As the global film fraternity gears up for the Cannes Film Festival 2026, Bengali filmmaker Indira Dhar is set to attend the festival for the third time. Over the past few years, Cannes has become an important space for her work.
Dhar first made her presence felt at Cannes with her film Putul, which was also part of the Oscars conversation. The film had a theatrical screening at the Marché du Film, placing her work in front of a global audience. One of the key highlights from Putul was its music. The song Iti Maa was considered in both the Best Original Song and Best Original Score categories at the Oscars 2025. Composer Sayan Ganguly, who worked on the film, became the only composer from Bengal to receive two Oscar nominations for the same project, with Iti Maa also becoming the only Bengali song to be selected in the music categories that year.
Last year, Dhar returned to Cannes to launch Echoes of Valour, a collaboration between India and South Africa. The film was backed by Shekhar Kapur and produced by Arden Slate along with Dhar’s own banner, IKA Studios (Indira and Kabir Studios), her Oscar-recognised production house. Developed through the Cannes market, the film stars Divya Dutta and Neeraj Kabi.
This year, Dhar’s visit to Cannes is focused on two things. She will continue to take Echoes of Valour forward, while also working on her new film, Marked.
Produced under her banner, IKA Studios, Marked deals with the issue of drugs and their impact on young people. The film aims to speak to a global audience, with a message that encourages awareness and hope.
Sayan Ganguly, who worked on Putul, is also composing the music and background score for Marked, continuing his collaboration with Dhar. Apart from her films, Dhar is also part of conversations around cinema at an international level. After speaking at the Italian Pavilion at the Venice Film Festival last year on films and AI, she will now be one of the speakers at the Indian Pavilion at Cannes 2026.
With each visit, Indira Dhar’s presence at Cannes has grown stronger, moving from showcasing her work to building collaborations and now contributing to larger industry discussions.
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