Press release

The first Pondicherry International Film Festival
will take place in India in 2008.

Supported by Coline Serreau, "Marraine" of this event, it aims at:

1) Promoting movies that celebrate life and give due to respect human dignity and sensitivity, inspiring and uplifting movies , which educate or inform us about a more beautiful reality, movies that reflect a positive, optimistic point of view helping us to find solutions and evoking a sense of happiness and creativity.
2) Celebrating the commitment of directors, producers and other professionals working in the audio–visual domain who are conscious of the responsibility of image makers and image diffusers, in terms of the impact such a medium has on people and societies
3) Giving rise to reflections about the following topics:
- “The impact of images/ directors’ and producers’ responsibility”
- “Movie and audiovisual business / politics – ethics – education”
4) Providing an international platform of exchange and communication on the themes of consciousness, happiness and inspiration, across history and through diverse cultures, language communities and spiritual traditions.

Everybody knows that the most powerful medium of communication today are movies and that they’re part of everyone’s daily life. There’s no need to prove their impact.

So works of art whether they are cinematographic or not, as well as the conveyance of information contribute widely and on a daily basis in building our modern societies. Une soif grandissante en matière de "nourritures intellectuelles et sources d’inspiration" saines et heureuses se manifeste chaque jour.

Members of the team managing the Festival, involved in India, work in the cinema, event, press, cultural and social development, education, professional training or audit fields.

All eyes are turning towards India today due to its rich spiritual tradition and its rapid economic expansion. More and more there is a rising awareness of the universality of its knowledge and competence. A giant, on the verge of emerging from its shadow, the strides taken by India appear be long-lasting and durable. .

Pondicherry , a cosmopolitan, multicultural former French trading post by the Indian Ocean, invariably leaves an impression on the minds of visitors.
Its growing popularity amongst an international public increasingly diverse in their interests and professions, makes this choice even more interesting for the public and the partners of this event.
We welcome movies as well as professional and financial partners. .

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        A History of a Festival’s birth…(par Sylvie Escarret)

One night, in Pondicherry, after discussing creativity and media, Khaled Cheffi told me: “You should organize a Festival especially for the movies you love…” And since then, the idea has matured, very quickly actually! I’ve always had a very mixed point of view on visual media in general and on cinema in particular. I love pictures and I’m deeply conscious of their impact on the world and people. Since I have eyes to see and a sensitivity to feel, I’m very upset that movies have lost or perverted the consciousness of their educative and inspiring role.

So, organizing a “Festival especially for the movies I love” meant creating a Festival, first for movies that are respectful to life, dignity and sensitivity ;second, for movies that uplift, inspire, educate or inform in that way.

The Pondicherry Festival concept was born.

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