DHARAMSHALA, Oct 23: The 14th Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF 2025) promises an exciting showcase of global independent cinema, opening with filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan’s latest work ‘Homebound’, India’s official entry for the Oscars 2026. The festival will take place from October 30 to November 2 in the scenic mountain town of Dharamshala.
The closing film will be Anuparna Roy’s ‘Songs of Forgotten Trees’, an internationally acclaimed feature that won a major prize at the Venice Film Festival. Highlights also include Bhutan’s Oscar entry ‘I, The Song’, Sundance winner ‘Cactus Pears’, Irish-language film ‘Kneecap’, and Australian entries such as ‘Lesbian Space Princess’ and ‘The Wolves Always Come at Night’, Australia’s Oscar submission.
DIFF 2025 will also feature films like Carla Simon’s ‘Romeria’, Hlynur Palmason’s ‘The Love That Remains’, Tannishtha Chatterjee’s ‘Full Plate’, and Raoul Peck’s much-anticipated documentary ‘Orwell 2+2=5’.
Beyond screenings, the festival offers masterclasses and interactive sessions, including Kiran Rao on filmmaking and Adil Hussain on acting techniques across cultures. A special presentation by Andrey A. Tarkovsky, son of legendary Russian filmmaker Andrey Tarkovsky, will feature his documentary ‘Andrey Tarkovsky: A Cinema Prayer’ with rare archival footage.
Festival founders Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam emphasized DIFF’s organic growth: “We never set out to become one of the most prominent independent festivals in the country. We believed that meaningful cinema deserved a home in the mountains. DIFF has grown through the passion of filmmakers and the trust of our audiences.”