Indian movies that made history at Cannes

Era

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Fly Away Solo (Masaan, 2015)

Dir: Neeraj Ghaywan

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Debuting director Neeraj Ghaywan’s film became the first Indian film to win in the Un Certain Regard category at the film festival, also winning the Fipresci prize. The film, set in Varanasi, follow the lives of different characters caught in a sex scandal

MARANA SIMHASANAM (1999)
DIR: MURALI NAIR

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This feature set in Kerala is the tale of a desperate villager who steals some coconuts to feed his family, and how he ends up being sentenced to death through a series of politically related events. Using minimal dialogue, the film is a powerful critique of oppression and political manipulation. The film (whose title translates as The Throne of Death) was honoured with the Camera d'Or at the 1999 festival

SALAAM BOMBAY! (1988)
DIR: MIRA NAIR

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World-renowned director Mira Nair's first movie featured real children from the streets of Bombay, professionally trained to re-enact experiences from their lives. Resolute, and even cruel at times, the children deal with poverty, prostitution, sweatshops and the drug market. The film won the Camera d'Or and the Audience Award at the 1988 festival, along with awards at several festivals worldwide

KHARIJ (1982)
DIR: MRINAL SEN

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Kharij (Case is Closed) is a tragic drama that tells of the accidental death of an underage servant, and the effect it has on the couple that had hired him. A powerful film, it won the Special Jury Prize at the 1983 festival

PATHER PANCHALI (1955)
DIR: SATYAJIT RAY

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Satyajit Ray's Pather Panchali, the first film of the Apu trilogy, is not only a landmark in Indian cinema, but also won much worldwide acclaim, including Best Human Document in 1956. The film is a realistic narrative of a young boy who lives with his family, and the joys and travails of life in rural Bengal

DO BIGHA ZAMIN (1954)
DIR: BIMAL ROY

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Do Bigha Zamin (Two Acres of Land) is the story of a farmer and his struggle to hold on to his land after being forced to pay back an artificially-inflated debt. Paving the way for neo-realist cinema in India, the movie was also the first Indian film to be awarded the respectable Prix Internationale at the 1954 festival

AMAR BHOOPALI (1951)
DIR: RAJARAM VANKUDRE SHANTARAM
Shantaram's Amar Bhoopali (The Immortal Song) is a biopic about the poet and musician Honaji Bala, set in the final days of the Maratha confederacy in the early 19th century. The film was nominated for the Grand Prize of the Festival, but it won the award for Excellence in Sound Recording

NEECHA NAGAR (1946)
DIR: CHETAN ANAND

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One of the first Indian films to gain worldwide recognition, Neecha Nagar won the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film, now known as Palme d’Or, at the 1946 Festival. Inspired by a short story written by Hayatulla Ansari, the story focuses on the differences between the rich and poor in Indian society. The film, though mostly forgotten today, paved the way for many filmmakers in the Indian New Wave .
 
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