Goa: IFFI 2026 to showcase over 150 international films from 86 countries
The nine-day festival, to be held in Goa from November 20 to 28, will bring together filmmakers, cinema enthusiasts and creative professionals from across the world under the theme ‘Stories Without Borders’.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday unveiled the festival programme at a curtain-raiser press conference at Taj Cidade de Goa Horizon, highlighting the state’s preparations to host the international film fraternity.
Sawant said IFFI had become an integral part of Goa’s cultural identity and calendar.
The state government had made arrangements for screening venues, transportation, hospitality and public facilities to ensure a smooth experience for participants and visitors, he added.
Secretary of the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Chanchal Kumar said IFFI had evolved into a major platform for Indian and international cinema, promoting cinematic excellence, cultural exchange and diverse storytelling.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s observation that stories may have an address but emotions have no borders, he said the festival’s theme highlighted cinema’s ability to transcend geographical, linguistic and cultural barriers.
Festival Director Ashutosh Gowariker said the theme ‘Stories Without Borders’ reflected the power of cinema to connect audiences across cultures through universal human emotions.
The opening film of the festival will be ‘Fatherland’, directed by Paweł Pawlikowski. The film follows Nobel laureate Thomas Mann and his daughter Erika during their journey through post-war Germany in 1949, exploring the political and personal divisions of the period. It received the Best Director award at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.
IFFI 2026 will introduce two new segments, Animation and Films About Films, featuring five films each. While the animation section will showcase creativity and innovation in animated cinema, the latter will focus on the art and craft of filmmaking.
The festival will also feature a special BRICS cinema section, with India’s ‘Ramayana’ as its opening film. The segment will showcase films from all 11 BRICS member countries, besides contributions from partner countries.
Under the Indian Panorama section, 76 films in 18 languages will be screened, highlighting India’s diverse cinematic traditions.
The selection process received 404 feature film submissions and 358 non-feature film entries. The Best Web Series (OTT) category received 46 eligible submissions.
The curtain-raiser event was attended by senior officials of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and Entertainment Society of Goa, along with filmmakers and members of the festival jury.
TNT KM
