International Film Festival of India
India's premier international film festival, held in Goa since 2004: founded 1952, South Asia's only FIAPF-accredited competitive festival, jointly organised by NFDC, the I&B Ministry and the Entertainment Society of Goa; the 55th edition launched WAVES OTT and "Krish, Trish and Baltiboy" S2.
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- Established
- 1952
- Location
- Goa, India
- Country
- India
- Founded
- 1952 — inaugural edition held in Mumbai, 24 January to 1 February 1952
- Permanent venue
- Goa (Panaji) since 2004
- Organisers
- Jointly organised each year by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (Government of India), and the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG)
- Accreditation
- South Asia's only FIAPF-accredited festival in the Competitive Feature Films category
- Latest edition
- 56th edition, 20–28 November 2025, Goa
- Scale (56th edition)
- 240+ films from 81 countries; a record 2,314 submissions from 127 countries
Overview
The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) is India’s premier international film festival, held annually in Goa since 2004. Founded in 1952, it is South Asia’s only FIAPF-accredited festival in the Competitive Feature Films category, and it is jointly organised by the National Film Development Corporation, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and the Entertainment Society of Goa (PIB). The 56th edition ran from 20 to 28 November 2025 and drew a record 2,314 submissions from 127 countries (PIB).
Founded in 1952 by the Films Division, the inaugural edition ran in Mumbai from 24 January to 1 February 1952 with roughly 40 features and 100 shorts, then toured Madras, Delhi and Calcutta (PIB). It became competitive from the 3rd edition (January 1965); the Filmotsav, introduced in 1975, was later merged into IFFI (PIB). The Directorate of Film Festivals once ran the event, but after the film media units merged with NFDC, the corporation took over its conduct (PIB); the government frames the festival around Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (PIB).
Organisation, accreditation and today’s scale
Since the festival found its permanent home in Goa in 2004, IFFI has been jointly organised by the National Film Development Corporation, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Entertainment Society of Goa (PIB). NFDC took over the festival’s conduct when the film media units merged into the corporation; the Directorate of Film Festivals had run it before (PIB). IFFI’s international standing rests on accreditation: it is South Asia’s only FIAPF-accredited festival in the Competitive Feature Films category (PIB). The 56th edition (20–28 November 2025) showed its value: 240+ films from 81 countries, including 13 world premieres, 5 international premieres and 44 Asian premieres, with Japan as the Country of Focus, Spain as Partner Country and Australia as Spotlight Country (PIB). A record 2,314 submissions from 127 countries — the largest intake in its history — implies the FIAPF accreditation now functions as IFFI’s main draw, turning what began as a showcase of world cinema for Indian audiences into a global acquisition market for films (PIB).
The opening film was The Blue Trail by Brazil’s Gabriel Mascaro, a Berlinale 2025 Silver Bear winner; Indian Panorama opened with the Tamil film Amaran and the non-feature Kakori (PIB).
A launchpad, not just a showcase: the 55th edition
The 55th IFFI, held 20–28 November 2024 in Panaji, shows the festival’s second role: a launch platform for national media projects. On 20 November, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant unveiled WAVES, Prasar Bharati’s new OTT platform, at the opening ceremony (The Hindu). Sehgal promised free clean family entertainment except for some premier content, and CEO Gaurav Dwivedi cited 10,000+ films and 40,000–50,000 hours of content; WAVES spans 12+ languages with 65 live channels (The Hindu).
The next day, Nagarjuna Akkineni launched Season 2 of the animated series Krish, Trish and Baltiboy — subtitled “Bharat Hain Hum” — at the festival, alongside I&B Secretary Sanjay Jaju, Prasar Bharati CEO Gaurav Dwivedi, Central Bureau of Communication Director General Yogesh Baweja, creators Munjal Shroff and Tilak Shetty of Graphiti Studios, Mahima Kaul of Netflix India and Shilangi Mukherji of Prime Video (ANI via LatestLY). The season premiered simultaneously across Doordarshan, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video in 12 Indian and 7 international languages for audiences in 150 countries, dramatising unsung freedom fighters including Taji Dele and Ponge Dele of Arunachal Pradesh, Wazir Ram Singh Pathania of Himachal Pradesh and Birsa Munda of Jharkhand (The Tribune; ANI via LatestLY). A radio series and podcast of the season premiered on All India Radio on 1 December in 12 languages (ANI via LatestLY).
