5 Things You Need To Know About A Virtual Film Bazaar

Film Bazaar, one of the most significant film events of the year, will be moved online this year. It will take place between 16-21st January. Though there won't be an on-ground event, this year's Film Bazaar will continue to serve filmmakers, agents and producers, like it always has, through its virtual set up. In fact, the organisers believe that this year may end up being more cost-effective for the delegates too. For those attending, or those thinking of signing up, we have tried to answer some doubts you may have on how this networking event will translate online. 

Who should attend the NFDC Film Bazaar?

If you're an emerging/first-time independent filmmaker, film student, producer, financier, sales agent, distributor or festival programmer, Film Bazaar is for you. It is the largest South Asian film market that brings together all the crucial stakeholders of getting a film made. 

Bazaar has been the starting point for some of the most successful indie filmmakers and producers of recent times. Films like Ritesh Batra's The Lunchbox, Anand Gandhi's Ship of Theseus, and Chaitanya Tamhane's Court, Gitanjali Rao's Bombay Rose and Pushpendra Singh's Laila Aur Satt Geet, to name a few, all began their journeys at Film Bazaar. The market encourages creative and financial collaboration between the South Asian and international film communities.

How can you attend Film Bazaar this year? 

This year, Film Bazaar will have to break from tradition – it will not be an on ground event in Goa. Owing to the pandemic, it will take place virtually. 

You can register at https://filmbazaarindia.com/attend-as-a-delegate/ to get access to various programmes in the virtual market from January 16th-21st.

How will it work online? 

Film Bazaar has designed a state-of-the-art 3D virtual space that is going to recreate the physical experience of being in Goa. The virtual space has a user-friendly interface. It's as easy as getting on a Zoom video call.

All the key programmes of the Bazaar, including Co-Production Market (CPM), Viewing Room, Work-in-Progress Lab (WIP Lab), Industry Screenings and Knowledge Series, will be conducted virtually.

Film Bazaar is an excellent networking event that allows sales agents, distributors and financiers to connect. How will this happen virtually?

Normally, all registered delegates get featured in the Market Guide which is an essential networking tool for Film Bazaar delegates. In the virtual edition, every delegate will have the opportunity to request a one-on-one online meeting with others attending. They have created dedicated networking zones on the e-platform which will function as virtual meeting rooms for anyone who is online during the market hours. These zones will also have open networking sessions where invited guest delegates can do short interactive sessions about their companies, film festivals, agencies.

For the selected projects in the Co-Production Market and WIP-Lab films, producers, financiers, sales agents and distributors can schedule virtual meetings for a 30-minute slot with project representatives and filmmakers.

Why this is a great year to leverage the benefits of Film Bazaar. 

If you're new to film markets, this year's Film Bazaar is a great time to make a start as it will be its most accessible edition. The cost of the entire experience is a fraction of what a delegate usually spends to be at the physical market in Goa. 

This year the Bazaar will take place over 6 days instead of the usual 4 days. This was done keeping in mind the virtual fatigue that comes with attending such events. Day one is usually spent in getting comfortable with a new interface and since delegates will be logging in from different time zones, this gives them more time to go through the various programmes at ease. 

For this edition, Film Bazaar has also collaborated with the French Embassy in India who will be presenting the French Institute Award for one selected project from the 21 selected Co-Production Market projects.

In collaboration with NFDC Film Bazaar