The first version of India’s Cinevesture International Film Festival (CIFF) has revealed 20 initiatives that can take part in its accompanying market.

Comprising 17 options and three sequence, a number of of the initiatives are by creators who’ve discovered acclaim each internationally and in South Asia.

From Bangladeshi auteur Mostofa Sarwar Farooki (Busan title “Something Like an Autobiography”) comes Hindi and English-language unconventional romance “To Hell With Love.” Alankrita Srivasttava (Tokyo winner “Lipstick Under My Burkha”) has English and Hindi-language drama “Girls of Orlem,” an adaptation of Lindsay Pereira’s bestselling novel “Gods and Ends.” Gurvinder Singh (Cannes title “The Fourth Direction,” Venice choice “Alms for a Blind Horse”) is prepping Hindi, Punjabi and English-language historic thriller sequence “The Trial.”

“#JACK” is a thriller movie from Bhaskar Hazarika (Tribeca choice “Aamis”), whereas “Chhaal” (“The Skin”) by Don Palathara (Rotterdam title “Family”) is a people thriller tailored from a narrative by Vijayan Detha. “Encounter” by Anurag Singh (the Jatt and Juliet franchise) is a drama-thriller within the Punjabi and Hindi languages and drama “Husky” by Atika Chohan (SWSW title “Sahela”) is within the Hindi, Chhattisgarhi and English languages.

“Peach No. 15” by Ayappa Okay.M. (Prime Video’s “War Room”) is designed as a darkish and humorous thriller sequence within the Hindi and English languages, whereas Hindi-language movie “The Bookkeeper’s Wife” is a drama from Bauddhayan Mukherji (Mumbai title “The Violin Player”). Hindi-language dramatic movie “Sacred” is the function debut of Deepa Bhatia who’s “Nero’s Guests” performed at IDFA. Hindi-language “LalitA” challenges gender ideas and is the debut function from Disha Rindani (Prime Video sequence “Cinema Marte Dum Tak”).

Hindi-language drama-thriller “Laali” is the fiction function debut of Fahad Mustafa (Berlin and Tribeca title “Katiyabaaz”). Hindi and Punjabi-language drama “Dhundh Saleti” (“The Whispering Fog”) is the debut function from by Jasmine Kaur and Avinash Roy (“Saanjh”), whereas hybrid docu-drama sequence “Schooled Abroad” by Kimsi Singh (producer of Venice titles “Milestone” and “Soni”) is within the Hindi, English, Punjabi, Marathi, Gujarati and Telugu languages.

“Feral” by Nihaarika Negi (“Labours Of (An)Other Solipsist”) hails from the elevated horror style and is within the English and Kinnauri languages. “April Mein Shootout” is a Hindi-language thriller from Randeep Jha (Netflix’s “Kohrra”). Hindi-language chick flick “Tigdi aka 3-SUM” is the debut function by Roopal Kewalya who beforehand wrote Netflix sequence “Tooth Pari.” “Miss Kumari,” within the Hindi and Hinglish (a mix of English and Hindi) languages is by Sona Jain (“For Real”) and is described as a whimsical romance.

“I.T.A.” by Vandana Kataria (“Noblemen”) is a sci-fi/horror retelling of Henry James’ “The Turn of the Screw,” whereas Hindi, Telugu and English-language “19” is a coming-of-age drama by Vikas Chandra (showrunner of Prime Video’s Berlinale sequence choice “Dahaad”).

In addition to those, there are three mentorship initiatives. Hindi-language drama “Representatives” by Priyankar Patra (producer of Venice choice “Once Upon a Time in Calcutta”) is produced by Venice winner Aditya Vikram Sengupta (“Labour of Love”). Hindi-language quick movie drama “Chanda” is by Shivika Jain who labored on Tallinn winner “Amar Colony.” Konkani-language “The Untimely Death of Leanne’s Dog” by Suyash Kamat (Netflix-backed quick “Sadabahar” belongs to the coming-of-age/slice of life/comedy style.

The pageant and market happen in Chandigarh, Punjab, northern India, March 27-31. The market seeks to create hyperlinks between buyers and curated initiatives, which can even be launched to exhibitors and distributors as properly. Both are being organized by Cinevesture Pvt. Ltd.

Nina Lath, who beforehand headed Film Bazaar, South Asia’s largest co-production market, from 2006 to 2018, is the founder and CEO of the corporate.

The pageant is supported by the Government Museum & Art Gallery, Chandigarh, Department of Tourism Chandigarh, and Chandigarh Administration. V.S. Kundu, former head of the National Films Division of India, is the director of the movie pageant and trade veteran Bina Paul is the creative director.

Former Cannes movie market director Jerome Paillard, Indian actor and producer Rana Daggubati (“Baahubali”) and Nicole Guillemet, who was co-director of the Sundance Film Festival, and Indian filmmaker Ajitpal Singh (Sundance title “Fire in the Mountains”) are on the advisory board.

Namrata Joshi, CIFF market curator mentioned: “To borrow a popular phrase, our selection is fun, fearless, female and full-on Punjab. We have projects in various stages of development. From those requiring funding for research and script development to those with scripts locked and ready to roll. The majority of the projects are by women. And/or women-focused. A bunch of them are by filmmaking talent from Punjab and/or set in the state that’s hosting the festival and the market. Class divides and conflicts, an unfortunate contemporary reality, is a running theme through some of the selected projects. Queer identity issues also find space.”

“The selection cuts across genres – there’s action, thrillers (corporate, police procedurals), drama (human, social, political, coming of age), a folk and mythology-based tale but with a modern spin, epic narrative spanning decades, whimsical romance, and comedy too. Horror makes a striking presence in the selection. That too imagined and created by women. With profound underlying thematic layers.”