Film producer Prathyusha Sharma tells WOW! what took her to the Festival De Cannes and why you can attend this global film festival too
What took you to the Cannes Film Festival 2024
I’m Prathyusha Sharma, a self-made Hyderabad-based first-generation producer who worked my way up from grassroots in-line production. I have worked as a consultant Supervising Producer for an International studio production company, besides working with many directors and teams, executing shoots both in foreign and domestic locations, in different languages. The filmography includes Telugu / Tamil and Hindi features. I’m currently executing projects for feature films, OTTs and ad films through my production house “So Much Drama”.
What took you to the Festival de Cannes or the Cannes Film Festival this year? How did you get invited here?
I am passionate about cinema and want to absorb world cinema. I sent my profile as a film producer along with links to my work to the festival board which reviewed and approved my profile. Anyone can do that too and land at Cannes if they get the invitation. One can attend the festival as a participant (absorb), exhibitor (display your work) and the Press (cover). The cost depends on how long you want to stay, and on how many events you want to attend. Since the festival is almost two weeks, there are a multitude of events to take part in. Cannes lets you see a glimpse of the future of filmmaking, from makers across the world.
What have been your takeaways from the 2024 session?
1.) I saw a lot of films without subtitles in many different languages and understood that good cinema is not dialogue or language-centric.
2.) Meeting other people who do what you do in a different country, broadens your perspective as to what’s possible.
3.) Watching a film in silence with people who are there to watch the film is the best appreciation that we can truly give the film and the filmmakers behind it.
What does it cost to go to Cannes?
Starts at around Rs 1 lakh including economy tickets, Schengen visa, registration and access on all days. Other expenses are four times more than any European city – as it’s a very specific target audience and premium during the festival.
