Renoir

Source: Cannes IFF

‘Renoir’

The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) aims to become more representative of global filmmaking, minority communities, women and emerging technology, according to head selector and artistic director Pankaj Saxena.

Set to run November 20-28, the 56th edition of the festival boasts three competitive sections, screenings of 165 international films, an Indian Panorama and specialist sections for genre titles and environmental interest films.

The most-prestigious main competition is the most conventional – this year it boasts 12 international titles and three films from India – and requires all of them to be India premieres. “It is clearly about finding the best film. It comes with a jury and five prizes” says Saxena.

See below for full list of main competition titles

Pankaj Saxena

Source: Subject’s own

Pankaj Saxena

But diversity and representation are clear goals. Saxena explains: “Our first selection criterion is about aesthetics and craft. The second is about the content or concerns that the film is delving into. Third, is to give representation to all parts of the world. Form, content and representation.”

The festival’s opening film is The Blue Trail by Brazilian auteur Gabriel Mascaro, which won the Silver Bear grand jury prize at this year’s Berlinale. The main competition entries are a mix of world premieres and titles selected from other major festivals. The include Japanese director Chie Hayakawa Renoir, UK-Nigeria director Akinola Davies Jr.’s My Father’s Shadow and Simon Mesa Soto’s A Poet, all of which debuted at Cannes.

Further competitive sections are the self-explanatory one for best debut director and another for the ICFT Gandhi Medal, an award presented to a film which promotes peace and inter-cultural dialogue. There are five contenders this year.

But if competition denotes hierarchy, Saxena and IFFI are careful to be inclusive at every other opportunity.

The Rising Stars section is for “first or second films, which were not able to make it to the best debut competition, but which are still good films”, according to Saxena.

“For the festival to select 50 films by women directors represents the rise not only of women filmmakers, but also professional women technicians, writers, editors and cinematographers”, adds Saxena. “We are very happy because, for a very long period of time, our cinema has largely been representing the male view, which is only half of all humanity”.

IFFI 2025 main competition selection

Amaran (India)
Dir. Rajkumar Periasamy

Amrum (Ger)
Dir. Fatih Akin

Gondhal (India)
Dir. Santosh Devakhar

Little Trouble Girls (Cro-Ir-Sp-Ser)
Dir. Urska Djukic

Moi Qui T’aimais (Fr)
Dir. Diane Kurys

Mosquitoes (Fr-It-Switz)
Dirs. Valentina Bertani, Nicole Bertani

Mother’s Baby (Austria-Ger-Switz)
Dir. Johanna Moder

My Father’s Shadow (UK-Nig)
Dir. Akinola Davies Jr

A Poet (Col-Ger-Swe)
Dir. Simón Mesa Soto

Renoir (Japan-Fr-Sing-Phil-Indo)
Dir. Chie Hayakawa

Sarkeet (India)
Dir. Thamar KV

Sham (Japan)
Dir. Takashi Miike

Skin Of Youth (Japan-Sing-Viet)
Dir. Ash Mayfair

Songs Of Adam (Iraq)
Dir. Oday Rasheed

The Visual Feminist Manifesto (Ger-Leb-Syria)
Dir. Farida Baqi

Topics