2025 Indian film festival
The56thInternational Film Festival of India took place from 20 to 28 November 2025 atPanaji ,Goa .[ 1] The Blue Trail Gabriel Mascaro .[ 2] Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra served as the chairperson of the International Jury. The festival presented more than 240 films from 81 countries, including 13 world premieres, 5 international premieres and 44 Asian premieres.[ 3]
Japan was designated as the 'Country of Focus' at the festival, and it will present six curated titles. In addition Spain will be the Partner Country, with Australia as the Spotlight Country.[ 4] Guru Dutt ,Raj Khosla ,Ritwik Ghatak ,P. Bhanumathi ,Bhupen Hazarika , andSalil Chowdhury with special retrospectives of their works.
The closing ceremony on 28 November featured a felicitation of actorRajinikanth , recognizing his contributions to cinema over the past five decades. The festival concluded with the announcement of various awards.Golden Peacock for the best feature film was won by the Vietnamese transgender sex romance filmSkin of Youth by Ash Mayfair.[ 5] A Useful Ghost [ 6]
The 56th edition of the festival showcased 15 curated and competitive sections, including International Competition, Best Debut Feature Film, and the ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal. Special categories included featured categories viz: Macabre Dreams, Docu-Montage, Experimental cinema, UNICEF-supported films, and Restored classics. The Gala Premieres section included 18 films, featuring 13 world premieres and two Asia premieres. The Indian Panorama presented 25 feature films, 20 non-feature films, and five debut features. More than 50 films by women directors and over 50 debut works were shown in the international lineup. The festival also hosted 21 masterclasses.[ 7]
Opening and closing ceremonies [ edit ] For the first time in its history, the festival, departing from the tradition of hosting opening ceremony in enclosed venue. commenced with a carnival 26-float parade on 20 November 2025. It featured floats from production houses, state representatives, cultural groups, cinematic heritage and the world of animation. The parade proceeded through the lanes and alleyways of Panaji, Goa, reminiscent of itscarnival . Indian actor, film producerNandamuri Balakrishna was felicitated at the parade for his outstanding contribution to Indian cinema.[ 8]
The festival ended with a vibrant display of India’s cultural diversity, featuring folk traditions, classical dances from different regions, and performances by divyang artists. It concluded with the announcement of the awards and the screening of the Thai filmA Useful Ghost [ 9]
Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra , Chairman of juryICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal jury [ edit ] Ahmed Bedjaoui , artistic director of the International Film Festival of Algiers, chairpersonXueyan Hun, Platform for Creativity and Innovation, CICT-ICFT youth branch Serge Michel, vice president of UNICA; Tobias Biancone, former director-general of the International Theatre Institute Georges Dupont , director-general of ICFT and former senior international civil servant at UNESCORaja Bundela , Indian actor, producer, politician and civil activist, chairpersonMalay Ray, Cinematographer Subhash Sehgal, film editor Jadumani Dutta, filmmaker Krishna Hebbal, actor Kamlesh K Mishra, filmmaker Arun Bakshi , actor, singerAsim Sinha, actor Ashok Sharan, producer Sukumar Jatania, cinematographer B S Basavaraju, cinematographer Non-feature film jury [ edit ] Dharam Gulati, Cinematographer, chairperson Anjali Panjabi, Filmmaker & Producer Bobby Sarma Baruah , FilmmakerRekha Gupta, Film Critic and Film Curator Ashok Cashyap, Film Producer, Filmmaker and Cinematographer A. Karthik Raaja, Cinematographer Jyotsana Garg, Filmmaker The following venues will host the festival screenings.
