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Dhurandhar and Ramayana to feature at IFFI leading Indian Panorama, BRICS segments
India’s Ramayana will be the opening film of the BRICS segment, which will showcase films from all 11 member countries.
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The Indian Panorama section of the 57th edition of the International Film Festival of India will open with the popular Bollywood film Dhurandhar, while the special focus on films from BRICS countries will open with the recently released Indian film Ramayana.
Addressing a press conference, NFDC Managing Director, NFDC Dhiraj Singh said that the programming committee and juries selected the films to lead their respective sections. “Dhurandhar will be the opening film of the Indian Panorama’s feature film section and ‘Becoming’ (a Ladakhi film), will open the non feature film section,” Singh said.
About the Panorama section
The Indian Panorama Section is one of IFFI’s flagship sections and includes the best of Indian cinema, with a special focus on films outside the mainstream and from regional languages and cultures otherwise hidden from the mainstream.
The section includes 25 feature length films and 20 non-feature films.
According to Ashutosh Gowarikar who has been appointed festival director, this year’s festival will be held on the theme: ‘Stories without borders.’
“Borders today are not only lines on a map, they are also habits. A story is one of the few things that can cross such a line without a passport. The distance shrinks. That is what cinema does best and that is the thought behind our theme. Today, it has become very easy to stay within our circle, our language, our own screen and our own point of view,” Gowarikar said.
The festival, which runs from November 20 to 28, begins with Fatherland, a 2026 Polish language biographical film directed by Paweł Pawlikowski and will conclude with We are all Strangers from Singapore.
The festival received 1900 entries from 137 countries for selection and will ultimately showcase 159 international films from a total of 87 countries and 76 Indian films in 18 different languages.
Spain as the Country of Honour
This year’s festival highlights Spain as the Country of Honour, showcasing four Spanish films as well as Russia as the partner country, with a special showcase of four films representing the diversity and creative richness of Russian cinema.
This year’s edition has also introduced two new segments to broaden its cinematic offerings and celebrate diverse forms of storytelling. The first segment, Animation, will feature five outstanding films, showcasing creativity and innovation in animated cinema. The second segment, Films About Films, will also present five films and was introduced in response to suggestions from renowned filmmakers, with the objective of bringing the art and craft of filmmaking to the forefront.
IFFI 2026 Places Special Focus on BRICS Cinema
Another key highlight of the 57th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2026 will be its special focus on BRICS cinema. India’s Ramayana will be the opening film of the BRICS segment, which will showcase films from all 11 member countries, along with contributions from partner countries, offering audiences an opportunity to explore diverse cinematic traditions and storytelling from across the BRICS nations.
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