Iffi 2025 rolls out red carpet for 240 films from 81 nations

Panaji: The 56th Iffi is set to take place in Goa from Nov 20-28, screening more than 240 films from 81 countries with 13 world premieres, four international premieres, and 46 Asian premieres.

The curtain raiser was held in Delhi on Friday.The festival this year received a record 2,314 submissions from 127 countries, revealed Union minister of state for information and broadcasting, L Murugan. He said that over 50 women directors have their films featured this year.“While generative AI is disrupting the entertainment industry, it should be embraced as a creative tool shaping the future of storytelling,” said Sanjay Jaju, secretary, ministry of information and broadcasting.

Festival director, Shekhar Kapur, added that AI should be seen as a creative tool helping storytellers share India’s stories with the world.The opening film, Brazilian auteur Gabriel Mascaro’s The Blue Trail, is a sci-fi fantasy about a 75-year-old woman’s defiant journey through the Amazon, exploring freedom and dignity. It won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the 2025 Berlin International Film Festival.The festival will present 15 competitive and curated segments, including international competition, best debut feature film of a director, ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi Medal, and special segments such as Macabre Dreams, Docu-Montage, experimental films, UNICEF, and restored classics.

Legendary filmmakers Guru Dutt, Raj Khosla, Ritwik Ghatak, P. Bhanumathi, Bhupen Hazarika, and Salil Chowdhury will be honoured.

Salil Chowdhury’s Musafir and Ritwik Ghatak’s Subarnarekha will be screened.Superstar Rajinikanth will be felicitated at the closing ceremony for completing 50 years of his cinematic journey. Indian Panorama will feature 25 feature films, 20 non-feature films, and five debut feature films.

The opening film in the Indian Panorama Feature is Amaran, while the opening non-feature film is Kakori."Indian cinema is making a global impact, with Indian films outperforming Hollywood releases at the Australian box office," said Jaju. The festival will screen prominent international award winners that triumphed at Cannes, Berlinale, Locarno, and Venice.