In a first, National Capital to host International Film Festival from March 25
To promote Delhi as a global cultural and film hub
The Delhi government will organise its first-ever International Film Festival, Delhi (IFFD) 2026 from March 25 to 31 at Bharat Mandapam, marking a major step towards positioning the national capital as a global cultural and film hub.
Sharing details of the event, Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra said the festival is being held under the leadership of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and will be organised by the Delhi Government in collaboration with the Delhi Tourism Department.
“IFFD is a cinema festival that promotes creativity, creates opportunities and firmly places Delhi on the global cultural map,” said CM Gupta.
The festival has received more than 2,000 entries from across the world, out of which 140 films have been selected for screening. The lineup includes a diverse mix of Indian regional cinema - Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Marathi, Bhojpuri, Punjabi, Haryanvi, North-Eastern and Bengali - alongside international films and select Bollywood titles. The screening of “Dhurandhar 2” is expected to be one of the key highlights.
“The film festival will give new dimensions to the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Orange Economy and Creators Economy,” Mishra said.
The festival aligns with the government’s broader push to promote art, culture and tourism in Delhi, citing recent initiatives such as large-scale cultural celebrations and youth engagement programmes.
“Delhi will be developed as a film shooting destination,” Mishra added.
The minister added that the festival has three core objectives: to boost the orange and creators economy by providing a global platform for emerging talent, to showcase Delhi’s world class infrastructure for international events and to establish the city as a preferred destination for film production.The government plans to make IFFD an annual event, aiming to further strengthen Delhi’s position on the global cultural map.
