Director Aditya Vikram Sengupta, known for his award-winning film "Labour of Love", is glad that his second feature which is tentatively titled "Memories and My Mother" has made it to Cannes Cinefondation's l'Atelier 2016, which promotes new cinematic works.
After getting shortlisted, Sengupta has got a platform to pitch his idea on the foreign shores, and form a team to make his cinematic vision into a reality.
This is said to be the fourth Indian film and the first Bengali film ever selected for the programme, which was initiated in 2005 by the Festival de Cannes to promote the creation of new, exciting and original works. It enables filmmakers to gain access to international financing and speed up the production process.
Sengupta's film is an expression of his innermost feelings and explores the constant conflict and tension between him and a rapidly changing Kolkata.
The feature film, which is an Indo-French-German co-production, produced by 'For Films' - Jonaki Bhattacharya and Vikram Mohinta and renowned French producer Catherine Dussart, is currently in development and pre-production.
"We are really grateful and humbled at the same time for being selected for l'Atelier 2016. It is a validation of all the preparation we have put into the project so far. What interests me most about filmmaking is the journey and the creative and collaborative process that goes towards making a film," Sengupta said in a statement.
Cinefondation's Atelier has selected 16 different projects from around the world this year and will take place from May 13-19 in Cannes, France.
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He added that a forum "such as the Cannes Film Festival's l'Atelier program allows us to potentially collaborate with partners from different backgrounds and sensibilities from all over the world."
"I am really excited about all of this coming together to create a more fulfilling and enriching experience," he said.
Under this programme, the filmmakers are selected according to the quality of their project and that of their previous films, as well as on the state of progress of their finance plan.
