Ajit Rai

In the 78th Cannes Film Festival, Abhay Sinha, president of the Indian Motion Pictures Association (IMPA) was unanimously elected vice president in the annual general meeting of the International Federation of Film Producers Association, the largest organization of global filmmakers. This organization represents filmmakers from 30 countries. Abhay Sinha was also elected vice president of ASBL, "association sans but lucratif," which translates to "association without profit motiv," with its headquarters in Brussels (Belgium).

Cannes Diary

Besides heading IMPA, the largest Association of Indian filmmakers, Abhay Sinha is a famous Bhojpuri film producer. He has produced about 150 films and 5,000 television serial episodes in Bhojpuri and Hindi. 

Like the IIFA Award, he has started the International Bhojpuri Film Award (IBFA) which is organized every year in a foreign location to give the Bhojpuri film, industry its due recognition.

On being elected as the Vice President of this important world organization, Abhay Sinha said, "It is an honour for Indian cinema on the international platform." He said that IMPA has actively participated in the film market at the Cannes Film Festival for the second consecutive year to provide a global market for Indian films.

He said that this time, 40 Indian filmmakers participated in the film market at the Cannes Film Festival and showcased their work.

Abhay Sinha says that the world's largest UNESCO-recognized organization, the Federation International d'Arts Photographique (FIAP), had offered membership to IMPA at the Cannes Film Festival last year and we had accepted it.

In India, only the Film Federation of India (FFI) and the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) are its members but these organizations have not given their annual membership to FIAP for many years. 

The International Federation of Photographic Arts recognizes international film festivals globally. Hundreds of international film festivals held around the world, including Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Toronto, Busan, etc., receive recognition from this organization. 

Back home, this organization has recognized only four international film festivals - Goa, Kerala, Bangalore, and Kolkata. The annual membership of this organization is 25 thousand 170 euros i.e. about 25 lakh rupees.

He said that after becoming a member of FIAP, IMPA should also be involved in choosing the official entry from India for the Oscar Awards.

Young filmmaker Chandrakant Singh, a member of IMPA, says that the real issue is which organisation will send films from India for the Oscar awards.

IMPA Vice President Atul Patel says that big film producers are successful in exhibiting their films abroad but thousands of small film producers in India do not have such opportunities.

This has been possible due to the participation of IMPA in the Cannes Film Market. He says that IMPA was established in 1937 and it has around 23 thousand members out of which ten thousand members are still active. 

This year, for the first time, IMPA set up its stall at the Cannes Film Market and it was inaugurated by famous Indian actor Anupam Kher. 

Kher said, "he is proud and happy to launch IMPA's stall at the Cannes Film Market. It is hoped that this will greatly benefit Indian filmmakers and India's cinema will reach the world."

Abhay Sinha says that our effort is to ensure that maximum content-based films do business in the Cannes Film Market.

India has numerous stories for the world. If we try enough, our content-based films can do a good business in Europe and America. Atul Patel adds that IMPA has done well at the Cannes Film Market and "we can do even better business in the coming years."

The strike rate of the films sent by the Film Federation of India for the Oscar Awards is poor. 

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Unfortunately, in the 97-year history of the Oscars, only three Indian films have reached the final round - Mehboob Khan's "Mother India" (1957), Mira Nair's "Salaam Bombay" (1988), and Ashutosh Gowariker-Aamir Khan's "Lagaan (2001)." But no Indian feature film has been able to win an Oscar so far.