75 youngsters, all in the age group 18 – 35, will get to attend the 53rd edition of International Film Festival of India as special guests, as part of the ‘75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow’ initiative of the Government. The much-awaited list of handpicked 75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow, selected by a Screening / Selection Jury and then the Grand Jury, is now out. The promising cinematic talents of tomorrow hail from as many as 19 different states of India, namely Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Delhi, Goa, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Rajasthan, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and West Bengal. The highest number of the selected winners are from Maharashtra, followed by Tamil Nadu and Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. The list of winners, by cinematic field and state, can be found here.
The 75 youngsters have been chosen based on their excellence in different areas of filmmaking, namely direction, acting, cinematography, editing, scriptwriting, playback singing, music composition, costume-and-makeup, art design and animation, visual effects (VFX), Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR). There are 15 artists from the Direction category, 13 budding actors and 11 from the field of Editing.
The youngest winners are 18-year-old Nitish Verma from Haryana and 18-year-old Toufique Mandal from Maharashtra, both of whom have been selected for their talent in Music Composition. Maximum number of winners are from Maharashtra (23 artists), followed by Tamil Nadu (9 winners) and Delhi (6 creative minds).
Four New Categories in 2nd Edition of “75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow”
Among these various fields, four areas of expertise have been identified and added to this edition of the 75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow initiative; these four new categories are i) music composition, ii) costume-and-makeup, iii) art design and iv) Animation / VFX / AR / VR. These areas have been introduced to promote non-conventional skills and expertise and to encourage more people to explore career opportunities in these areas.
The 75 winners get the opportunity to join the celebration of IFFI and attend sessions and workshops curated by grandmasters of international cinema. They also get a chance to witness the business of cinema, at the Film Bazaar – a platform meant to encourage collaboration between South Asian and international film communities. The young artists are being provided free to-and-fro travel, accommodation, local transportation and access to the 53rd IFFI in all its glory.
75 Budding Artists to Produce Short Films on India@100
To make their IFFI experience more engaging and exciting, the 75 youngsters will be divided into groups of 15 to compete in a “53-Hour Challenge”. The competition will challenge them to produce a short film on their idea of India@100, all in 53 hours. The competition is powered by National Film Development Corporation in collaboration with Shorts TV.
The 75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow initiative is the brainchild of Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting and Youth Affairs and Sports, Anurag Singh Thakur. The initiative aims to identify, encourage and nurture young creative talent in filmmaking, from the entire length and breadth of the country.
“2nd Edition of 75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow Nearly receives nearly 1,000 entries”: I&B Minister
Sharing his vision for 75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow, the Union I&B Minister said: “75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow has been conceived as a unique platform of opportunities for youth, artists and creatives, especially from far-flung areas, to learn, engage and network with the who’s who of the Indian Film Industry at the International Film Festival of India in Goa. This year, in what is just the second edition of 75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow, nearly 1,000 entries were received from all across India, including from places such as Lakhimpur and Sonitpur in Assam, Khorda in Odisha, Krishna and Prakasam in Andhra Pradesh, Theni in Tamil Nadu and Bhandara in Maharashtra, to name a few. 75 Creative Minds have been handpicked to be mentored, from among these applications. I congratulate everyone and look forward to meeting all of them at the 53rd IFFI.”
The final list of 75 winners has been selected through a selection process involving screening by the Selection Jury and then final selection by the Grand Jury.
The Grand Jury comprises:
• Prasoon Joshi
• Resul Pookutty
• R Balki
• Rickey Kej
• Mala Dey Banthia
• Gautami Tadimalla
• Ballu Saluja
• Munjal Shroff
• Narendra Rahurikar
• Ravi K Chandran
The Selection / Screening Jury members are:
• Nikhil Mahajan
• Ujwal Anand
• Bishakh Jyoti
• Malvika
• Pranita Subhash
• Aimee Baruah
• Dhvani Desai
• Deepak Singh
• Karthik Palani
• Sujeet Sawant
Restless Creative Minds of India are raring to go: Prasoon Joshi
Speaking about the initiative, Grand Jury member Prasoon Joshi said: “I have always believed that India’s diversity is its great strength and we will truly do justice to it when we hear stories from every part of india, not just a few privileged cities. This is the thought behind 75 Creative Minds initiative.”
The restless creative minds of India are raring to go, he added. “Films should be magical. We need filmmakers by design, not by chance; and for that, we need to give our young talent proper exposure. We initiated this programme last year at IFFI, along with I&B Minister Anurag Ji. My sincere thanks to the eminent jury members who painstakingly chose these young minds.”
“Inspires Young Artists to Look Beyond the Edge of the World”: Resul Pookutty
Renowned sound designer and Grand Jury Member Resul Pookutty believes that 75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow has the power to inspire young artists to look beyond the edge of the world and to pursue their ambitions through the medium of cinema. “The Creative Minds of Tomorrow programme is an amazing way to find and nurture young minds to look beyond the edge of the world and pursue their ambitions through cinema. A platform to convey their own stories in order to affect good change in society and establish a better society. Most important, a chance to take part in IFFI 2022, one of the most renowned film festivals in India”.
75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow is a step towards making India a global content and post-production hub. The initiative recognizes, prepares and primes young innovative minds under the tutelage of eminent personalities of the Indian film industry. This initiative intends to nurture and develop a dynamic ecosystem and community of young filmmakers, by empowering them to develop industry linkages and connect, collaborate and co-create.
Want to get in touch with the Creative Minds?
Would you like to contact any of the winners of this edition? Do write to us at at iffi-pib[at]nic[dot]in.
