# 55th International Film Festival of India

The 55th International Film Festival of India took place from 20 to 28 November, 2024 at Panaji, Goa. The theme of this year's festival is 'Young Filmmakers – The Future is Now', so this year a new section and award category 'Best Debut Director of Indian Feature Film' has been introduced in the festival to encourage young blood. The award is a certificate and cash prize of ₹5 lakh in recognition of young directorial talent from India. The festival screened over 180 international films from 81 countries, including 15 world premieres.
On 11 November it was announced that Ashutosh Gowariker an Indian filmmaker served as the chairperson of the international jury, and Phillip Noyce, an Australian film and television director was the recipient of Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award. 15 films competed for Golden Peacock award in main competition. Australia was designated as the 'Country of Focus' at the festival, with seven Australian films screened, highlighting the country's rich storytelling traditions, including indigenous and contemporary narratives. The festival honoured the 100th anniversary of four legendary figures in Indian cinema, actor–director Raj Kapoor, filmmaker Tapan Sinha, Telugu star Akkineni Nageswara Rao, and singer Mohammed Rafi, through a dedicated tribute program.
The festival opened with Australian film on the life of the British pop star Robbie Williams, Better Man by Michael Gracey. Abhishek Banerjee and Bhumi Pednekar hosted the opening ceremony which was telecast live on YouTube.
The festival closed on 28 November with Dry Season by Bohdan Sláma. Lithuanian drama film Toxic by Saulė Bliuvaitė, was awarded the best film award, the Golden Peacock. Romanian director Bogdan Mureșanu was awarded the Best Director award for the Romanian historical tragicomedy film The New Year That Never Came.

## Overview

On 6 September 2024, The National Film Development Corporation of India under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), organised a Roadshow to kick off the 55th edition of the International Film Festival of India. The Roadshow was held at the NFDC Premises on Pedder Road, Mumbai. On October 25, the films selected for the Indian Panorama section, along with the juries for the feature and non-feature categories, were announced. A Hindi–language biographical film Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, will open the Panorama section.
The festival is celebrating the centenary of four icons of Indian cinema—actor-director Raj Kapoor, filmmaker Tapan Sinha, Telugu thespian Akkineni Nageswara Rao, and singer Mohammed Rafi with a special tribute program. In its 55th edition, the festival will showcase restored classics from these legends, including Kapoor’s 1951 crime drama film Awaara, Sinha’s 1976 film Harmonium, Akkineni’s 1953 film Devadasu, and 1961 film Hum Dono, highlighting Rafi’s memorable vocals. The curtain raiser press conference was held on 11 November, attended by union minister of state for Information & Broadcasting, festival director Shekhar Kapur, Central Board of Film Certification chairman, and other senior ministry officials. It was revealed that the 'International Competition' section has 15 feature films, which will compete for the coveted Golden Peacock and ₹40 lakhs. Whereas 'Best Feature Film Debut Director' section has five International plus two Indian Films, which will compete for the Silver Peacock, ₹10 lakh and a certificate. 'IFFIesta’ an entertainment zone, where films, music, and culture converge to enhance youth participation and engagement at the festival will be set up.

## Opening and closing ceremonies
### Opening ceremony

Abhishek Banerjee and Bhumi Pednekar hosted the opening ceremony which was graced with live performances from Ishaan Khatter and Manushi Chhillar. Sanya Malhotra and Sunny Kaushal brought the history of Indian cinema to life through a musical tableau, spanning from 1913 to the present day. This year's Country of Focus, Australia, delighted the audience with mesmerizing dance performances. The centennial celebrations of Indian cinema legends Raj Kapoor, Tapan Sinha, Akkineni Nageswara Rao, and Mohammed Rafi were honored in the presence of their families, with commemorative postage stamps released in their memory.

### Closing ceremony

The festival closed on 28 November with Dry Season, a Czech drama film directed by Bohdan Sláma, which focuses on a conflict between two family clans. The ceremony hosted by Samir Kochhar, and attended by director Ramesh Sippy, actor-producer Nivin Pauly, and actor Pratik Gandhi, featured a performance titled 'Rhythms of India'. This showcase celebrated a rich tapestry of dance forms, including Kathak, Garba, Mohiniyattam, Kathakali, Manipuri, and the vibrant Pung Cholam Drummers. It concluded with the Lithuanian film Toxic by Saulė Bliuvaitė winning the Golden Peacock award, while Clément Favreau was honored as Best Actor for his performance in the French film Holy Cow.

