56th International Film Festival of India Last updated November 17, 2025 2025 Indian film festival
56th International Film Festival of India Official poster
Opening film The Blue Trail by Gabriel Mascaro Closing film A Useful Ghost Location Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium at Panaji , Goa , India Founded 1952 Awards Hosted by No. of films240 Festival date Opening: 20 November 2025 (2025-11-20 ) November 2025 (2025-11-28 ) Website iffigoa
The 56th International Film Festival of India will take place from 20 to 28 November 2025 at Panaji , Goa . [ 1] The festival will open with 2025 dystopian drama film The Blue Trail by Gabriel Mascaro . Indian film director, occasional actor and screenwriter Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra will serve as the chairperson of the International Jury. The festival will present more than 240 films from 81 countries, including 13 world premieres, 5 international premieres and 44 Asian premieres. [ 2]
Japan is 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. [ 3]
The closing ceremony on 28 November will feature a felicitation of actor Rajinikanth , recognizing his contributions to cinema over the past five decades. In addition the festival will also celebrate centenaries and honour cinematic legends such as Guru Dutt , Raj Khosla , Ritwik Ghatak , P. Bhanumathi , Bhupen Hazarika , and Salil Chowdhury with special retrospectives of their works. 2025 Thai supernatural black comedy-drama A Useful Ghost by Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke will be the closing film. [ 4]
Overview The 56th edition of the festival will showcase 15 curated and competitive sections, including International Competition, Best Debut Feature Film, and the ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal. Special categories will feature categories: Macabre Dreams, Docu-Montage, Experimental cinema, UNICEF-supported films, and Restored classics. The Gala Premieres section will include 18 films, featuring 13 world premieres and two Asia premieres. The Indian Panorama will present 25 feature films, 20 non-feature films, and five debut features. More than 50 films by women directors and over 50 debut works will be shown in the international lineup. The festival will also host 21 masterclasses. [ 5]
Opening and closing ceremonies Opening ceremony For the first time in its history, the festival will depart from the tradition of hosting opening ceremony in enclosed venue. Instead, the festival will commence with a carnival 26-float parade on 20 November 2025, featuring participation from production houses, state representatives, and cultural groups. The parade will proceed through the lanes and alleyways of Panaji, Goa, reminiscent of its carnival . [ 6] [ 7] Nandamuri Balakrishna will be felicitated at the opening ceremony parade on 20 November 2025.
Jury ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal jury Ahmed Bedjaoui , artistic director of the International Film Festival of Algiers, chairperson Xueyan 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 UNESCO Feature film jury Raja Bundela , Indian actor, producer, politician and civil activist, chairperson Malay Ray, Cinematographer Subhash Sehgal, film editor Jadumani Dutta, filmmaker Krishna Hebbal, actor Kamlesh K Mishra, filmmaker Arun Bakshi , actor, singer Asim Sinha, actor Ashok Sharan, producer Sukumar Jatania, cinematographer B S Basavaraju, cinematographer Non-feature film jury Dharam Gulati, Cinematographer, chairperson Anjali Panjabi, Filmmaker & Producer Bobby Sarma Baruah , Filmmaker Rekha Gupta, Film Critic and Film Curator Ashok Cashyap, Film Producer, Filmmaker and Cinematographer A. Karthik Raaja, Cinematographer Jyotsana Garg, Filmmaker Screening venues The following venues will host the festival screenings.
Inox Panjim, Maquinez Palace Inox Porvorim Z-Square Samrat Ashok Ravindra Bhavan Madgaon Open-air screenings Official selection Opening midfest and closing films The opening and closing films of the festival are: [ 8]
English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Opening film The Blue Trail O Último Azul Gabriel Mascaro Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Netherlands Midfest film Sirāt Oliver Laxe Spain, France Closing film A Useful Ghost ผีใช้ได้ค่ะ Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke Thailand, France, Singapore, Germany
International competition 15 feature films will compete for the Golden Peacock award. [ 9]
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 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 This section will feature seven first-time filmmakers from the world of cinema. [ 10] [ 11]
English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Ata Thambaycha Naay! Shivraj Waichal India The Devil Smokes El diablo fuma (y guarda las cabezas de los cerillos quemados en la misma caja) Ernesto Martínez Bucio Mexico Fury La furia Gemma Blasco Spain Fränk Tõnis Pill Estonia Karla Christina Tournatzés Germany My Daughter’s Hair رها Hesam Farahmand Iran Shape of Momo Tribeny Rai India
From The Festivals - 2025 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
Indian Panorama 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. [ 13] [ 14]
Feature films Title of the Film Language Director(s) Producer(s) Amaran (Opening film )Tamil Rajkumar Periasamy Raaj Kamal Films International 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
Mainstream Cinema Section Non-feature Films Title of the Film Language Director(s) Aanirai Tamil E. V. Ganesh Babu Battlefield Manipuri Borun Thokchom Chambal Hindi Anhad Mishra Kakori (Opening film )Hindi Kamlesh K. Mishra Ummathat Kodava Prakash Kariappa
Best Debut Director 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
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
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 The following films were selected in this section: [ 15]
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 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 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
Gala Premiere The following films were selected in this section: [ 16]
Mission Life 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 and Minh 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
Macabre Dreams 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
Country of focus Japan is nominated as the "Country of Focus" for the festival.
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
References ↑ "IFFI 2025 Media Accreditation: Deadline Extended to 10th November" . PIB. 5 November 2025. Retrieved 7 November 2025 – via press release. ↑ "IFFI to Showcase Over 240 Films from 81 Nations, Japan as Focus Country" . Deccan Herald . 7 November 2025. Retrieved 7 November 2025 . ↑ "Japan country of focus at 56th International Film Festival of India" . Telegraph India . 7 November 2025. Retrieved 7 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. Retrieved 7 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 . Retrieved 9 November 2025 . ↑ "IFFI 2025 to break tradition, open with a vibrant street carnival in Panaji" . The Statesman . 7 November 2025. Retrieved 9 November 2025 . ↑ "IFFI 2025 to be celebrated in grand manner, says CM; road closure announced for parade" . The Goan Everyday . 10 November 2025. Retrieved 10 November 2025 . ↑ Patrick Frater (7 November 2025). "International Film Festival of India announces opening film, main selection and masterclasses" . ScreenDaily . Retrieved 10 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 . Retrieved 9 November 2025 . ↑ Naman Ramachandran (8 November 2025). " . Variety . Retrieved 9 November 2025 . ↑ "IFFI 2025 Showcases Seven Debut Masterpieces from India and Around the World" . PIB. 9 November 2025. Retrieved 9 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 . Retrieved 8 November 2025 . ↑ Naman Ramachandran (8 November 2025). "Sivakarthikeyan Starrer 'Amaran' to Open Indian Panorama at IFFI" . Variety . Retrieved 9 November 2025 . ↑ "Indian Panorama-2025 Official Selection and nomination for Best Web-Series (OTT) Award -2025 for 56th IFFI, 2025" . PIB. 8 November 2025. Retrieved 10 November 2025 – via press release. ↑ "Cinema of the World - 2025" . International Film Festival of India . 7 November 2025. Retrieved 7 November 2025 . ↑ "56th IFFI Gala Premiere" . International Film Festival of India . 7 November 2025. Retrieved 9 November 2025 . This page is based on this
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