Shilpa Shetty may be all set to hot up the Cannes Film Festival this year, but it will be the fraternity of producers and distributors that will be calling the shots this year.
The actress will be attending the Cannes festival -- along with Aishwarya Rai and husband Abhishek Bachchan -- which has been drawing film buffs from all over the world. This year holds a special significance for India, as the country celebrates 60 years of Independence, coinciding with the 60th Cannes film festival.
India will be the partner country at the opening night of the Cannes film market dinner party. India will also be the focus country in the world cinema section, where seven films would be showcased with two days devoted exclusively to India. Rajkumar Hirani's Lage Raho Munnabhai and Rituporno Ghosh's Dosar are among the films being screened at the festival.
The major players among the motley group of 60 entertainment companies participating at the film market include UTV, Kaleidoscope, Studio 18, Eros, Adlabs and I-Dreams.
While I-Dreams have six new movies for distribution, UTV is leaving no stone unturned by promoting three of its forthcoming films -- Jodha Akbar, Goal and Metro. On the other hand, Kaleidoscope will unveil all its grand projects, which are related to its yet to be made magnum opus Mahabharata.
Meanwhile, some major international players dubbed as sales agents and production companies like West Ham Films, Longtale LLC and Serotonin Films have shown interest in Indian projects.
The Cannes festival will start on May 16, and go on till May 27.