Goa: Goa is all set to roll out the red carpet for the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which will take place from November 20 to 28, 2025. The prestigious event promises a grand celebration of world cinema, featuring over 240 films from 81 countries.
This year, Japan takes the spotlight as the Country of Focus, with six handpicked films reflecting its evolving cinematic identity. Spain joins as the Partner Country, while Australia assumes the Spotlight Country position. IFFI 2025 will showcase 13 world premieres, five international premieres, and 44 Asian premieres across three international competitions featuring 32 films from five continents.
Audiences can look forward to acclaimed titles such as No Other Choice from South Korea, Cannes Palme d’Or winner It Was Just an Accident, Venice Golden Lion winner Father Mother Sister Brother, Berlin Silver Bear honoree The Message, and Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value. The festival received a record-breaking 2,314 submissions from 127 countries, including more than 1,000 Indian entries in 18 languages.
🎬 56th International Film Festival of India ✨
➡️Global spotlight at IFFI👉Country of Focus for IFFI 2025: Japan
👉Japan presents a panoramic view of Japanese cinema celebrating the creative force of both rising filmmakers and established auteurs who continue to shape the… pic.twitter.com/2kASfjLs6z
— PIB India (@PIB_India) November 7, 2025
Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the festival celebrates inclusivity and global storytelling while showcasing the depth of India’s regional cinema. He noted that IFFI is also “nurturing young talent and embracing digital storytelling.”
The festival will open with Brazilian director Gabriel Mascaro’s The Blue Trail – a sci-fi fantasy chronicling a 75-year-old woman’s mystical journey through the Amazon. The film earlier won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the 2025 Berlin Film Festival.
The Gala Premieres section will feature 18 major films, including 13 world premieres and two Asian premieres. The International Section will screen more than 160 films, including 21 Oscar-nominated titles. Renowned filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra will chair the international competition jury. IFFI 2025 will feature nine curated segments such as Docu-Montage, Restored Classics, Macabre Dreams, Cinema of the World, UNICEF Cinema, and Rising Stars.
The 56th IFFI opens with The Blue Trail by Gabriel Mascaro — a Berlinale 2025 Silver Bear winner that follows 77-year-old Teresa’s daring journey through the Amazon. 🌿✨#IFFI56 #IFFIGoa #TheBlueTrail #GabrielMascaro #NFDC #WorldCinema pic.twitter.com/uplFTve2ou
— International Film Festival of India (@IFFIGoa) November 7, 2025
The festival will also host 21 masterclasses and panel discussions at Goa’s Kala Academy. Industry stalwarts, including Aamir Khan, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Anupam Kher, Bobby Deol, Ravi Varman, Suhasini Maniratnam, Pete Draper, Sreekar Prasad, and Christopher Charles Corbould OBE, will engage in sessions on acting, AI in cinema, VFX, sustainability, and peacebuilding through art.
To honour cinematic legends, IFFI 2025 will mark the centenaries of Guru Dutt, Raj Khosla, Ritwik Ghatak, P. Bhanumathi, Bhupen Hazarika, and Salil Chowdhury with screenings of digitally restored classics.
The Indian Panorama segment will feature 25 feature films, 20 non-feature films, and five debut projects. Rajkumar Periyasamy’s Tamil film Amaran, starring Sivakarthikeyan and Sai Pallavi, will open the feature category, while Kakori will inaugurate the non-feature section.
The Women in Cinema and Emerging Voices sections will celebrate inclusivity, highlighting more than 100 films by women and debut directors. Meanwhile, the Waves Film Bazaar, now in its 19th edition, will host 300 projects, including 22 features and five documentaries in the co-production market — with winners set to receive grants of up to USD 20,000.