Inox Panjim, Maquinez Palace Inox Porvorim Z-Square Samrat Ashok Ravindra Bhavan Madgaon Open-air screenings Opening midfest and closing films [ edit ] The opening and closing films of the festival are:[ 10]
International competition [ edit ] 15 feature films will compete for theGolden Peacock award.[ 11]
English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Amaran Tamil Rajkumar Periasamy Raaj Kamal Films International Amrum Fatih Akin Germany C'est Si Bon! Moi qui t'aimais Diane Kurys France Gondhal गोंधळ Santosh Davakhar India Little Trouble Girls Kaj ti je deklica Urška Djukić Slovenia, Italy, Croatia, Serbia Mosquitoes Le Bambine Valentina Bertani and Nicole Bertani Italy, Switzerland, France Mother's Baby Johanna Moder Austria, Switzerland, Germany My Father's Shadow Akinola Davies Jr. United Kingdom, Ireland, Nigeria A Poet Un Poeta Simón Mesa Soto Colombia, Germany, Sweden Renoir ルノワール Chie Hayakawa Japan, Australia, France, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia Sarkeet Thamar KV India Sham Takashi Miike Japan Skin of Youth Ồn Ào Tuổi Trẻ Ash Mayfair Vietnam, Singapore, Japan Songs of Adam Oday Rasheed Iraq The Visual Feminist Manifesto Farida Baqi Syria, Lebanon, Germany
Best Debut Feature Film of a Director [ edit ] This section will feature seven first-time filmmakers from the world of cinema.[ 12] [ 13]
ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal [ edit ] 10 films are competing for theIFFI ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal :[ 14]
From The Festivals - 2025 [ edit ] English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Black Rabbit, White Rabbit Shahram Mokri Tajikistan, United Arab Emirates The Blue Trail O Último Azul Gabriel Mascaro Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Netherlands Dreams (Sex Love) Drømmer Dag Johan Haugerud Norway Father Mother Sister Brother Jim Jarmusch United States, Ireland, France Fiume o morte! Rijeka Igor Bezinović Croatia, Italy, Slovenia Gloaming in Luomu 罗目的黄昏 Zhang Lü China It Was Just an Accident یک تصادف ساده Jafar Panahi Iran, France, Luxembourg Katanga: The Dance of the Scorpions Katanga - La danse des scorpions Dani Kouyaté Burkina Faso Kontinental '25 Radu Jude Romania, Brazil, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Luxembourg Magellan Magalhães Lav Diaz Portugal, Spain, Philippines, France The Mastermind Kelly Reichardt United States, United Kingdom The Message El mensaje Iván Fund Argentina, Spain Miroirs No. 3 Christian Petzold Germany No Other Choice 어쩔수가없다 Park Chan-wook South Korea Sentimental Value Affeksjonsverdi Joachim Trier Norway, France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, United Kingdom Sirāt Oliver Laxe Spain, France Sound of Falling In die Sonne schauen Mascha Schilinski Germany White Snail Elsa Kremser and Levin Peter Austria, Germany Woman and Child زن و بچه Saeed Roustayi Iran, France, Germany
In Indian Panorama feature and non-feature films of cinematic, thematic, and aesthetic excellence are selected for the promotion of film art through the non-profit screening of these films under different categories.[ 15] [ 16]
Title of the Film Language Director(s) Producer(s) Amaran Opening film )Tamil Rajkumar Periasamy Raaj Kamal Films International Gondhal गोंधळ Santosh Davakhar India Sarkeet Malayalam Thamar KV Ajith Vinayaka Films Vimukt Braj-language Jitank Singh Gurjar Canvas Creation The Bengal Files Hindi Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri Abhishek Agarwal Arts Oitharei Manipuri Dinesh Naorem Gibanlata Thokchom Maliput Melodies Odia Vishal Patnaik Kaustav Dreamworks Studios
Mainstream Cinema Section [ edit ] Best Debut Director [ edit ] English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) A.R.M Jithin Lal India Committee Kurrollu Yadhu Vamsee India Shape of Momo Tribeny Rai India Binodiini Binodiini: Ekti Natir Upakhyan Ram Kamal Mukherjee India
Best Web Series OTT [ edit ] This section comprises documentaries & docu-drama.
English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) And There Was Evening And There Was Morning. The First Day Youhanna Nagy Egypt Below the Clouds Sotto le nuvole Gianfranco Rosi Italy Croma Manuel Abramovich Argentina, Germany, Austria Forensics Federico Atehortúa Arteaga Columbia Gods of Stone Iván Castiñeiras Gallego Spain, France, Portugal Ku Handza André Guiomar Portugal Lullaby for the Mountains Hayk Matevosyan Armenia, United States Morichales Chris Gude United States, Colombia
[ edit ] English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Dreaming Is Not Sleeping Rouzbeh Rashidi Ireland, Germany, Poland, and Denmark Mare's Nest Ben Rivers United Kingdom, France, Canada
Cinema of the World [ edit ] The following films were selected in this section:[ 17]
English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Amoeba 核 Siyou Tan Singapore, Netherlands, France, Spain, South Korea Becoming Vosten Zhannat Alshanova Kazakhstan Calle Málaga Maryam Touzani Morocco, France, Spain, Germany, Belgium Calorie Eisha Marjara Canada The Chronology of Water Kristen Stewart France, Latvia, United Kingdom, United States DJ Ahmet Georgi M. Unkovski North Macedonia, Czech Republic, Serbia, Croatia Enzo Robin Campillo France, Italy, Belgium Girl 女孩 Shu Qi Taiwan, China Girls on Wire 想飞的女孩 Vivian Qu China In Pursuit of Spring Bahorni quvib Ayub Shahobiddinov Uzbekistan The Janitor El Conserje Mauro Mueller & David Figueroa GarcíaMexico, Switzerland The Ivy Hiedra Ana Cristina Barragán Ecuador, Mexico, France, Spain The Last Viking Den Sidste Viking Anders Thomas Jensen Denmark, Sweden Late Shift Heldin Petra Volpe Switzerland, Germany The Little Sister La Petite Dernière Hafsia Herzi France, Germany Lucky Lu Lloyd Lee Choi United States, Canada Memory of Princess Mumbi Damien Hauser Kenya, Switzerland Phantoms of July Sehnsucht in Sangerhausen Julian Radlmaier Germany Rains Over Babel Llueve sobre Babel Gala del Sol Colombia, United States, Spain Solomamma Janicke Askevold Norway, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, Finland
The following films were selected in this section:[ 18]
English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Better Go Mad in the Wild Raději zešílet v divočině Miro Remo Czech Republic, Slovakia The Botanist 植物学家 Jing Yi China Hair, Paper, Water... Tóc, Giấy và Nước Nicolas Graux andMinh Quý Trương 'Belgium, France, Vietnam Hen Kota György Pálfi Germany, Greece, Hungary The Memory of Butterflies La memoria de las mariposas Tatiana Fuentes Sadowski Peru, Portugal Silent Friend Stille Freundin Ildikó Enyedi Germany, France, Hungary
English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Alpha Julia Ducournau France, Belgium The Book of Sijjin & Illiyyin Kitab Sijjin & Illiyyin Hadrah Daeng Ratu Indonesia Gorgonà Evi Kalogiropoulou Greece, France The Invisible Half Masaki Nishiyama Japan New Group Yûta Shimotsu Japan Reflection in a Dead Diamond Reflet dans un diamant mort Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, France
English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) The Beetle Project Jin Kwang-kyo South Korea Happy Birthday هابي بيرث داي Sarah Goher Egypt The Odyssey of Joy Odiseja e Gëzimit Zgjim Terziqi Kosovo, France
Special Presentation [ edit ] Japan is nominated as the "Country of Focus" for the festival.
