The first edition of the Cinevesture International Film Festival to be held in Chandigarh announces the CIFF Market Projects

Chandigarh’s first International film festival, Cinevesture International Film Festival announces 20 projects selected in the CIFF Market to be held from  27– 31 March 2024, on the sidelines of the festival.

The 20 curated projects by creators who have made a significant mark in the Indian film industry —  17 features and 3 web series – are an eclectic mix of stories in Hindi, English, Punjabi, Chhattisgarhi, Marathi, Gujarati, Telugu and Kinnauri.

The projects include six fiction feature debuts such as Sacred by Deepa Bhatia, 19 by Vikas Chandra, LalitA  by Disha Rindani, Tigdi aka 3-SUM by Roopal Kewalya,  Laali by Fahad Mustafa, and Dhundh Saleti by Jasmine Kaur and Avinash Roy. Three projects have been selected for the Mentorship Program at the CIFF Market.

Namrata Joshi, CIFF Market curator says, “To borrow a popular phrase our selection is Fun Fearless Female and full-on Punjab. We have projects in various stages of development. From those requiring funding for research and script development to those with scripts locked and ready to roll. The majority of the projects are by women. And/Or women-focused. A bunch of them are by filmmaking talent from Punjab and/or set in the state that’s hosting the festival and the market. Class divides and conflicts, an unfortunate contemporary reality, is a running theme through some of the selected projects. Queer identity issues also find space.”

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She adds, “The selection cuts across genres—there’s action, thrillers (corporate, police procedurals), drama (human, social, political, coming of age), a folk and mythology-based tale but with a modern spin, epic narrative spanning decades, whimsical romance, and comedy too. Horror makes a striking presence in the selection. That too imagined and created by women. With profound underlying thematic layers.”

List of Selected Market Projects:

1. Girls of Orlem by Alankrita Shrivastava (Drama)
2. Encounter by Anurag Singh (Drama/Thriller)
3. Husky by Atika Chohan (Drama)
4. Peach No. 15 by Ayappa KM (Thriller)
5. The Bookkeeper’s Wife by Bauddhayan Mukherji (Drama)
6. #JACK by Bhaskar Hazarika (Thriller)
7. Sacred by Deepa Bhatia (Drama)
8. LalitA by Disha Rindani (Drama)
9. Chhaal (The Skin) by Don Palathara (Folk/ Drama)
10. Laali by Fahad Mustafa (drama/thriller)
11. The Trials by Gurvinder Singh (Historial Thriller web series)
12. Dhundh Saleti (The Whispering Fog) by Jasmine Kaur and Avinash Roy (Drama)
13. Schooled Abroad by Kimsi Singh/ Web series (Hybrid docu-drama)
14. To Hell With Love by Mostofa Sarwar Farooki (Romance)
15. Feral by Nihaarika Negi (Elevated Horror)
16. April Mein Shootout by Randeep Jha (Thriller)
17. Tigdi aka 3-SUM by Roopal Kewalya (Un Chick flick)
18. Miss Kumari by Sona Jain (whimsical romance)
19. T.A. by Vandana Kataria (Horror)
20. 19 by Vikas Chandra (Coming-of-age drama)

Mentorship Projects:

1. Representatives by Priyankar Patra (drama)
2. Chanda by Shivika Jain (drama)