of Cannes—ACID (Association for the Distribution of Independent Cinema) and Directors’ Fortnight.
And, even if fashion was a core feature of the prestigious film festival, Indian influencers failed at that too. Bahuguna’s purple ethnic outfit from Torani wasn’t cohesive, and RJ Karishma’s bling was tacky and gave school farewell vibes. I am sure Lajpat Nagar has a better collection. Others didn’t even put enough effort for me to comment on their fashion sensibilities. Not one influencer, barring Nancy Tyagi, was able to turn heads on the Cannes red carpet.
Also read: Nancy Tyagi at Cannes is instantly iconic. Commenting on Aishwarya Rai is so last decade
Creating a buzz
Before Kapadia’s big win, the only buzz was in cinephile circles. Now, she is making headlines, the Indian film industry is patting her back, and people are showering praise on social media. But, actress Tillotama Shome reminded us to pull back the curtain on the harsh reality of getting to Cannes.
In an Instagram post, Shome shed light on the Herculean efforts of indie directors to represent their country on the global stage, all while grappling with the perpetual struggle for funding and financial woes. She aptly labelled the success of Indian indie films at Cannes as nothing short of miraculous, given the glaring lack of support from the country.
The movies, writers and directors—the core of this festival is getting lost somewhere in the crowd… until they win. And if they don’t, they barely register on the radar.
Brands and organisations eagerly sponsor familiar faces with only half the talent to represent them at prestigious international events. They prioritise visibility and marketability over genuine artistic talent, choosing to invest in social media following rather than creative excellence.
It’s disheartening to see it play out on a stage like Cannes, which holds immense value to the industrious filmmakers. They take the harder route of preserving their talent for years, polishing it before taking it to the international forum all because they don’t fit into Bollywood. And when they reach there, a bunch of influencers who have nothing to do with cinema become the darlings of the cameras.
It perpetuates the struggle talented filmmakers go through.
Because, let’s face it, in today’s world, talent is rarely measured by skill or creativity—it’s all about the numbers. If your art doesn’t go viral or bring in the big bucks, good luck getting anyone to take notice.
To all the struggling artists out there, keep honing your craft and chasing that elusive international acclaim—because apparently, that’s the only ticket to getting the recognition you deserve in the Indian film industry.
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(Edited by Theres Sudeep)