2nd Cinevesture International Film Festival announces selection of 22 market projects

Chandigarh, Mar 8 (PTI) The organisers of the second edition of the Cinevesture International Film Festival (CIFF) on Saturday announced the selection of 22 market projects as part of CineV-CHD which will run alongside the festival in Chandigarh between March 20-23.

CineV-CHD marks the first in a series of planned film markets aimed at bridging the gap between filmmakers, investors, and distributors, according to a press release.

The curated selection features an eclectic mix of films from creators who have made significant contributions to the Indian film industry. The projects span a diverse array of languages, including Hindi, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Kashmiri, Urdu, Gujarati, Telugu, Bengali, and Kannada, the organisers said.

This year’s CineV in Chandigarh selection features 22 films, offering a diverse mix of genres, languages, and stories.

The selection includes projects by established filmmakers like Vikramaditya Motwane, Hansal Mehta, Honey Trehan, Jeo Baby, Manju Warrier and Prasanna Vithanage.

Out of the 22 films in the market, 12 are women-oriented projects including films by Radhika Apte, Nandita Das, Shonali Bose, and Kani Kusruti.  

The line-up includes two projects based in Punjab, “The Blade Runner” by Honey Trehan and Shashank Walia’s “Hanere De Panchhi”, and “Marx and Lenin”, a feature by Ajitpal Singh of “Tabbar” fame.

It comprises 21 live-action features and an animation anthology Table for One produced by “Little Things” creator and actor Dhruv Sehgal.

“Investing in a film and putting it out there in the market is akin to investing in a startup with a quick turnaround and exit strategy. We hope that this curation will mark the beginning of instilling investor confidence in the production of films as part of their diversification portfolios,” said founder and CEO, Cinevesture Nina Lath Gupta, in a statement.

The market has also partnered with the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) to introduce CineV-IFFLA, a collaboration designed to integrate South Asian projects from Cinevesture into IFFLA’s Industry Days Programme.

Scheduled for May 6-10, 2025, IFFLA’s Industry Days will provide opportunities for South Asian filmmakers to connect with Hollywood producers through pitch competitions, panels, masterclasses, and networking events.

“It was extremely heartening to find submissions growing exponentially from last year, both in number and quality. It has meant that we have been able to showcase a very rich platter of unique, compelling and engaging stories–from a mind-bending thriller to sweeping romance, from psychological drama to an animation series spun on food and an absurd comedy and a cross-border adventure. We even have two outstanding projects, meant for adults, where children are the real heroes. In a nutshell, lots to bet your money on,” added Namrata Joshi, Curator Project Market.