The 70th Berlin International Film Festival will be held from 20 February to 1 March. The India Pavilion section at the festival will showcase three Indian feature films and one documentary.
Dr S Jaishankar, minister of external affairs, will inaugurate the Indian Pavilion. The three feature films to be screened are Pushpendra Singh’s Laila Aur Satt Geet (Haryanvi), Prateek Vats's Eeb Allay Ooo! (Hindi) and Akshay Indikar’s Sthalpuran (Marathi). The short documentary to be screened is Gumnaam Din directed by Ekta Mittal.
In an official statement on the Indian Pavilion, the organizers said, “The Indian delegation, through various interactions, seeks to promote the ease of shooting films in India through Film Facilitation Office (FFO) that facilitates single window clearance for filmmakers and provides the platform for ‘Cinematic Tourism’ in India. The delegation will exhibit India as a post-production hub and promote collaborations for films with international production houses.”
The government of India is also aiming to bring more countries to participate in the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa later this year. “The government delegation to Berlinale will facilitate international participation for IIFI's 51st edition. The IFFI aims at providing a common platform to cinemas across the world, to project the excellence of the art of film making,” added the statement.