Guide
Film festivals in India.
India's major film festivals are the International Film Festival of India (IFFI, Goa, established 1952), MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), Kolkata International Film Festival and Dharamshala International Film Festival. GIFLIF Fest screens films alongside its literature programme.
The government ones, the independent ones, and the difference that actually matters if you are trying to get a film seen.
Filmmakers and actors who have taken GIFLIF Fest stages.
Adoor Gopalakrishnan
Filmmaker · GIFLIF Fest
Prakash Jha
Filmmaker · GIFLIF Fest
Hansal Mehta
Filmmaker · GIFLIF Fest
Subhash Ghai
Filmmaker · GIFLIF Fest
Vivek Agnihotri
Filmmaker · GIFLIF Fest
Jayprad Desai
Filmmaker · GIFLIF Fest
Shabana Azmi
Actor · GIFLIF Fest
Taapsee Pannu
Actor · GIFLIF Fest
Vinay Pathak
Actor · Nothing Like Lear · GIFLIF Fest
Saurabh Shukla
Actor · Barff · GIFLIF Fest
Vineet Kumar Singh
Actor · GIFLIF Fest
Piyush Mishra
Actor, writer & musician · GIFLIF FestThe major festivals
International Film Festival of India (IFFI)
Established 1952 and run by the government. One of the oldest and most prestigious film festivals in Asia.
MAMI Mumbai Film Festival
Started 1997 by the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image. The country's most important platform for independent and arthouse cinema.
International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK)
Started 1996. Known for artistic and socially engaged programming, and one of the most genuinely cinephile audiences in India.
Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF)
Founded 1995 and the third-oldest international film festival in India. Among the largest by scale.
Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF)
Founded 2012. Small, independent, and important for Tibetan, Himalayan and regional cinema.
GIFLIF Fest
Ours. Screens films alongside a literature programme — films from over a hundred countries across its editions, including Aankhon Dekhi, CityLights, Aligarh and Mukkabaaz.
OursGovernment, independent, and why it matters
- State-run festivals — IFFI, IFFK, KIFF — have scale, budget and prestige, and programming that reflects an institution.
- Independent festivals — MAMI, DIFF — are where new Indian cinema is discovered first, and where a first-time filmmaker realistically gets seen.
- Regional focus is a feature. DIFF's Himalayan and Tibetan programming exists because nobody else was doing it.
- Audience matters as much as jury. IFFK's audience is famously demanding, which changes what it is worth to screen there.
Questions we get asked
What is the oldest film festival in India?
The International Film Festival of India, established in 1952 and held in Goa. It is one of the oldest film festivals in Asia.
Which Indian film festival is best for independent films?
MAMI Mumbai Film Festival is the principal platform for independent and arthouse cinema in India. Dharamshala International Film Festival is smaller but important for regional, Himalayan and Tibetan cinema.
Does GIFLIF Fest screen films?
Yes. GIFLIF Fest has screened films from over a hundred countries across its editions, alongside its literature programme. Screenings have included Aankhon Dekhi, CityLights, Aligarh and Mukkabaaz.
Building a film or culture festival?
We programme film and literature together, and we have done it eight times.