India’s Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF) has unveiled its lineup for its 13th edition, with female filmmakers helming more than half of the feature selections. The festival, running Nov. 7-10, will screen over 80 films from 28 countries.
Opening the festival is Payal Kapadia‘s “All We Imagine as Light,” which nabbed the Grand Prix at Cannes and marked India’s first Palme d’Or competition entry in three decades. Deepak Rauniyar’s “Pooja, Sir,” fresh from its Venice premiere, will serve as the closing night feature.
The international slate includes Venice titles “Separated” from Errol Morris and Pedro Almodóvar’s Golden Lion winner “The Room Next Door.” The festival secured Busan New Currents Award recipient “MA – Cry of Silence” by The Maw Naing and “Agent of Happiness” by Arun Bhattarai and Dorottya Zurbó, which topped Biografilm 2024.
Notable Indian selections feature Sundance Audience Award winner “Girls Will Be Girls” by Shuchi Talati, Rima Das’s “Village Rockstars 2,” which collected Busan’s Kim Jiseok Award, and Achal Mishra’s “Chaar Phool Hain Aur Duniya Hai,” set for its world premiere.
Director Dibakar Banerjee will conduct a masterclass and screen his unreleased film “Tees.” The event will also feature a conversation between “Santosh” star Shahana Goswami and programming director Bina Paul.
Nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas, Dharamshala is best known internationally as the seat of the Dalai Lama, who has been based there since being exiled from Tibet in 1959. The festival directors Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam are filmmakers in their own right. Their chronicles of the Tibetan condition including 2005’s “Dreaming Lhasa,” 2010’s “The Sun Behind the Clouds: Tibet’s Struggle for Freedom” and 2018’s “The Sweet Requiem” have received considerable festival play, including at Toronto and San Sebastian. The pair’s latest venture, one of the shorts in Tibetan anthology film “State of Statelessness,” premiered at Busan in October.
“I am incredibly proud to see such a strong representation of women in this year’s festival, with 24 out of 45 feature films being directed by women,” said Ritu Sarin. “Their stories are vital, and this year’s lineup is a testament to the creativity and talent within our community.”
“Our program for the 13th edition of DIFF is a mix of films that directly explore difficult subjects like social inequalities and trauma, and those that allow audiences to briefly forget these realities and lose themselves in different worlds,” added Paul.
The Film Critics Guild will present its Gender Sensitivity Award, while DIFF Online will offer remote access to select titles after the physical festival concludes. More than 100 filmmakers, cast and crew members are expected to attend.
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