Do you know that in the good old days there used to be an active institute called NDFC? Not only was it good but it also used to support creative filmmakers who do not have the means to make big films. They were quite bold as well. Take the case of Maaya Memsaab or Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro.
But it went dormant.
The National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) in India finally has exciting news for film enthusiasts. The Film Bazaar has selected six feature films for its 2024 Work-in-Progress Lab, running from November 20 to 24. This year’s lineup includes five debut directors across multiple languages.
Among the selected films are Tribeny Rai’s “Shape of Momos,” a Nepali-language project, Shakteedhar Bir’s Bengali film “Gaangshalik” (River Bird), and Mohan Kumar Valasala’s Telugu feature “Yerra Mandaram” (The Red Hibiscus). We also have Ridham Janve’s bilingual project “Kaatti Ri Raatti” (Hunters Moon) in Gaddi and Nepali, Siddharth Badi’s Marathi film “Umal,” and Vivek Kumar’s Hindi feature “The Good The Bad The Hungry.”
The Work-in-Progress Lab is an opportunity for filmmakers, as it combines online and offline sessions. This facilitates real-time collaboration between directors and industry veterans. This format helps directors get insights to make their films better as they are often inexperienced.
So, this is a great opportunity for filmmakers who do not generally have the means to complete their films. We all are aware of the fact that there are multiple problems in the way the film industry functions and one of them is the way people are hostile towards outsiders. Hopefully such steps will help in that.