IFFI: Picture abhi baaki hai mere dost!

Jean-Luc Godard, the French film director and screenwriter, once said, “cinema is the most beautiful fraud in the world.” It is true, and we Indians are drawn to it like no other nation, making and watching films with unmatched passion. Over the decades, this love for cinema has only intensified. Indian cinema has journeyed from the era of silent films to black-and-white frames, onwards to colour, and now to the digital age. Cinema is a love affair that Indians remain wholeheartedly committed to. Alongside this growth, the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) has been its companion since 1952.

IFFI 2025, held recently in Goa, once again reminded us why cinema remains one of the country’s strongest cultural forces. What began in 1952 as a modest attempt to introduce global cinema to an emerging nation has expanded into a festival that aspires to stand alongside the world’s leading film platforms. This year’s edition, with its blend of restored classics, bold new voices and global collaborations, offered a striking audiovisual kaleidoscope. Despite chaos, confusion, last-minute changes and organisational lapses that disappointed delegates and participants, IFFI continues to be one of the country’s most significant film festivals.

The story of IFFI is inseparable from the story of Indian cinema itself. The festival’s early decades coincided with the post-independence moment when Satyajit Ray, Guru Dutt and Bimal Roy were defining Indian filmmaking and earning global respect. In those formative years, IFFI introduced Indian creators to international masters such as Kurosawa, De Sica and Bergman. It helped build confidence that India could produce cinema capable of crossing borders. By the late 20th century, as Bollywood expanded commercially and regional cinema flourished — from Malayalam’s new wave to Tamil and Telugu cinema’s growing technical prowess — IFFI became a stage where India showcased both artistic and popular strength. Over the years, IFFI has developed into an ecosystem where filmmakers, distributors, students and global buyers converge, creating a rare space for conversation in an industry dominated by box-office pressure. New storytellers from smaller towns are reshaping narrative styles, challenging the dominance of traditional studios. Regional cinema continues to outshine mainstream Hindi cinema in innovation and audience loyalty, and this year’s selection reflected that shift with strong representation from Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi and Assamese filmmakers, alongside a tribute to Rajinikanth for completing fifty years in cinema. Yet the Indian film industry still has a long road ahead. Dependence on star-driven formulas, uneven screen distribution, underinvestment in script development and a lack of formal film-education infrastructure prevent the industry from growing globally.

Over-regulation, unpredictable censorship and political pressures continue to limit creative confidence. Indian films still struggle to secure major international releases and widespread global acclaim. The industry has come a long way, yet picture abhi baaki hai, mere dost.