A list of Indian movies that have won Cannes Awards through the years.
Neecha Nagar (1946)
Neecha Nagar (1946) won the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film (now called the Palme d’Or). It is about a man in poverty leading a rebellion against a wealthy landlord who wants to direct the sewage into their town to make room for a housing project.
Do Bigha Zameen (1953)
Do Bigha Zameen (1953) won the Prix Internationale. A poor farmer is forced to migrate to Calcutta to become a rickshaw puller in hopes of accumulating enough money to prevent a landlord from claiming his land.
Boot Polish (1954)
Child actor Kumari Naaz won the Special Distinction Award for Boot Polish (1954). The film is about two siblings who are forced to beg in the streets by their cruel aunt. However, they decide to earn their own money by shining shoes.
Pather Panchali (1955)
Pather Panchali (1955) won the Palme d’Or for Best Human Document. A poor priest from a rural Bengal village leaves his family in order to find a job that will give them all a better life. His wife takes care of their children and aunt who try their best to survive while enjoying life’s little pleasures.
Kharij (1982)
Kharij (1982) won the Special Jury Prize. The film is about the aftermath of the unexpected death of a young servant boy.
Salaam Bombay! (1988)
Salaam Bombay! (1988) won the Camera d’Or and the Audience Prize. The film is about an 11-year-old boy who is sent to a circus to pay for the damage he did to his older brother’s motorbike. However, he ends up in the slums of Bombay. Along the way he encounters a drug dealer and a prostitute who he befriends while doing his best to earn money at a tea stall to repay his debt.
Marana Simhasanam (1999)
Marana Simhasanam (1999) won the Camera d’Or. A poor farmer works endlessly to provide for his family, only to just barely scrape by. One day, out of desperation, he steals coconuts from the landowner. He gets caught and sent to jail. While he’s there, the police attempt to pin an unsolved murder on him.
The Lunchbox (2013)
The Lunchbox (2013) won the Critics Week Viewers Choice Award (Grand Rail d'Or). The story involves a housewife who prepares a special lunch for her husband at work. However, the lunch gets delivered to the wrong man, a widower who is about to retire. Curious why her husband did not react to her special lunch, she sends a note in the next lunch. The two then form an unconventional friendship by communicating through letters.
Masaan (2015)
Masaan (2015) won the International Jury of Film Critics Prize and Promising Future Prize. A holy city on the banks of the Ganges, Varanasi, punishes people who do not follow tradition. A young, poor boy falls in love with a girl from a different caste.
A Night of Knowing Nothing (2021)
A Night of Knowing Nothing (2021) won the Oeil d’or (Golden Eye) award for best documentary. The film is about a university student in India who writes letters to her estranged lover.
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