## Events

* Master classes
** Anupam Kher 23 November 2024
** Shabana Azmi 25th November 2024
** John Seale 25th November 2024
** Phillip Noyce 25th November 2024
** Senthil Kumar 26 November 2024
** Chris Kirschbaum, Senior Animator for Avengers: Infinity War, 26 November 2024
* In conversation:
** Mani Ratnam 22 November 2024
** Nagarjuna 22 November 2024
* Panel Discussions:
** Women Safety and Cinema 21 November 2024

### Panelists

    Imtiaz Ali, Suhasini Maniratnam and Kushboo Sundar, and moderated by Vani Tripathi Tikoo
* Centenary Special – Celebrating the Life and Works of Raj Kapoor 24th November 2024

### Panelists

    Ranbir Kapoor and Rahul Rawail
* Centenary Session – The Spectrum and the Soul Tapan Sinha 27 November 2024

### Panelists

    Arjun Chakraborty, Manu Chakraborty and Ratnottama Sengupta

## Jury
### International Jury

In addition to the Golden Peacock for best film, the Jury decides the winners in the Best Director, Best Actor (Male), Best Actor (Female) and Special Jury Prize categories. The following are the members of the International Jury:
* Ashutosh Gowariker, Indian filmmaker, Chairperson
* Anthony Chen, Singaporean writer-director
* Elizabeth Karlsen, American–British film producer
* Fran Borgia, Spanish producer
* Jill Bilcock, Australian editor

### Feature film jury

The Feature Film Jury is headed by Film Director, Actor and Screenwriter Chandra Prakash Dwivedi. The Feature Jury constituted of twelve Members collectively representing the diverse Indian film fraternity.
* Manoj Joshi, Indian film, stage and television actor
* Susmita Mukherjee, Actor
* Himansu Sekhar Khatua, Film Director
* Oinam Gautam Singh, Film Director
* Ashuu Trikha, Film Director
* S.M. Patil, Film Director and Writer
* Neelaabh Kaul, Cinematographer and Film Director
* Susant Misra, Film Director
* Arun Kumar Bose, Ex HOD of Prasad Institute and Sound Engineer
* Ratnottama Sengupta, Writer and Editor
* Sameer Hanchate, Film Director
* Priya Krishnaswamy, Film Director

### Non-feature film jury

The Jury headed by Documentary and Wildlife film director Subbiah Nallamuthu, has following six member:
* Rajnikant Acharya, Producer and Film Director
* Ronel Haobam, Film Director
* Usha Deshpande, Film Director and Producer
* Vandana Kohli, Film Director and Writer
* Mithunchandra Chaudhari, Film Director
* Shalini Shah, filmmaker

### ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal jury

* Isabelle Danel, France, Honorary President of FIPRESCI - International Federation of Film Critics
* Serge Michel, Vice President of CICT-ICFT
* Maria Cristina Iglesias, former head of UNESCO’s Cultural Sector Programme
* Ahmed Bedjaoui, Artistic Director of the Algiers International Film Festival
* Xueyan Hun, Platform for Creativity and Innovation, CICT-ICFT youth branch

### 75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow
#### Grand Jury

* A. Sreekar Prasad, Editor
* Deepak Singh, director
* Charuvi Agrawal, Indian painter, sculptor, animator, visual and installation artist
* Shankar Mahadevan, composer
* Samrat Chakraborty, Writing
* Ravi Varman, cinematographer
* Mona Shetty, Voice over
* Shreya Ghoshal, Playback Singer
* Sreelekha Mukherjee, Actor
* Sheetal Sharma, costume designer

### Web Series jury

* Madhur Bhandarkar, Indian film director, script writer, and producer – Chairperson
* Harish Shankar, Indian film director and screenwriter
* Rupali Ganguly, Indian actress
* Krishna Hebbale, actor

