IFFI 56 opens with global delegates and cultural fervour in Panjim

By Manu Shrivastava

As the sun dips low over the Mandovi River, casting a golden hue on Panjim’s colonial facades, the city’s arteries pulse with the rhythm of stardust already descending on Goa.

The 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) began earlier this week and continues until November 28, drawing more than 7,500 delegates to the Goan capital. Preparations across Panaji now surge into full view, blending meticulous logistics with bursts of cultural fervour. From festooned streets to fortified venues, Panaji is no longer just a quaint riverside town — it is a global stage alive with cinematic energy.

INOX Multiplex, the iconic Kala Academy, and other screening hubs are operating at full capacity as organisers maintain that every detail is in place. “We leave no stone unturned,” says a senior official, as 270 films from 81 countries stream into the festival’s programme.

At the heart of the cultural swirl is IFFIESTA, the festival’s bold new cultural arm debuting this year — an extravaganza of music, performances, and storytelling that spills cinema’s magic across Goa’s sunlit streets and beaches. Open-air screenings, float parades, and Romtamel competitions infuse local flavour into the international showcase. Five Goan films earn special screenings, while seven Konkani productions illuminate dedicated slots.

The opening ceremony on November 20 kicked off with a vibrant street carnival along Dayanand Bandodkar Marg, which was closed for the day. Tableaux from production houses and state delegations marched opposite the Old GMC Building in a cascade of lights, sound, and narratives.

Security measures now intensify across Panjim. Plainclothes personnel, CCTV networks, and drone surveillance blanket key zones, ensuring a safe space for stars, delegates, and cinephiles.

The city wears a festive makeover: illuminated arches, thematic banners proclaiming “Innovation, Creativity and Technology,” and floral motifs inspired by film reels line MG Road and 18th June Road. Workers, active since early November, continue to add final touches.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant calls this year’s theme a beacon for India’s evolving film ecosystem — one that blends storytelling with cutting-edge technology to expand India’s global cinematic footprint.

The festival opened with the Brazilian dystopian drama The Blue Trail, setting a reflective, futuristic tone. Diversity thrives with 50 films by women directors, 21 Oscar contenders, and 50 debut works, including 13 world premieres and four international debuts. India’s Panorama section showcases 50 regional films expected to draw enthusiastic audiences. Tamil icon Rajinikanth receives the Lifetime Achievement honour, while 21 masterclasses led by industry veterans attract packed halls.

Japan stands as the Country of Focus, represented by six curated films that trace the evolution of Japanese cinematic style. Spain participates as Partner Country, and Australia as Spotlight Country, continuing IFFI’s tradition of honouring excellence in world cinema.

The Press Information Bureau manages bustling media zones equipped for interviews, live streams, and instant updates via LED screens and WhatsApp alerts. Konkani press releases keep the local community connected to every development.

On November 18, the PIB-organised Film Appreciation Course conducted by FTII faculty served as a quiet but essential prelude to the festival. In a single intensive day, journalists delved into the grammar of the frame, the emotional logic of editing, and the politics of narrative. The session became less a course and more a gentle resetting of the journalistic lens — a reminder that beneath the red carpets and celebrity chatter lies the enduring craft of cinema.

For first-timers, it was an initiation into looking — really looking — at films with curiosity and discipline. For others, it offered a reflective pause before the festival’s pace accelerated.

Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L. Murugan underscores IFFI’s role in strengthening India’s soft power, calling it “a dialogue across borders, fostering collaborations that echo far beyond Goa’s shores.”

As Panjim’s night markets buzz with conversations about premieres, red carpets, and after-parties, one thing is clear: IFFI 56 is not arriving — it is already unfolding, weaving itself into the city’s soul, reel by reel.

---

A version of this article was first published in The Draft

Comments

From plagiarism to proxy exams: Galgotias and systemic failure in education

By Sandeep Pandey* Shock is being expressed at Galgotias University being found presenting a Chinese-made robotic dog and a South Korean-made soccer-playing drone as its own creations at the recently held India AI Impact Summit 2026, a global event in New Delhi. Earlier, a UGC-listed journal had published a paper from the university titled “Corona Virus Killed by Sound Vibrations Produced by Thali or Ghanti: A Potential Hypothesis,” which became the subject of widespread ridicule. Following the robotic dog controversy coming to light, the university has withdrawn the paper. These incidents are symptoms of deeper problems afflicting the Indian education system in general. Galgotias merely bit off more than it could chew.

