57th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2026: Theme, Dates, Venue, Films and Key Facts

The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) will be held from the 20th to 28th November 2026 with the theme ‘Stories Without Borders’. This will showcase films from various countries, languages, and cultures. The film director Ashutosh Gowariker has been appointed as the Festival Director. There will be international competition, Indian Panorama, debut film competition and Best Web Series award.

IFFI 2026 – Date, Venue and Theme

The 57th International Film Festival of India will be held in the Goa from 20th to 28th November 2026. This year theme revolved around ‘Stories Without Borders’ demonstrates how cinema can help connect people worldwide with no barriers.

The trailer event was on the 13th November 2026 at Taj Cidade de Goa Horizon. This included Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Festival Director Ashutosh Gowariker.

Key Highlights From The 57th IFFI

There will be 159 films displayed from 86 different countries after being chosen from 1400 submissions. This was announced by the Festival Director during the trailer event.

• Edition: 57th
• Date: 20th-28th November 2026
• Location: Goa
• Theme: Stories Without Borders
• Director: Ashutosh Gowariker
• Opening Film: Fatherland
• Indian Panorama Opening Film: Dhurandhar
• Guest Country: Spain

International Competition

159 Films from 86 Countries

Opening Film – Fatherland

• The festival will begin with Fatherland. This film is directed by Paweł Pawlikowski and follows the story of Nobel prize winner Thomas Mann and his daughter Erika as they travel across post-war Germany in 1949.

Indian Panorama Opening Film – Dhurandhar

• The Indian Panorama will begin with Dhurandhar. The Indian Panorama displays a selection of feature and non-feature films.

Guest Country – Spain

• For IFFI 2026 Spain will be the Guest Country. This is part of the Spain-India Dual Year 2026.

Best Web Series (OTT) Award

• IFFI 2026 will have a new Best Web Series (OTT) Award. This has a prize of ₹10 lakh and a certificate.

Key Competitions Within The Festival

• International Competition – Displays selected films from various countries.
• Best Debut Feature Film Competition – Celebrates new filmmakers.
• ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi Medal – Celebrates films promoting peace, tolerance and understanding between cultures.

History Of The International Film Festival of India

The International Film Festival of India was first held back in 1952. The first festival was held in Mumbai and ran across the 24th January to the 1st February 1952 with approximately 40 feature films and 100 short films.

Key moments in the history are as follows,

• 1952 – 1st festival held in Mumbai.
• 1965 = Became a competitive festival at the 3rd edition.
• 1978 – Indian Panorama introduced.
• 2004 – Moved to Goa where it is still hosted.

According to the official Directorate of Film Festivals the Indian Panorama was introduced in 1978. Therefore, please note that it is often mentioned that it was introduced in 1977 but this may not be accurate.

Who Organises The IFFI?

The festival is organised in collaboration between the National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC) Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Government of Goa. It is also associated with the Entertainment Society of Goa.

The festival gives an opportunity to view international films, compete in competitions, and celebrate culture whilst promoting Indian cinema.