Opening with an Oscar-recognised title gives the festival an immediate international pulse, a way to bring global cinema and the audiences into the same room on night one.
About IFFD
The International Film Festival Delhi is a government-led, city-wide film festival created to showcase Indian and international cinema while making film culture accessible to audiences across the capital. The week-long festival will present a wide-ranging programme of screenings, conversations and industry engagements across venues in New Delhi from 25 to 31 March 2026, bringing together filmmakers, industry leaders and audiences from around the world.
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Opening Film: Sirât (Spain / France / Morocco)
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Title: Sirât | Dir. Oliver Laxe
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Running time: 115 min | Year: 2025
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Short synopsis: A father and son travel through southern Morocco’s rave circuit in search of a missing daughter; what begins as a search becomes an arduous, transformative journey across a harsh, hypnotic landscape.
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Accolades: Jury Prize, Cannes Film Festival 2025; nominated for two Academy Awards (98th Academy Awards).
Closing Film: Amoeba (Singapore / Netherlands / France / Spain / South Korea)
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Title: Amoeba | Dir. Tan Siyou
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Running time: 99 min | Year: 2025
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Short synopsis: In contemporary Singapore, four teenage girls form a secret gang in an act of rebellion. What begins as playful defiance gradually unfolds into a sharper exploration of identity, loyalty and the pressures of conformity.
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Running from 25 to 31 March 2026 (7 days), the festival will present more than 130+ film screenings from 47 countries, selected from over 2,000 submissions across 101 countries, and will take place across 14 screens at Bharat Mandapam and PVR+INOX.
“Film has a way of opening the world without asking permission,” said film director Oliver Laxe. “Bringing Sirât to Delhi for opening night feels like handing the audience a small, dangerous map of deserts, of music, of loss, and saying: follow it. I’m eager to meet the people who will watch this film here.”
“We are thrilled to welcome two powerful films that speak two different kinds of journeys, inward and outward,” said Mr. Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra, Festival Director. “IFFD at Bharat Mandapam will give viewers an intimate, world-class cinema experience and showcase Delhi as a vital cultural destination.”
“IFFD is an important step towards strengthening Delhi’s position as a global cultural capital. Cinema has the unique ability to bring together diverse voices and perspectives, and through this festival we hope to create a platform where audiences can experience the richness of world cinema while celebrating India’s own storytelling traditions,” said Shri Kapil Mishra, Tourism Minister of Delhi.
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“Cinema is one of the most powerful cultural bridges between nations. As Artistic Director, my vision for IFFD is to create a space where global stories meet Indian audiences with curiosity, openness and dialogue. Delhi has always been a city of ideas and cultures, and this festival aims to reflect that spirit through a thoughtfully curated programme,” said Vani Tripathi Tikoo, Chairperson, IFFD 2026, an actor, producer and cultural practitioner who has been closely involved with theatre, film and policy and has served on the steering committee of the International Film Festival of India.
IFFD 2026 pairs headline moments, opening and closing galas, high-profile premieres and red-carpet screenings with quieter, essential work: masterclasses, industry panels, the CineXchange film market and a Cineverse Expo that connect filmmakers, producers and platforms, plus neighbourhood and satellite screenings so the city itself feels part of the programme.
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In a spirit of profound cross-border collaboration, IFFD 2026 is proud to spotlight Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) as the International Partners. This creative bridge is exemplified by the presence of international luminaries, including Spain’s Enrique Arce (Money Heist) and award-winning Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen.