Covishield controversy: How India ignored a warning voice during the pandemic

Dr Amitav Banerjee, MD * It is a matter of pride for us that a person of Indian origin, presently Director of National Institute of Health, USA, is poised to take over one of the most powerful roles in public health. Professor Jay Bhattacharya, an Indian origin physician and a health economist, from Stanford University, USA, will be assuming the appointment of acting head of the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USA. Bhattacharya would be leading two apex institutions in the field of public health which not only shape American health policies but act as bellwether globally.

Growth without justice: The politics of wealth and the economics of hunger

By Vikas Meshram* In modern history, few periods have displayed such a grotesque and contradictory picture of wealth as the present. On one side, a handful of individuals accumulate in a single year more wealth than the annual income of entire nations. On the other, nearly every fourth person in the world goes to bed hungry or half-fed.

The 'glass cliff' at Galgotias: How a university’s AI crisis became a gendered blame game

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan* “She was not aware of the technical origins of the product and in her enthusiasm of being on camera, gave factually incorrect information.” These were the words used in the official press release by Galgotias University following the controversy at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi. The statement came across as defensive, petty, and deeply insensitive.

Thali, COVID and academic credibility: All about the 2020 'pseudoscientific' Galgotias paper

By Jag Jivan The first page image of the paper "Corona Virus Killed by Sound Vibrations Produced by Thali or Ghanti: A Potential Hypothesis" published in the Journal of Molecular Pharmaceuticals and Regulatory Affairs , Vol. 2, Issue 2 (2020), has gone viral on social media in the wake of the controversy surrounding a Chinese robot presented by the Galgotias University as its original product at the just-concluded AI summit in Delhi . The resurfacing of the 2020 publication, authored by Dharmendra Kumar , Galgotias University, has reignited debate over academic standards and scientific credibility.

Conversion laws and national identity: A Jesuit response response to the Hindutva narrative

By Rajiv Shah A recent book, " Luminous Footprints: The Christian Impact on India ", authored by two Jesuit scholars, Dr. Lancy Lobo and Dr. Denzil Fernandes , seeks to counter the current dominant narrative on Indian Christians , which equates evangelisation with conversion, and education, health and the social services provided by Christians as meant to lure -- even force -- vulnerable sections into Christianity.

'Serious violation of international law': US pressure on Mexico to stop oil shipments to Cuba

By Vijay Prashad In January 2026, US President Donald Trump declared Cuba to be an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to US security—a designation that allows the United States government to use sweeping economic restrictions traditionally reserved for national security adversaries. The US blockade against Cuba began in the 1960s, right after the Cuban Revolution of 1959 but has tightened over the years. Without any mandate from the United Nations Security Council—which permits sanctions under strict conditions—the United States has operated an illegal, unilateral blockade that tries to force countries from around the world to stop doing basic commerce with Cuba. The new restrictions focus on oil. The United States government has threatened tariffs and sanctions on any country that sells or transports oil to Cuba.

When a lake becomes real estate: The mismanagement of Hyderabad’s waterbodies

By Dr Mansee Bal Bhargava* Misunderstood, misinterpreted and misguided governance and management of urban lakes in India —illustrated here through Hyderabad —demands urgent attention from Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), the political establishment, the judiciary, the builder–developer lobby, and most importantly, the citizens of Hyderabad. Fundamental misconceptions about urban lakes have shaped policies and practices that systematically misuse, abuse and ultimately erase them—often in the name of urban development.

When grief becomes grace: Kerala's quiet revolution in organ donation

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Kerala is an important model for understanding India's diversity precisely because the religious and cultural plurality it has witnessed over centuries brought together traditions and good practices from across the world. Kerala had India's first communist government, was the first state where a duly elected government was dismissed, and remains the first state to achieve near-total literacy. It is also a land where Christianity and Islam took root before they spread to Europe and other parts of the world. Kerala has deep historic rationalist and secular traditions.

Search This Blog