Delhi International Film Festival set to open with ‘Sirât’

Screenings and events will be held across 14 screens at Bharat Mandapam and multiplex venues operated by PVR INOX.

The inaugural edition of Delhi government’s International Film Festival of Delhi (IFFD) will open with the 2025 Spanish-language film Sirât and close with Singapore-set coming-of-age movie Amoeba (2025), officials said on Sunday.

The festival will be held between March 25 - 31 at Bharat Mandapam.

The festival will be held between March 25 - 31 at Bharat Mandapam.

The opening film, directed by Oliver Laxe, is a road drama set against the backdrop of southern Morocco’s underground rave circuit.

The film follows a father and son searching for a missing daughter, a journey that evolves into a transformative experience across a stark desert landscape.

The closing film, Amoeba, marks the debut feature of Singaporean filmmaker Tan Siyou. Set in contemporary Singapore, the film revolves around four teenage girls who form a secret gang in an act of rebellion. What begins as playful defiance gradually unfolds into a deeper exploration of identity, loyalty and the pressures of social conformity.

“Opening the festival with an internationally recognised film reflects the event’s ambition to bring global cinema and audiences together in its first edition. The seven-day festival will feature more than 130 screenings from 47 countries, selected from over 2,000 submissions received from 101 countries,” said an official.

Screenings and events will be held across 14 screens at Bharat Mandapam and multiplex venues operated by PVR INOX.

Apart from public screenings, the festival will also host industry events and discussions across multiple auditoriums and outdoor venues.

The festival is being led by filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra as festival director.

“The film festival aims to position Delhi as a film shooting destination. In terms of the entries received, it is one of the biggest festivals,” said the official.

The film festival will have opening and closing galas, high-profile premieres and red-carpet screenings, masterclasses, industry panels, the CineXchange film market and a Cineverse Expo that will connect filmmakers, producers and platforms.