New Delhi: Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan, Oscar awardee Guneet Mongia of "The Elephant Whisperers" fame and actors Manushi Chillar, Esha Gupta and Kangabam Tomba will attend the Cannes International Film Festival. The event will commence on May 16 in the resort town on the French Riviera.

Anurag Kashyap's crime drama "Kennedy" and FTII alumnus Yudhajit Basu's "Nehemich" will be showcased in the official section of the film festival. Manipuri Director Aribam Syam Sharma's "Ishanou" will be showcased in the Cannes Classics section of the festival.

The India Pavilion has been conceptualised and designed by the Ahmedabad-based National Institute of Design with the theme "Showcasing India's Creative Economy" to the global community.

The pavilion design has been inspired by the Saraswati Yantra, the abstract representation of Goddess Saraswati, keeper of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom and learning, the statement read.

The colours of the pavilion draw inspiration from the Indian national flag saffron, white, green, and blue.

The Indian Pavilion will provide a platform for the Indian film community to sign distribution deals, greenlight scripts, crack production collaborations and simply network with the world's major entertainment and media players.

Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur will address the inaugural session through a video message to showcase India as a global hub for content creation at the 76th edition of the Cannes Festival.

Kanu Behl's "Agra" will have its world premiere at Cannes, at the Directors' Fortnight.

Anurag Kashyap's "Kennedy" is being screened in Midnight Screenings while "Nehemich" will be showcased in the 'La Cinef' section of the Festival de Cannes.

A restored Manipuri film "Ishanhou", will be showcased in the 'Classics' section. The movie was previously played in the festival's "Un Certain Regard" section in 1991 and its film reels were preserved by the National Film Archive of India. The Manipur State Film Development Society got the film restored through the Film Heritage Foundation & Prasad Film Labs, an official said.

The eclectic bouquet of Indian films being screened in the segments of both Festival de Cannes & marche du Films underlines that the Indian cinema has truly come of age, the official added.

A series of interactive sessions organised throughout the festival at India Pavilion will showcase the country as a Complete Filming Destination.

The "She Shines: Contribution of Women in Cinema" will highlight the presence of women in filmmaking.

(With PTI inputs)

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