By Faizal Khan



Cannes, May 20 (UNI) It was the 'Day of the Subcontinent' at the 79th Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday with India and neighbouring Nepal walking the red carpet at the French Riviera.

Films from both India and Nepal had their world premieres at the Cannes festival Wednesday morning in separate sections of the event's official selection.

'Shadows of the Moonless Nights', a diploma film from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune was screened in the La Cinef category of the festival for film school productions from around the world. Directed by Ludhiana-born FTII alumnus Mehar Malhotra, 'Shadows of the Moonless Nights' is competing for the top prize of La Cinef.

'Elephants in the Fog', the first feature film from Nepal to be selected for the Cannes festival, was screened in the Un Certain Regard category for fresh voices in world cinema.

The Nepali-Bhojpuri language film directed by Abinash Bikram Shah tells the story of human-animal conflict through a community of transgender women living in the fringes of a forest.

Two years after Mumbai-born FTII alumnus Payal Kapadia won the Grand Prix at the Cannes festival for 'All We Imagine As Light', Indian cinema is not represented at the festival this year by any new feature film from the country. Instead, a restored 1986 Malayalam feature film, 'Amma Ariyan' directed by John Abraham, and the FTII diploma film are the only Indian entries in the prestigious film festival.

Last year, Hindi film 'Homebound' directed by Mumbai-based independent filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan, was part of the Un Certain Regard category. 'Homebound' went on to become India's Oscar entry for Best International Feature Film at the Academy Awards this year, landing a place on the short list.

'Shadows of the Moonless Nights', a Punjabi language short film (original Punjabi title 'Parchave Masseah Rataan De'), tells the story of Rajan, a young factory warehouse worker whose long shifts don't give him any chance of taking rest.

"I wanted to make the film because Rajan's story felt like one we all carry but rarely name---the bone-deep fatigue of surviving a city that runs on sleeplessness," says Malhotra, who joined FTII, Pune as a student of direction and writing in 2020.



"I approach Rajan not simply as a character, but as a vessel through which we explore the invisible wound of contemporary India and the human spirit's fragile endurance under pressure," she adds.

'Shadows of the Moonless Nights' is among 19 films competing for the top three prizes of La Cinef section this year. The 19 films were selected from 2,750 entries the festival received from film schools across the world.

In 2024, FTII, Pune alumnus Chidananda S Naik had won the La Cinef top prize for his course-end short film, 'Sunflowers Were the First to Know'. John Abraham's 'Amma Ariyan' marks the fifth successive year for Indian cinema in the Cannes Classics section.

Kolkata-born Scottish screenwriter Paul Laverty, a long-time collaborator of award-winning British director Ken Loach, is a member of the competition jury headed this year by South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook.

Kapadia was a member of the competition jury that awards the prestigious Palme d'Or, the top prize of the Cannes festival, last year. This year, Kapadia heads the jury of the Critics' Week, a parallel selection of the Cannes festival.

Nepali feature film 'Elephants in the Fog' explores the struggles of the transgender community in Nepal.

“In our society, where conservative ideologies can sometimes take over humanity and empathy, people who desire what our society forbids them to desire are often marginalised. They fail in society’s eyes, and are cast aside,” says Shah, whose short film 'Lori' was part of the competition category for short films at the Cannes festival in 2022.

"We shot the film in Parsa district bordering India," explains Anup Poudel, the co-founder of the Kathmandu-based independent production house, Underground Talkies Nepal, one of the main producers of 'Elephants in the Fog'.

"Our aim is to tell stories, which are deeply rooted and authentic, from minorities and marginalised communities," says Poudel.

The Cannes Film Festival, which kicked off on May 12, will conclude on May 23.

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