Mumbai, May 15 (IANS) Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, and Jawed Ashraf, Ambassador of India in France, opened the Bharat Pavilion at the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday.

Important guests present at the ceremony included Tholoana Rose Ncheke, Chairperson of South Africa's National Film and Video Foundation, Christian Jeune, Director of the Films Department, Cannes Film Festival, and the Canadian director Richie Mehta, who's best known for 'Delhi Crime', the Netflix series.

Speaking at the inauguration, Jaju said, " it is heartening to have more Indian projects in the Cannes official selection this year, one each in Competition and in Uncertain Regard, and let me also add that both these projects have been beneficiaries of the support from the government in terms of the incentives as well as official core productions."

Hosted each year at Cannes by the Information & Broadcasting Ministry, Government of India, the Pavilion's nodal agency is the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and FICCI is the industry partner.

"The Bharat Pavilion here would serve as a hub for networking, collaboration, and promotion of Indian Cinema on the global stage," Jaju said. "We would like to foster greater collaboration between the Indian audio-visual industry and its international counterparts, thereby enhancing the visibility and accessibility of Indian cinema worldwide," the Secretary added.

Speaking later, Mehta said, "It is such a momentous occasion for Indian cinema here. Personally for me, I wouldn't have a career if not for the film festival community. The festivals have helped me basically unlock a career."

Continuing on how he acts as an international bridge for Indian storytellers, Mehta added, "One of my missions, as a Canadian Indian, has been to export the best of Indian storytelling. And I'm not talking about a film standpoint, I'm talking from the standpoint of the stories, the people on the ground, and the amazing culture that we have to show to the world."