Special screening of Indian documentary at Cannes

KOLKATA: Shaunak Sen's 'All That Breathes' (ATB) is set to have a special screening at the 75th edition of the Cannes Film Festival that will run from May 17 to 28.
At last year's Cannes Film Festival, Payal Kapadia's 'A Night of Knowing Nothing' won the Oeil d'or (Golden Eye) award for best documentary.

After the announcement, Sen said Kolkata had largely contributed to his film-making practice.Brought up in Delhi, Sen used to visit Kolkata because his grandparents lived here. "Kolkata was usually my summer vacation city. But my relationship with Kolkata in recent years is entirely predicated on the documentary form," he said. Sen is happy that the recent past has seen documentaries made by Indian directors reaching the Oscars and getting awarded at Sundance and Cannes. "A majority of significant recent documentaries in India have had some or the other connection with Docedge. In many ways, the journey of ATB also got triggered by pitching at Docedge though we’d received grants prior to that."
He talks about the "passion and vigour" of Nilotpal Majumdar, who founded DocedgeKolkata, Asian Forum for Documentary. "I have gone there thrice in the recent past and every time for Docedge. This forum is not just about incubation and pitching. It is a community of friends and peers. You feel seen and witnessed. You feel you are part of a community of people who are grappling with similar questions and are interested in similar things," he added.
Some of Sen's closest friendships have come out of Docedge. That includes Khushbu Ranka who made 'An Insignificant Man' with Vinay Shukla. "Archana Phadke, who made a film called 'About Love', Khushbu and I have put together a documentary fund. The idea is to provide development funds to non-fiction filmmakers. All these friendships sprouted in Kolkata. For me, Kolkata and the documentary practice are deeply intertwined," Sen said. Among seniors, he refers to Supriyo Sen and Sourav Sarangi. "They are deeply helpful, caring and nurturing people. This city gave a sense of warm bonhomie where you feel like there is a community that is coming together. It comprised not only people who are making their first films but also those who have done this for the last 20-odd years," he said.
Sen is planning to screen his film in Kolkata soon. If not before the Cannes, he is hoping to bring it to Kolkata after his visit.