Payal Kapadia issues first statement after Cannes win wherein she emphasised on the need to support more independent filmmakers in India.
Recently, Payal Kapadia created history by becoming the first Indian filmmaker to win the Grand Prix award for “All We Imagine as Light”. The filmmaker has now issued a statement on Facebook wherein she urged the Indian government to support independent filmmakers more by helping them with funds.
Payal Kapadia talked about the need to support more independent filmmakers and said, “People at Cannes asked me why it is taking 30 years for a film to be selected. While I did ask the selection committee this question, we should also ask ourselves this as well. Why can we not support more independent filmmakers? One of the reasons I was able to make this film is because of the French Public funding system and I would like to take a moment to talk about this system. In France, a small tax is levied on each and every ticket sale of a film as well as a tax levied on TV channels. From this the CNC fund is created that allows independent producers and directors to apply for funding.”
She further added the need for such similar system like France India that can help fund the independent filmmakers and wrote, “In our country, charging audiences a tax would be rather unfair. However, a tax on the profits made on blockbuster films can surely help in funding an independent film fund. If such a system was made in our country with an autonomous body to run the fund, it would only encourage more and more independent filmmaking. For a democracy to thrive, voices need to remain independent from big studios that are run by rich industrialists.”
In her statement, Payal Kapadia also citied Kerala Government’s example and wrote, “Recently, the Kerala government has started such a fund that supports female filmmaker’s as well as filmmaker’s from under-represented castes. I think this is the need of the hour. I know that a lot of well meaning individuals in the film industry have started their own production houses. But they only support filmmakers they know. There should be some autonomous system with representation that could give opportunities to filmmakers even if they know no one in the film industry. Governments too should not be the producers but only facilitate funding. Independent producers should be able to apply to them.”
Payal further thanked the Kerala film industry for the support and wrote, “I’m thankful to people in the Kerala film industry. So many well established actors and producers were very supportive to our team though I’m an outsider to this industry. They did not think that they were stars and were willing to meet me, and give me time. I am very grateful to them. In Kerala, even distributors and exhibitors are open to show more art house films. Audiences are open to watch different kinds of movies. We live in a country where we are lucky to have so many cinemas. We should accept that many different kinds of films can exist together.”