## Official selection
### Sections

* International competition
* Best Debut Feature Film of a Director
* Indian Panorama
** Feature films
** Mainstream Cinema Section
** Non-feature films
* Best Debut Director of Indian Feature Film
* ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal
* Best Web Series Award
* From The Festivals – 2024
* Docu–Montage
* Experimental Films – 2024
* Macabre Dreams
* Accolades – 2024
* Cinema of the World
* Restored classics
* UNICEF @ IFFI
* Mission Life
* BFI@IFFI
* From The Consulates

### Opening and closing films

Source:
| Year | English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
| Opening films |||||
| 2024 | Better Man | Better Man | Michael Gracey | Australia, United States |
| Indian Panorama feature film |||||
| 2024 | Swatantrya Veer Savarkar | Swatantrya Veer Savarkar | Randeep Hooda | India |
| Indian Panorama non-feature film |||||
| 2024 | Ghar Jaisa Kuch | Ghar Jaisa Kuch | Harsh Sangani | India |
| Closing film |||||
| 2024 | Dry Season | Sucho | Bohdan Sláma | Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia |

### International competition

15 international and Indian fiction feature films competed for the Golden Peacock Award.
    Highlighted title indicates award winner
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
| Fear and Trembling | | Manijeh Hekmat and Faeze Azizkhani | Iran |
| Gulizar | Gulizar | Belkis Bayrak | Turkey |
| Holy Cow | Vingt Dieux | Louise Courvoisier | France |
| I'm Nevenka | Soy Nevenka | Icíar Bollaín | Spain |
| Panopticon | Panopticon | George Sikharulidze | Georgia, France, Italy, Romania |
| Pierce | 刺心切骨 | Nelicia Low | Singapore, Taiwan, Poland |
| Red Path | Les Enfants rouges | Lotfi Achour | Tunisia |
| Shepherds | Berger | Sophie Deraspe | Canada, France |
| The New Year That Never Came | Anul Nou care n-a fost | Bogdan Mureșanu | Romania |
| Toxic | Akiplėša | Saulė Bliuvaitė | Lithuania |
| Waves | Vlny | Jiří Mádl | Czech Republic, Slovakia |
| Who Do I Belong To | Là d’où l’on vient | Meryam Joobeur | Tunisia, Canada, France, Norway, Qatar, Saudi Arabia |
| The Goat Life | Aadujeevitham | Blessy | India |
| Article 370 | Article 370 | Aditya Suhas Jambhale | India |
| Raavsaheb | Raavsaheb | Nikhil Mahajan | India |

### Best Debut Feature Film of a Director

This competition category is a platform for upcoming filmmakers from India and abroad and win the Best Debut Director Award. Seven debut films were nominated in this category.
    Highlighted title indicates award winner
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
| Betânia | Betânia | Marcelo Botta | Brazil |
| Bound in Heaven | Kun bang shang tian tang | Huo Xin | China |
| Bring Them Down | Bring Them Down | Christopher Andrews | Ireland, Belgium |
| Familiar Touch | Familiar Touch | Sarah Friedland | United States |
| To a Land Unknown | To a Land Unknown | Mahdi Fleifel | United Kingdom, France, Germany, Netherlands, Greece, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Palestine |
| Gypsy | Gypsy | Shashi Chandrakant Khandare | India |
| 35 Chinna Katha Kaadu | 35 Chinna Katha Kaadu | Nanda Kishore Emani | India |

### Best Web Series OTT

This competition category is a platform for upcoming web series makers from India and win the Best Web Series Award.
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Network |
| Scam 2003 | Scam 2003 | Hansal Mehta | SonyLIV |
| Jamanapaar | Jamanapaar | Prashant Bhagia | Amazon miniTV |
| Ayali | Ayali | Muthukumar | ZEE5 |
| Kota Factory | Kota Factory | Raghav Subbu | Netflix |
| Jubilee | Jubilee | Vikramaditya Motwane | Amazon Prime Video |
| Kohrra | Kohrra | Randeep Jha | Netflix |
| The Railway Men | The Railway Men | Shiv Rawail | Netflix |
| Kaala Paani | Kaala Paani | Sameer Saxena | Netflix |
| Dahaad | Dahaad | Reema Kagti | Amazon Prime Video |
| Lampan | Lampan | Nipun Dharmadhikari | SonyLIV |

### Indian Panorama

In Indian Panorama feature and non-feature films of cinematic, thematic, and aesthetic excellence are selected for the promotion of film art through the non-profit screening of these films under different categories.

