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Indian Film Festival in LA set to kick off in April
IFFLA includes representation from about 13 countries this year.
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Rwittika Chakraborty - Sat, 21, Mar 2026
- 03:29 EDT
- 12
The 24th edition of the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) / indianfilmfestival.org/
The 24th edition of the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) is set to take place from April 23 to 26, featuring 27 films, including seven narrative features, two documentary features, and 18 short films.
IFFLA has announced its lineup for films and events this year, and the countries represented in the festival include India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Japan, France, the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and the USA.
The opening night gala of the IFFLA 2026 will open with Mahesh Narayanan’s Malayalam thriller Patriot, starring Mammootty and Mohanlal together after 18 years. The cast also includes Fahadh Faasil, Nayanthara, Kunchacko Boban, and Revathy.
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The plot revolves around a retired officer who is falsely accused of espionage and joins forces with a high-ranking soldier to defend the nation against a major conspiracy.
The film festival will also feature the IFFLA Industry Days, which had its first edition in 2024.
IFFLA Industry Days is a forum that offers South Asian film and TV creatives opportunities to make connections with industry leaders, along with the chance to win a $10,000 Pitch Competition Development Grant.
The two-day event, inclusive of panels, masterclasses, screenings, and pitch finalists, also offers IFFLA Connect, a program that showcases standout projects from South Asia and its diasporas to key industry professionals, providing support across financing, production, and casting, among other aspects.
#IFFLA2026 is back! Join us April 23-26 to celebrate an outstanding selection of South Asian and diasporic films from across the world, showcasing new and veteran filmmakers all the same.
— IFFLA (@iffla) March 19, 2026
Passes on sale now!https://t.co/iiXebyrUu1
The festival will feature Mahde Hasan’s debut Sand City, which won the Proxima Grand Prix at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, and Anuparna Roy’s Songs of Forgotten Trees, which earned the Best Director Award at the Venice Film Festival.
Tribeny Rai’s Shape of Momo will have its North American premiere at IFFLA, and Karla Murthy’s documentary The Gas Station Attendant, which won the Best Documentary at the Nashville Film Festival, and a Special Mention at Sheffield DocFest.
Other films and documentaries include Ben Rekhi and Swetlana’s documentary Breaking The Code and Hidden Sun, by director Shuchi Talati.
The short film program this year features work by 13 female directors, including Nihaarika Negi’s sweeping Tenfa, produced by Storiculture.
The festival also has a selection of films by California and local filmmakers, including the world premieres of Harvest Party At Camp Two by Rajan Gill and Reaa Pur, Peanut by Sheila Sawhny, Urvashi Pathania’s Skin, Unfriend (Katti) by Kanishka Aggarwal, and Radha Mehta’s Sūnna.
The festival will close with Anusha Rizvi’s The Great Shamsuddin Family, a social satire set in Delhi with an ensemble cast including Kritika Kamra, Shreya Dhanwanthary, Sheeba Chaddha, Farida Jalal, and Purab Kohli.
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