Shruti Haasan’s The Eye to open Wench Film Festival

British psychological thriller The Eye, starring Shruti Haasan in the lead role, will serve as the opening film at the 5th Wench Film Festival in Mumbai. Founded by filmmaker Sapna Bhavnani, the gala is touted as India’s first horror film festival. The 2025 edition of the festival will run from February 27 to March 2. Haasan’s The Eye is directed by Daphne Schmon and also stars Mark Rowley.

In the movie, the actress plays the role of Diana, who goes to an island, where her husband Felix drowned. She is then tempted by a dark choice that could bring him back. The festival will close with the screening of Schirkoa—In Lies We Trust, starring Iranian-French actor Golshifteh Farahani.

This year, the festival will screen 42 movies, including 35 by women filmmakers. The line-up is inclusive of LGBTQ women and non-binary filmmakers.

The films will be showcased in three categories—Blood Thirsty, consisting of movies with runtime of 60 minutes and above; Dwarves, featuring films of 10 to 40 minutes length; and Elves, which includes short films of less than 10 minutes duration.

The jury members include Chris Orgelt and Harini Laxminarayan for Blood Thirsty; Aruna Raje Patil for Dwarves; and Carolyn Mauricette for Elves.