The Franco-German Film Meetings - 2010 took place December 4 through 7 in Mumbai.
The multiplex Fun Cinema Andheri, which had already hosted the two first editions of the festival, and the mythical Metro theater converted into a multiplex by the BIG Cinemas chain, were the event venues.
The selection, composed of
The sessions played to packed houses; spectators at the Fun cinema, in the north of the city, were younger, whereas families tended to fill the Metro cinema, in the historical center in the southern part of the city.
Among the films, Heartbreaker already had an Indian distributor and will be released on Valentine's Day next year in Indian theaters. Sales discussions are underway between French exporters and Indian buyers for other selection titles.
The artists present – Kristin Scott Thomas, François Ozon, Olivier Assayas, Julie Ferrier, and Jacques Cluzaud – met the public during question and answer sessions that followed the films, and gave many interviews to the press and television. In addition, the Indian media gave a high profile to the Rendez-Vous before and during the event. The UTV World Movies channel was this year's partner of the Rendez-Vous and several interviews were broadcast on it.
Olivier Assayas conducted a masterclass with film directing students at Whistling Woods International film school in Mumbai. The session lasted two and a half hours, during which the students, who had previously seen several of Assayas's films, assailed the director with questions.
The professional delegation, composed of two exporters, three producers, a distributor, a journalist, and a CNC representative, were able to meet a large panel of Indian film industry professionals (distributors, exhibitors, satellite television channels), which allowed them to get an overview of the Indian cinema market today. It remains very closed to non-Indian films, but has been forced to progressively open up to what Indians call "World Cinema", thanks to the increase in the number of multiplexes, allowing a more diversified program to satisify the tastes of the Indian middle class, which is also growing rapidly.
During this time, the French and Indian governments took advantage of President Sarkozy's visit to India to sign a new coproduction agreement that should allow the ties between the countries' two film industries to grow stronger.
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