#### Feature films

| Title of the Film | Language | Director(s) | Producer(s) |
| Swatantrya Veer Savarkar | Hindi | Randeep Hooda | Randeep Hooda Films |
| Kerebete | Kannada | Rajguru B | Janamana Cinemas |
| Venkya | Kannada | Sagar Puranik | |
| Juiphool | Assamese | Jadumoni Dutta | Jadumoni Dutta |
| Mahavatar Narsimha | Hindi | Ashwin Kumar | |
| Jigarthanda DoubleX | Tamil | Karthik Subbaraj | Stone Bench Creations |
| The Goat Life | Malayalam | Blessy | Visual Romance |
| Article 370 | Hindi | Aditya Suhas Jambhale | B62 Studios, Jio Studios |
| Gypsy | Marathi | Shashi Chandrakant Khandare | |
| Srikanth | Hindi | Tushar Hiranandani | Chalk and Cheese Films |
| Aamar Boss | Bengali | Shiboprosad Mukherjee, Nandita Roy | Windows |
| Bramayugam | Malayalam | Rahul Sadasivan | Night Shift Studios |
| 35 Chinna Katha Kaadu | Telugu | Nanda Kishore Emani | Suresh Productions |
| Rador Pakhi | Assamese | Bobby Sarma Baruah | |
| Gharat Ganpati | Marathi | Navjyot Narendra Bandiwadekar | |
| Raavsaaheb | Marathi | Nikhil Mahajan | |
| Level Cross | Malayalam | Arfaz Ayub | Abhishek Films |
| Karken | Galo | Nending Loder | |
| Bhootpori | Bengali | Soukarya Ghosal | Surinder Films |
| Onko Ki Kothin | Bengali | Saurav Palodhi | |

#### Mainstream Cinema Section

| Title of the Film | Language | Director(s) | Producer(s) |
| Karkhanu | Gujarati | Rushabh Thanki | |
| 12th Fail | Hindi | Vidhu Vinod Chopra | Vinod Chopra Films |
| Manjummel Boys | Malayalam | Chidambaram S. Poduval | Parava Films |
| Swargarath | Assamese | Rajesh Bhuyan | AM Television |
| Kalki 2898 AD | Telugu | Nag Ashwin | Vyjayanthi Movies |

#### Non-feature Films

20 Non-feature films selected in the 'Indian Panorama' are as follows:
| Title of the Film | Language | Director(s) |
| 6-A Akash Ganga | Hindi | Nirmal Chander |
| Amar Aaj Marega | Hindi | Rajat Kariya |
| Amma’s Pride | Tamil | Shiva Krish |
| Bahi – Tracing My Ancestors | Hindi | Rachita Gorowala |
| Ballad of the Mountain | Hindi | Tarun Jain |
| Battoo Ka Bulbula | Hariyanvi | Akshay Bhardwaj |
| Chanchisoa | Garo | Elvachisa Ch Sangma, Dipankar Das |
| Flanders Di Zameen Vich | Punjabi | Sachin |
| Ghar Jaisa Kuch (Opening film) | Ladakhi | Harsh Sangani |
| Ghode Ki Sawari | Hindi | Debjani Mukherjee |
| Google Matrimony | English | Abhinav Athrey |
| Main Nida | Hindi | Atul Pandey |
| Mo Bou, Mo Gaan | Oriya | Subash Sahoo |
| Monihara | Bengali | Subhadeep Biswas |
| P for Paparazzi | Hindi | Divya Kharnare |
| Pillars of Progress: The Epic Story of Delhi Metro | English | Satish Pande |
| Praan Pratishtha | Marathi | Pankaj Sonawane |
| Roti Koon Banasi? | Rajasthani | Chandan Singh |
| Saavat | Konkani | Shivam Harmalkar, Santosh Shetkar |
| Sivantha Mann | Tamil | Infant |

### Best Debut Director of Indian Feature Film

Five Debut Feature Films by Indian Directors will be showcased, that highlight new perspectives, diverse narratives, and innovative cinematic styles from across India. This competition category is a platform for upcoming filmmakers from India and win the Best Debut Director Award.
| Title of the Film | Language | Director(s) |
| Boong | Manipuri | Lakshmipriya Devi |
| Gharat Ganpati | Marathi | Navjyot Bandiwadekar |
| Mikka Bannada Hakki (Bird of a Different Feather) | Kannada | Manohara K |
| Razakar | Telugu | Yata Satyanarayana |
| Thanupp (The Cold) | Malayalam | Ragesh Narayanan |

### ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal

Ten films have been shortlisted for the ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal, each representing different regions, cultures, and genres, yet united by their commitment to Gandhian principles.
    Highlighted title indicates award winner
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
| Crossing | Geçiş | Levan Akin | Sweden, Denmark, France, Turkey, Georgia |
| For Rana | | Iman Yazdi | Iran |
| Lesson Learned | | Bálint Szimler | Hungary |
| Meeting with Pol Pot | Rendez-vous avec Pol Pot | Rithy Panh | France, Cambodia, Taiwan, Qatar, Turkey |
| Satu - Year of the Rabbit | | Joshua Trigg | Laos, United Kingdom |
| Transamazonia | Transamazonia | Pia Marais | Brazil, France, Germany, Switzerland, Taiwan |
| Unsinkable | Synkefri | Christian Andersen | Denmark |
| Aamar Boss | Aamar Boss | Nandita Roy, Shiboprosad Mukherjee | India |
| Juiphool | Juiphool | Jadumoni Dutta | India |
| Srikanth | Srikanth | Tushar Hiranandani | India |

### From The Festivals – 2024

| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
| Black Dog | 狗陣 | Guan Hu | China |
| The Empire | L'Empire | Bruno Dumont | France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Portugal |
| The End | The End | Joshua Oppenheimer | Denmark, United Kingdom |
| Flathead | Flathead | Jaydon Martin | Australia |
| Grand Tour | Grand Tour | Miguel Gomes | Portugal, Italy, France |
| The Great Yawn of History | Khamyazeye bozorg | Aliyar Rasti | Iran |
| Happy Holidays | ينعاد عليكو | Scandar Copti | Palestine, Germany, France, Italy, Qatar |
| Loveable | Elskling | Lilja Ingolfsdottir | Norway |
| Moon | Mond | Kurdwin Ayub | Austria |
| Norah | نورة | Tawfik Alzaidi | Saudi Arabia |
| Pepe | Pepe | Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Arias | Dominican Republic, Namibia, Germany, France |
| Phantosmia | Phantosmia | Lav Diaz | Philippines |
| The Second Act | Le Deuxième Acte | Quentin Dupieux | France |
| Steppenwolf | | Adilkhan Yerzhanov | Kazakhstan |
| Simon of the Mountain | Simon de la montaña | Federico Luis | Argentina, Chile, Uruguay |
| The Quiet Son | Jouer Avec le Feu | Delphine and Muriel Coulin | France |

### Docu–Montage

This section comprises documentaries & docu-drama.
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
| Afternoons of Solitude | Tardes de soledad | Albert Serra | Spain, Portugal, France |
| Black Box Diaries | Black Box Diaries | Shiori Itō | Japan, United States, United Kingdom |
| Cinema Laika | | Veljko Vidak | Finland |
| Dahomey | Dahomey | Mati Diop | France, Senegal, Benin |
| Gaucho Gaucho | Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw | United States, Argentina |
| Higher than Acidic Clouds | Balatar az abrhaye asidi | Ali Asgari | Iran |
| Mistress Dispeller | Mistress Dispeller | Elizabeth Lo | China, United States |
| Youth (Hard Times) | 青春（苦） | Wang Bing | France, Luxembourg, Netherlands |
| Youth (Homecoming) | 青春（归） | Wang Bing | France, Luxembourg, Netherlands |

### Experimental Films – 2024

| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
| Animalia Paradoxa | Animalia Paradoxa | Niles Atallah | Chile |
| Eight Postcards from Utopia | Opt ilustrate din lumea ideală | Radu Jude, Christian Ferencz-Flatz | Romania |
| Godsterminal | Godsterminal | Georg Tiller | Sweeden |
| Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass | Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass | Brothers Quay | United Kingdom, Poland, Germany |
| Telepathic Letters | Cartas Telepáticas | Edgar Pêra | Portugal |
| The Rim | La Parra | Alberto Gracia | Spain |

### Accolades – 2024

| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
| All We Imagine as Light | All We Imagine as Light | Payal Kapadia | France, India, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy |
| The Room Next Door | La habitación de al lado | Pedro Almodóvar | Spain |

