The 13th edition of Film Bazaar, organised by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), which will start from November 24, recently announced the five selected projects for its prestigious Work-In-Progress Lab 2019.
The selected projects include Pushpendra Singh's Laila Aur Satt Geet (The Shepherdess And The Seven Songs), Natesh Hegde's Pedro, Irfana Majumdar's Shankar's Fairies, Ajitpal Singh's Switzerland and Ashish Pant's Uljhan (The Knot).
The Work-in-Progress Lab is open only for five fiction films aiming for a theatrical release, where the director and editor of the selected film screen their rough cuts to the panel of mentors and receive in-depth, one-on-one feedback.
There are two mentoring sessions by an assigned international editor, which takes place at Film Bazaar itself.
The international mentors include a film festival director, producer and film editors, who provide valuable inputs on the edit to help the filmmaker achieve an accomplished final cut of the film.
Since its inception in 2008, the Work-in-Progress Lab has moulded films, which have gone on to premiere at top international film festivals and receive critical acclaim. Some of the films that have passed through this Lab include Eeb Allay Ooo! (2018), Aise Hee (2018), Nimtoh (2018), Soni (2017), Moothon (2017), Bombay Rose (2016), The Gold-Laden Sheep and The Sacred Mountain (2016), Lipstick Under My Burkha (2015), Thithi (2014), Titli (2013), Killa (2013), Miss Lovely (2011) and Ship of Theseus (2011).
Among this year's five films, Inrfana Majumdar's directorial debut, Shankar's Fairies has been a deeply personal and life-changing artistic experience for her, where she combines visual dynamism and playful spatial relationships with nuanced character study.
Also, the script of Ajitpal Singh's debut feature, Switzerland was selected in NFDC Screenwriters’ Lab, 2018. His latest short film, Rammat-Gammat (My Best Friend’s Shoes) won Special Mention at 64th Oberhausen International Short Film Festival and has participated in 40 major Indian and International film festivals including Oscar-affiliated Palm Springs Short Fest.
New Zealand's leading producer Philippa Campbell, renowned film critic Derek Malcolm, producer Olivia Stewart, filmmaker, critic and historian Marco Muller, film editors Jacques Comets and Lizi Gelber.
Since 2007, Film Bazaar has been focusing on discovering, supporting and showcasing South Asian films and talent in filmmaking, production, and distribution, besides facilitating the sales of world cinema in the South Asian region.
This year, NFDC Film Bazaar will be held from November 20-24 at Goa.