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Indian-American filmmakers represent independent cinema at Cannes
Filmmakers Hemant Pandya and Nita Pednekar participated in screenings, networking events and collaboration meetings at Cannes.
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Staff Reporter - Tue, 26, May 2026
- 02:23 EDT
- 18
Filmmakers Hemant Pandya and Nita Pednekar / Courtesy photo
Indian-American filmmakers Hemant M. Pandya and Nita Pednekar attended the 79th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, as officially accredited and invited film industry delegates representing independent cinema.
Pandya and Pednekar represented the New Jersey Indian & International Film Festival and Friday Films LLC during the festival, where they participated in world premieres, gala screenings, industry networking events and international collaboration meetings.
The 2026 edition of the festival brought together more than 25,000 attendees from around the world. The filmmakers said the event emphasized filmmaking and artistic exchange over celebrity appearances.
“For true filmmakers, Cannes is ultimately about cinema, storytelling, and global artistic exchange,” Pandya said. “The red carpet is an added privilege, but the real inspiration comes from witnessing extraordinary films and connecting with filmmakers from across the world.”
The filmmakers also praised the organization and management of the festival, which hosted events across the city of Cannes during the annual gathering of the international film industry.
This year’s lineup featured films and storytellers from multiple countries and cultures. Pandya and Pednekar said they were particularly encouraged by the visibility of independent films and socially driven narratives during the festival.
Among the films that stood out to them were Nepal’s ‘Elephants in the Fog’ and India’s ‘Shadows of the Moonless Nights (Parchave Masseah Rataan De).’ The filmmakers said the projects demonstrated how smaller independent productions continue to gain international attention through storytelling rather than commercial scale.
During the festival, Pandya and Pednekar also attended events at the Bharat Pavilion, which hosted filmmakers, actors, producers, festival representatives and international collaborators from India and abroad. The pavilion included networking sessions, co-production discussions and conversations focused on the future of Indian cinema in international markets.
At Cannes, the filmmakers introduced two upcoming international projects under development through Friday Films LLC.
One of the projects, ‘Love, Loathe & Life,’ is described as a film inspired by a real-life hate crime and examines identity, humanity and healing. The second project, ‘She Was…//?,’ is a psychological thriller centered on guilt, trauma and the emotional consequences of road rage.
“Cannes reminded us that there is tremendous hope for independent filmmakers who truly believe in meaningful storytelling,” Pednekar said.
“Honest cinema will always find its audience somewhere in the world,” she added.
Pandya and Pednekar said they plan to continue developing independent film projects with international themes while also supporting cultural exchange initiatives through the New Jersey Indian & International Film Festival.
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