### Macabre Dreams

| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
| Frewaka | Fréwaka | Aislinn Clarke | Ireland |
| Sofia, the Possession | Tu Sangre | Guillermo Barreira | Spain |
| The Wailing | El llanto | Pedro Martín Calero | Spain, France, Argentina |
| Working Class Goes to Hell | Radnička Klasa Ide U Pakao | Mladen Djordjevic | Serbia, Greece, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Croatia, Romania |

### Cinema of the World

| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
| A Postcard from Rome | Pastkarte no Romas | Elza Gauja | Latvia |
| A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things | A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things | Mark Cousins | United Kingdom |
| Aïcha | Aïcha | Mehdi Barsaoui | Tunisia, France, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Qatar |
| Algiers | Algiers | Chakib Taleb-Bendiab | Algeria, Tunisia, France, Canada |
| All Shall Be Well | 從今以後 | Ray Yeung | Hong Kong |
| American Warrior | American Warrior | Gustavo Martin Benites | United States |
| Architecton | Architecton | Victor Kossakovsky | Germany, France, United States |
| As the River Goes By | 水东游 | Charles Hu | China |
| Ayse | Ayse | Necmi Sancak | Turkey |
| Barren | | Mansour Vosoughi | Iran |
| Bassima's Womb | Le ventre de Bassima | Babek Aliassa | Canada |
| Bila Burba | | Duiren Wagua | Panama |
| They Call Me the Panzer | Me dicen el Panzer | Rodrigo Quintero Arauz | Panama |
| Bassima's Womb | Le ventre de Bassima | Babek Aliassa | Canada |
| Bitter Gold | Oro Amargo | Juan Olea | Chile, Germany, Mexico, Uruguay |
| Borrowed Time | | Choy Ji | China |
| Brief History of a Family | 家庭简史 | Lin Jianjie | China, Denmark |
| When Santa Was a Communist | Djed Mraz u Bosni | Emir Kapetanovic | Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia |

### Restored classics

| Year | English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
| 1991 | Bobo | | Narine Mkrtchyan, Arsen Azatian | Armenia |
| 1971 | Four Nights of a Dreamer | Quatre nuits d'un rêveur | Robert Bresson | France, Italy |
| 1993 | Moving | お引越し | Shinji Sōmai | Japan |

### UNICEF @ IFFI

| Year | English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
| 2024 | Through Rocks and Clouds | Raíz | Franco García Becerra | Peru, Chile |
| 2024 | The Rebels | Мятежники | Vladimir Alenikov | Russia |
| 2024 | Clarice's Dream | O Sonho De Clarice | Guto Bicalho, Fernando Gutierrez | Brazil |
| 1956 | Kabuliwala | Kabuliwala | Tapan Sinha | India |

### Rising Stars

| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
| Crickets, It’s Your Turn | Shegirtkeler, Vash Vyhod | Olga Korotko | France, Kazakhstan |
| Cu Li Never Cries | Cu Li Không Bao Giờ Khóc | Phạm Ngọc Lân | Vietnam, Singapore, France, Philippines, Norway |
| Else | Else | Thibault Emin | France, Belgium |
| Hunters on a White Field | Jakt På Ett Vitt Fält | Sarah Gyllenstierna | Sweden |
| Hunting Daze | Jour De Chasse | Annick Blanc | Canada |
| Lilies Not for Me | | Will Seefried | United States, United Kingdom, France, South Africa |
| Memories of a Burning Body | Memorias de un cuerpo que arde | Antonella Sudasassi Furniss | Costa Rica, Spain |

### Mission Life

| Year | English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
| 2024 | Black Butterflies | Mariposas Negras | David Baute | Spain, Panama |
| 2024 | Eastern Anthems | Mariposas Negras | Matthew Wolkow, Jean-Jacques Martinod | Canada, United States, Ecuador |

### BFI @ IFFI

| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
| Bring Them Down | Bring Them Down | Christopher Andrews | Ireland, United Kingdom, Belgium |
| The Draughtsman's Contract | The Draughtsman's Contract | Peter Greenaway | United Kingdom |
| In Camera | In Camera | Naqqash Khalid | United Kingdom |
| Layla | Layla | Amrou Al-Kadhi | United Kingdom |
| Sky Peals | Sky Peals | Moin Hussain | United Kingdom |

