The 57th International Film Festival of India will showcase 159 international films from 86 countries, 76 Indian films in 18 languages and 14 gala premieres from November 20 to 28. The festival’s theme is ‘Stories Without Borders’. Over 7,000 delegates have registered so far. Screenings will span 13 indoor screens with over 4,000 seats across Panaji, Porvorim, Margao and Ponda, alongside open-air screenings at three locations. The festival received over 1,900 submissions from 137 countries, with overall participation from 87 countries, informed officials.
Paweł Pawlikowski’s Fatherland will open the festival, Alina Șerban’s I Matter will be the mid-fest film and Anthony Chen’s We Are All Strangers will close it. Spain will be Country of Honour and Russia Partner Country. The BRICS section will open with India’s Ramayana, while Dhurandhar and Becoming will open the Indian Panorama. The programme features 52 women filmmakers and 62 debut filmmakers, including 10 women and 12 debut filmmakers in competitive sections. New sections Animation and Films About Films will present five films each, while seven films will compete for Best Debut Feature Film. Kala Academy will host 14 sessions from November 21 to 27. Creative Minds of Tomorrow will involve 100 participants across 13 filmmaking crafts. The 20th WAVES Film Bazaar, with Netflix as Knowledge Series partner, will connect filmmakers with industry representatives.
International competition prize money raised to ₹1.36 crore
Prize money across six international competition categories at the 57th International Film Festival of India has been increased to ₹1.36 crore from ₹1 crore.The Golden Peacock for Best Film will carry ₹51 lakh, up from ₹40 lakh. Award money of the other categories has also been increased.
