‘The Lunchbox,’ ‘Girls Will Be Girls,’ ‘Schirkoa’ Producers Share Co-Production Insights at Film Bazaar

As a budding film producer, I find the experiences shared by these esteemed professionals during the panel discussion at Film Bazaar nothing short of inspiring. The journey of Guneet Monga Kapoor, whose breakthrough film “The Lunchbox” emerged from the very same event in 2008, is a testament to the transformative power of such platforms.

Under the guidance of Jerome Paillard, a past head of the Cannes film market and current advisor to India’s Film Bazaar, a discussion centered around India-Europe collaborative film productions took place among prominent international producers during a session held in Goa.

Guneet Monga Kapoor shared the story behind her hit movie “The Lunchbox,” explaining that it was born right at Film Bazaar. She noted that she’s been attending Film Bazaar since 2008, and credits much of her career to this event. Monga Kapoor went on to explain how a Rotterdam film lab scholarship gave her insights into international co-production models, ultimately resulting in collaborations with French and German producers for the film.

Claire Chassagne, creator of Sundance winner “Girls Will Be Girls” (also a Film Bazaar project), highlighted the significance of creative development for obtaining competitive European funding. Essentially, she explained that it’s crucial to have a well-presented package demonstrating the director’s unique vision, along with a robust script, which helps in securing those highly competitive European funds.

Bich Quan Tran, the producer, discussed her experience working on the Rotterdam-winning animated film “Schirkoa: In Lies We Trust,” another project under Film Bazaar. She emphasized the challenges that arise when directors step into producing roles, as seen in Ishan Shukla’s case on this movie. She stressed the significance of understanding the workload associated with such a role, particularly in an international co-production setting. She pointed out that European funding structures are quite distinct from Asia’s private equity approach.

Over the past four decades, I’ve witnessed a remarkable transformation in Indian co-productions, starting from basic distribution agreements to today’s collaborative ventures driven by incentives. I can’t stress enough the significance of crafting content that resonates universally: “Create content that’s not only acceptable within my nation, but also within our co-producing partner’s country and other global markets.

The panelists, when asked by Paillard about practical difficulties in India-Europe collaborations, pointed out various obstacles such as contrasting financial systems, distribution methods, and professional mindsets. Chassagne used an analogy of co-productions to marriages, stressing the importance of open dialogue and early consensus on terms. “It’s crucial to have all the tough discussions as soon as you can,” she suggested.

The conversation revealed that streaming platforms are changing the conventional sales methods based on territories, as Monga Kapoor pointed out the challenges posed by negotiating digital rights in collaborative production agreements.

The meeting ended with proposals for creating real-life examples of effective collaboration projects (case studies) between Indian and European creators, as well as defining more structured guidelines for future collaborations between these two regions’ production teams.

The Project Market segment is part of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which takes place in Goa from November 20th to 28th, specifically from November 20th to 24th.

2024-11-24 09:48

‘The Lunchbox,’ ‘Girls Will Be Girls,’ ‘Schirkoa’ Producers Share Co-Production Insights at Film Bazaar

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