### From The Consulates

| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
| So Close to the Clouds | Tan cerca de las nubes | Manuel Cañibe | Mexico |
| The Dark Castle | | Kirill Kuzin | Belarus, Russia |
| A Fragile Flower | Doa hoa mong manh | Mai Thu Huyền | Vietnam, USA |
| Jíkuri:Journey to the Land of the Tarahumara | Jíkuri:Journey to the Land of the Tarahumara | Federico Cecchetti | México, USA, France |

### Centennials Restored Classics NFDC – NFAI

As part of centenary celebrations of Raj Kapoor, Mohammed Rafi, Tapan Sinha and Akkineni Nageswara Rao, each of their film restored by National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC), as part of National Film Heritage Mission, is screened.
| Year | Title of the Film | Language | Personality |
| 1951 | Awaara | Hindustani | Raj Kapoor |
| 1953 | Devadasu | Telugu | Akkineni Nageswara Rao |
| 1961 | Hum Dono | Hindi | Mohammed Rafi |
| 1975 | Harmonium | Bengali | Tapan Sinha |

### Gala Premiere

Films and television shows will have their premiere in this segment.
| Title | Director(s) | Language |
| The Piano Lesson | Malcolm Washington | English |
| The Rana Daggubati Show | Sukhvinder Singh Chauhan | Telugu |
| Zero Se Restart | Jaskunwar Singh Kohli | Hindi |
| Snow Flower | Gajendra Ahire | Marathi |
| Saali Mohabbat | Tisca Chopra | Hindi |
| Mrs. | Arati Kadav | Hindi |
| Vikkatakavi | Pradeep Maddali | Telugu |
| Pune Highway | Rahul da Cunha | Hindi |
| Hazar Vela Sholay Pahelila Manus | Hrishikesh Gupte | Marathi |
| Kannappa (Showcase) | Mukesh Kumar Singh | Telugu |
| The Mehta Boys | Boman Irani | Hindi |
| Jab Khuli Kitaab | Saurabh Shukla | Hindi |
| Hisaab Barabar | Ashwni Dhir | Hindi |
| Pharma | P. R. Arun | Malayalam |
| Headhunting To Beatboxing | Rohit Gupta | English |

## Country of focus

Australia has been nominated as the "Country of Focus" for the festival. A thoughtfully selected lineup of seven Australian films, spanning a variety of genres will be featured in the festival. From acclaimed dramas and impactful documentaries to visually captivating thrillers and uplifting comedies, these films will highlight Australia's unique cultural identity, showcasing a rich array of stories from both indigenous and modern communities.
| Title | Original Title | Director |
| Addition | Addition | Marcelle Lunam |
| Force of Nature: The Dry 2 | Force of Nature: The Dry 2 | Robert Connolly |
| In Vitro | In Vitro | Will Howarth, Tom McKeith |
| Runt | Runt | John Sheedy |
| The Moogai | The Moogai | Jon Bell |
| The Rooster | The Rooster | Mark Leonard Winter |
| The Speedway Murders | The Speedway Murders | Adam Kamien, Luke Rynderman |
| Rising up at Night | Tongo Saa | Nelson Makengo (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Belgium, Germany, Burkina Faso, Qatar) |

## Awards and winners

Source:
* Golden Peacock (Best Film): Toxic by Saulė Bliuvaitė, Lithuania
* Best Director: Bogdan Mureșanu, for The New Year That Never Came, Romania
* Best Actor: Clément Favreau for Holy Cow, France
* Best Actress: Vesta Matulyte and Vilma Raubaitė for Toxic
* Best Debut Film of a Director: Familiar Touch by Sarah Friedland, United States
* Special Jury Award: Holy Cow by Louise Courvoisier, France
* ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal: Crossing by Levan Akin, Sweden
* Best Debut Director of Indian Feature Film: Gharat Ganpati, Navjyot Bandiwadekar, Marathi
* Best Web Series Award: Lampan by Nipun Avinash
* Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award: Phillip Noyce, Australia
* Indian Film Personality of the Year Award: Vikrant Massey
* Special Recognition for Contribution to Bharatiya Cinema Award: Allu Arjun