Editions at a glance
| Edition | Year | Venue | Verified landmark |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1952 | Mumbai (then toured Madras, Delhi, Calcutta) | Inaugural edition, 24 Jan–1 Feb 1952; ~40 features and ~100 shorts; organised by the Films Division (PIB) |
| 3rd | 1965 | New Delhi | IFFI becomes a competitive festival from this edition (PIB) |
| — | 2004 | Goa (Panaji) | Permanent home in Goa begins; organised there every year since (PIB) |
| 55th | 2024 | Goa (Panaji), 20–28 Nov | WAVES OTT launched at the opening ceremony; KTB Season 2 launched by Nagarjuna Akkineni (The Hindu; ANI via LatestLY) |
| 56th | 2025 | Goa, 20–28 Nov | Record 2,314 submissions from 127 countries; 240+ films from 81 countries; Japan as Country of Focus (PIB) |
Frequently asked questions
Who organises IFFI? IFFI is jointly organised each year by the National Film Development Corporation, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (Government of India) and the Entertainment Society of Goa. The Directorate of Film Festivals previously spearheaded the event; after the film media units merged with NFDC, the corporation took over its conduct (PIB).
When and where is IFFI held? The festival has been held annually in Goa since 2004, with Panaji as its permanent venue, and the November window has been its regular slot since the move. The 55th edition ran 20–28 November 2024 and the 56th ran 20–28 November 2025, both in Goa (PIB; PIB).
Was the “Krish, Trish and Baltiboy” Season 2 launch on 21 or 23 November 2024? The launch event itself was on 21 November 2024: the ANI wire published that evening says Nagarjuna Akkineni graced the launch “on Thursday,” and 21 November 2024 was a Thursday. The Tribune’s widely cited report is dated 23 November 2024 — that is the report’s publication date, two days after the event (ANI via LatestLY).
What major launches happened at the 55th IFFI? Two national media launches: Prasar Bharati’s WAVES OTT platform, unveiled by Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant at the opening ceremony on 20 November 2024; and Season 2 of “Krish, Trish and Baltiboy: Bharat Hain Hum,” launched by Nagarjuna Akkineni on 21 November 2024, premiering across Doordarshan, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video (The Hindu; ANI via LatestLY).
How big was the 56th edition? The 56th IFFI (20–28 November 2025) presented 240+ films from 81 countries, with 13 world premieres, 5 international premieres and 44 Asian premieres. A record 2,314 submissions came from 127 countries, with Japan as the Country of Focus, Spain as Partner Country and Australia as Spotlight Country (PIB).
What this profile does not claim
- It does not date the “Krish, Trish and Baltiboy” Season 2 launch to 23 November 2024; the sources support 21 November 2024 as the event date and 23 November as the date of The Tribune’s later report (see openItems).
- It does not name the Golden Peacock winner or any award winners of recent editions; no full-read source in this research pass verified them.
- It does not claim NFDC organises IFFI alone; the festival is a three-way joint organisation of NFDC, the Information & Broadcasting Ministry and the Entertainment Society of Goa.
- It gives no attendance figures for any edition and does not date the Filmotsav merger; the sources supplied programme and submission counts, but neither audience totals nor a merger year.
Timeline
- 1952
- The inaugural edition is held in Mumbai from 24 January to 1 February, organised by the Films Division under the Government of India, featuring approximately 40 feature films and 100 short films; it then tours Madras, Delhi and Calcutta.
- 1965
- From the 3rd edition, held in January 1965, IFFI becomes a competitive festival.
- 1975
- Filmotsav is introduced as a non-competitive festival held in alternate years in different filmmaking cities; it is later merged with IFFI.
- 2004
- The festival finds its permanent home in Goa, where it has been organised every year since as a competitive event.
- 2024-11-20
- The 55th IFFI opens in Goa; at the opening ceremony, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant launches WAVES, Prasar Bharati's new OTT platform.
- 2024-11-21
- Actor Nagarjuna Akkineni launches Season 2 of the animated series "Krish, Trish and Baltiboy: Bharat Hain Hum" at the 55th IFFI, alongside I&B Secretary Sanjay Jaju, Prasar Bharati CEO Gaurav Dwivedi, CBC Director General Yogesh Baweja, creators Munjal Shroff and Tilak Shetty, and representatives of Netflix India and Prime Video.