[ edit ] Spain is partner Country of the festival
English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Fury La furia Gemma Blasco Spain Gods of Stone Deuses de Pedra Iván Castiñeiras Spain Sirāt Oliver Laxe Spain, France Sleepless City Ciudad sin sueño Guillermo Galoe Spain, France
Rajinikanth , recipient of Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement AwardThe festival concluded with awards ceremony honouring the following awardees:[ 19] [ 5]
^ "IFFI 2025 Media Accreditation: Deadline Extended to 10th November" . PIB. 5 November 2025. Retrieved7 November 2025 – via press release.^ Naman Ramachandran (20 November 2025)."Telugu Film Industry Celebrated as International Film Festival of India Gets Off to Goan Carnival Start" .Variety . Retrieved20 November 2025 . ^ "IFFI to Showcase Over 240 Films from 81 Nations, Japan as Focus Country" .Deccan Herald . Retrieved7 November 2025 .^ "Japan country of focus at 56th International Film Festival of India" .Telegraph India . Retrieved7 November 2025 .^a b Naman Ramachandran, Udita Jhunjhunwala (28 November 2025)."Transgender Vietnamese Drama 'Skin of Youth' Wins Top Prize at International Film Festival of India" .Variety . Retrieved29 November 2025 . ^ "IFFI 2025 to Embody Innovation and Inclusivity, Celebrate Women Filmmakers, New Talent and Creative Excellence in Cinema: Union Minister of State Dr. L. Murugan" . PIB. 7 November 2025. Retrieved7 November 2025 – via press release.^ Naman Ramachandran (8 November 2025)."Berlin Winner 'The Blue Trail' to Open India's IFFI; Fest to Feature Japan Focus, Aamir Khan Masterclass" .Variety . Retrieved9 November 2025 . ^ "IFFI Steps onto the Streets: A Historic Parade Opens the 56th Edition" . PIB. 20 November 2025. Retrieved21 November 2025 – via press release.^ "56th IFFI comes to a close, but the magic of cinema will last forever!" . PIB. 28 November 2025. Retrieved29 November 2025 – via press release.^ Patrick Frater (7 November 2025)."International Film Festival of India announces opening film, main selection and masterclasses" .ScreenDaily . Retrieved10 November 2025 . ^ Naman Ramachandran (8 November 2025)."Miike Takashi's 'Sham,' Rajkumar Periasamy's 'Amaran' to Compete for Golden Peacock at India's IFFI" .Variety . Retrieved9 November 2025 . ^ Naman Ramachandran (8 November 2025)." .Variety . Retrieved9 November 2025 . ^ "IFFI 2025 Showcases Seven Debut Masterpieces from India and Around the World" . PIB. 9 November 2025. Retrieved9 November 2025 – via press release.^ Naman Ramachandran (7 November 2025)."Cannes Winner 'The President's Cake' Among 10 Films Competing for ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi Medal at India's IFFI Goa Festival" .Variety . Retrieved8 November 2025 . ^ Naman Ramachandran (8 November 2025)."Sivakarthikeyan Starrer 'Amaran' to Open Indian Panorama at IFFI" .Variety . Retrieved9 November 2025 . ^ "Indian Panorama-2025 Official Selection and nomination for Best Web-Series (OTT) Award -2025 for 56th IFFI, 2025" . PIB. 8 November 2025. Retrieved10 November 2025 – via press release.^ "Cinema of the World - 2025" .International Film Festival of India . Retrieved7 November 2025 .^ "56th IFFI Gala Premiere" .International Film Festival of India . Retrieved9 November 2025 .^ "56th IFFI Concludes in Goa, Vietnamese Film Wins Golden Peacock" .News On Air . 28 November 2025. Retrieved28 November 2025 .
