Dharamshala International Film Festival 2025 to be held from Oct 30 to Nov 2
News Mania Desk / Piyal Chatterjee / 22nd October 2025
The organizers of the 14th edition of the Dharamshala International Film Festival said Wednesday that it will be held at the Tibetan Children’s Village in Upper Dharamshala from October 30 to November 2. With Ishaan Khatter, Janhvi Kapoor, and Vishal Jethwa in the key roles, Neeraj Ghaywan’s “Homebound” will open DIFF 2025, which is hailed as one of India’s premier independent film festivals. At the 2026 Academy Awards, the movie will represent India.
Australian films “Lesbian Space Princess” and “The Wolves Always Come at Night,” the latter of which is Australia’s Academy Awards submission, will play among the festival’s international roster.
Other highlights include Rohan Parashuram Kanawade’s “Sabar Bonda” and Tannishtha Chatterjee’s “Full Plate” as well as “I, The Song”, “Kneecap” and “Orwell 2 2=5”.
Anuparna Roy’s “Songs of Forgotten Trees”, the winner of the Orizzonti Best Director award at Venice 2025, will bring the curtains down on the festival.
“We never set out to become one of the most prominent independent festivals in the country. We simply believed that meaningful cinema deserved a home in the mountains,” Festival directors Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam said in a statement.
“DIFF has grown organically over 14 years – not through flash or hype, but through the passion of filmmakers, the trust of our audiences, and the community that returns year after year. That’s what makes it so meaningful,” they added.
Renowned filmmaker Kiran Rao will also give a masterclass at DIFF, where she will discuss her cinematic path and the changing independent film industry. DIFF, which is well-known for its non-competitive structure, emphasizes discussion and interaction over prizes, creating an environment where spectators and artists can interact meaningfully with films.
Under the direction of programming director Bina Paul, this year’s festival will feature immersive screenings made possible by PictureTime, a tech partner that offers spectators in remote Himalayan areas inflatable digital theaters.