- 2025-11-20
- The 56th IFFI opens in Goa (running to 28 November), with Japan as the Country of Focus, Spain as Partner Country and Australia as Spotlight Country, and a record 2,314 submissions from 127 countries.
What we could not verify
These claims came up in research and could not be confirmed. They are recorded here rather than published as fact or quietly dropped. If you hold a source that settles one, please tell us.
- The launch-date discrepancy: the ANI wire published 21 November 2024 says the Season 2 launch happened "on Thursday" (21 November 2024 was a Thursday); The Tribune's report is dated 23 November 2024 (a Saturday), two days after the event. This profile dates the launch event to 21 November 2024 and treats 23 November as the report date. The site's "Krish, Trish and Baltiboy" profile currently uses 2024-11-23 in its timeline; flagged for cross-profile reconciliation.
- The inaugural-edition figures (approximately 40 feature films and 100 short films) and the three-city tour (Madras, Delhi, Calcutta) come from a single PIB backgrounder; they were not cross-checked against a second independent source.
- The Tribune's page, as fetched for this profile, did not display an explicit publication dateline; the 23 November 2024 date follows the article's published record as cited on this site.
- The Golden Peacock top prize and the winners of recent editions are not asserted here; no full-read source in this research pass verified them.
- The 56th-edition programme details (240+ films, 2,314 submissions, country focuses) come from a PIB backgrounder published 15 November 2025, five days before the festival opened; post-event confirmation was not verified in this research pass.
Sources
5 sources (5 tier 1), each opened and read against the claim it supports. Every source is independent of the subject; no first-party material is cited. See the source policy.
Built from five tier1 sources read in full: two Press Information Bureau government releases (the 56th-edition backgrounder and the 55th-edition media briefing), two major newspapers (The Tribune on the animated-series launch, The Hindu on the WAVES launch) and one national news-agency wire (ANI) on the launch event itself. The festival's own website was not used as a source; festival-website claims appear here only where repeated by the PIB.
- Supports: FIAPF accreditation (South Asia's only competitive-feature accreditation); founding in 1952 and the festival's history (inaugural Mumbai edition, three-city tour, competitive since 1965, Filmotsav merger, permanent Goa home since 2004); joint organisation by NFDC, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Entertainment Society of Goa; the 56th edition's dates, scale figures (240+ films/81 countries, 2,314 submissions/127 countries, premiere counts), country programmes, opening film, Indian Panorama, Creative Minds of Tomorrow, masterclasses and prize amounts. Open original source
- Media Registration Closes in Next Few Hours IFFI Welcomes Media Persons to share the Joy of Cinema Tier 1Supports: The 55th IFFI's dates (20–28 November 2024) and Panaji, Goa venue; founded 1952; annual organisation by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting with the Entertainment Society of Goa; the Directorate of Film Festivals previously spearheading the event and NFDC taking over its conduct after the merger of the film media units with the corporation. Open original source
- Second season of animated series Krish, Trish, and Baltiboy: Bharat Hain Hum launched at IFFI Tier 1Supports: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting's launch of Season 2 of "Krish, Trish and Baltiboy: Bharat Hain Hum" at IFFI; actor Nagarjuna's participation and remarks; the 12 Indian and 7 international languages and 150-country reach; Waves as Prasar Bharati's newly launched OTT platform; the featured freedom fighters (Taji Dele and Ponge Dele of Arunachal Pradesh, Wazir Ram Singh Pathania of Himachal Pradesh, Birsa Munda of Jharkhand). Open original source
- Supports: The launch taking place "on Thursday" (21 November 2024) at the 55th IFFI in Goa by Nagarjuna Akkineni; the full attendee list (Sanjay Jaju, Gaurav Dwivedi, Yogesh Baweja, Munjal Shroff, Tilak Shetty, Mahima Kaul of Netflix India, Shilangi Mukherji of Prime Video); simultaneous premiere across Doordarshan, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video; language and country figures; the All India Radio radio series from 1 December in 12 languages. Open original source
- Supports: WAVES, Prasar Bharati's OTT platform, launched by Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on 20 November 2024 at the opening ceremony of the 55th IFFI; statements by Prasar Bharati chairman Navneet Singh Sehgal and CEO Gaurav Dwivedi on the platform's offering (12+ languages, 65 live channels, 10,000+ films, 40,000–50,000 hours of content, ONDC shopping). Open original source
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