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Germany's Stuttgart festival spotlights Mollywood cinema
Festival will screen more than 70 feature films, documentaries and shorts from across India July 23-26.
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Pranavi Sharma - Wed, 01, Jul 2026
- 03:14 EDT
- 18
Poster of the festival. / Courtesy photo
The 23rd Stuttgart Indian Film Festival will spotlight Malayalam cinema, commonly known as Mollywood, when it takes place in Stuttgart from July 23-26, presenting more than 70 feature films, documentaries and short films alongside LGBTQ+ stories and socio-political narratives from across India.
Organizers said this year's festival will run for just under four days, a shorter schedule than previous editions because of reduced funding from the City of Stuttgart. Despite the condensed format, they said the program will continue to feature a broad selection of feature films, documentaries, debut works and short films exploring themes including globalization, identity, tradition and social change.
The festival will open July 23 with director Dinjith Ayyathan's thriller 'Eko From the Infinite Chronicles of Kuriachan,' which follows the search for a mysterious dog breeder in central Kerala. Earlier that day, school audiences will attend a screening of Varsha Bharath's coming-of-age drama 'Bad Girl.'
Among the Malayalam films in the lineup are Rajesh Madhavan's debut comedy 'Pennum Porattum – Girl and the Fools' Parade,' Dominic Arun's fantasy film 'Lokah – Chapter 1: Chandra,' Emcy Joseph's survival thriller 'Meesha – Moustache' and Khalid Rahman's boxing drama 'Alappuzha Gymkhana.' Other featured films include Omkar Bhatkar's 'Iktsuarpok – The Weight of Longing,' Abhay Punjabi's 'Pukam Pukai – To Fetch a Pail of Water,' Chaiti Ghoshal's 'Nevermind,' Khanjan Kishore Nath's 'Kangbo Aloti – The Lost Path,' Manas Shashidharan Jacob's 'The Audition,' Manuraj Dubey's 'Sheness' and Anusha Rizvi's 'The Great Shamsuddin Family.'
Six feature films are competing for the German Star of India award: 'Bad Girl,' 'Kangbo Aloti – The Lost Path,' 'The Audition,' 'The Great Shamsuddin Family,' 'Nevermind' and 'Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra.'
The documentary section includes Haider Khan's 'Saath Paar Zindagi – Life Beyond 60,' which profiles five Padma Shri recipients, as well as his films 'Tears Beneath the Laughing Sky' and 'Divine Beasts in Bondage.' Other documentaries examine tea plantation labor in Assam, traditional puppetry in Kerala, India's last official executioner, male contraception research, migrant workers, street art, Kolkata's Jewish community and transgender experiences during the Koovagam festival.
The short film program features works centered on identity, LGBTQ+ experiences and social issues. Nominated titles include 'Tumba,' 'Kathputliyaan – Unstrung,' 'Alyad Palyad – From Here to Beyond,' 'Jasmine That Blooms in Autumn,' 'Velicham – The Luminous Path,' 'Aam Gaachher Bashinda – Once Upon a Mango Tree,' 'Where April Begins' and 'Detective Meter Down.'
The festival will also highlight queer cinema with screenings of Onir's 'Tumhari Khushboo – Your Fragrance,' Chandradeep Das' 'Jasmine That Blooms in Autumn' and the documentary 'Bride of Aravan,' alongside other films addressing gender identity and LGBTQ+ experiences.
Organizers said the festival will continue its practice of screening films primarily in their original Indian languages with English subtitles. The event is organized by the non-profit cultural association Filmbüro Baden-Württemberg and is funded by the City of Stuttgart and the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts.
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