The whole lineup of the 14th version of the Dharamshala Worldwide Movie Pageant (DIFF) has been introduced. The competition will happen from 30 October to 2 November 2025 on the Tibetan Youngsters’s Village in Higher Dharamshala. Like every year, DIFF is ready to carry a number of pathbreaking cinema to the Himalayan foothills, masterclasses with famend filmmakers, and thought-provoking discussions that form the way forward for cinema within the area. Allow us to check out the lineup this yr.
Homebound is the opening night time movie
Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound is the Opening Evening Movie of this version of the competition. Tailored from a 2020 New York Occasions article by Basharat Peer, the movie follows two childhood buddies from a small village in North India who dream of turning into law enforcement officials, hoping the job will carry them the respect they by no means had. Nevertheless, as they arrive nearer to their purpose, mounting pressures and struggles start to pressure their friendship. The movie is directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, and stars Ishaan Khatter, Janhvi Kapoor and Vishal Jethwa.
“We by no means got down to grow to be one of the vital outstanding impartial festivals within the nation. We merely believed that significant cinema deserved a house within the mountains,” say Pageant Administrators Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam. “DIFF has grown organically over 14 years – not by way of flash or hype, however by way of the eagerness of filmmakers, the belief of our audiences, and the neighborhood that returns yr after yr. That’s what makes it so significant.”
Masterclasses
A spotlight this yr is a masterclass with filmmaker Kiran Rao, who will mirror on her cinematic journey, the altering panorama of impartial movie, and what it means to inform daring, significant tales at this time.
Actor Adil Hussain may also give a masterclass on the competition. One other spotlight is a dialog with Andrey A. Tarkovsky, son of the legendary Russian director, Andrei Tarkovsky. He shall mirror on the legacy of his father’s transcendent cinema and what it means to protect that imaginative and prescient for a brand new era.
In the meantime, DIFF continues its collaboration with Sydney Movie Pageant, welcoming two acclaimed Australian movies and their filmmakers to this yr’s lineup:
Lesbian Area Princess by Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese, a vibrant queer sci-fi odyssey, and
The Wolves At all times Come at Evening by Gabrielle Brady, a poetic hybrid documentary on displacement and survival in Mongolia. The movie is Australia’s 2025 Oscar entry.
Movies that may play on the fest
Take a look at the opposite movies which might be taking part in on the competition, curated below the management of Bina Paul, DIFF’s Programming Director.
I, The Tune – Dechen Roder (Bhutan, Norway)
A schoolteacher accused of showing in a non-consensual video embarks on a journey to show her innocence by discovering her lookalike in southern Bhutan. The movie is Bhutan’s 2025 entry to the Oscars.
Sabar Bonda – Rohan Parashuram Kanawade (India, Canada, UK)
A romantic drama about Anand, who returns to his hometown after a household dying and rekindles a connection together with his childhood buddy Balya. Rohan Kanawade’s function directorial debut explores love, loss and belonging, and premiered at Sundance 2025, the place it received the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic.
Kneecap – Wealthy Peppiatt (Eire, UK)
A wild, irreverent biopic concerning the rise of the Irish-language rap trio Kneecap, mixing political satire, music and youthful riot in Belfast’s charged panorama.
Orwell 2+2=5 – Raoul Peck (United States, France)
A daring documentary that reinterprets Orwell’s 1984 for the age of misinformation, from the Oscar-nominated director of I Am Not Your Negro.
Romeria – Carla Simón (Spain, Germany)
Set in opposition to the backdrop of a rural pilgrimage, Romeria is a lyrical and intimate portrait of generational change and the quiet resilience of girls in small-town Spain.
Chopping Via Rocks – Sara Khaki & Mohammadreza Eyni (Qatar, Chile, Iran, Canada, Netherlands, Germany, United States)
Sara Shahverdi, the primary elected councilwoman of her Iranian village, challenges patriarchal norms by empowering teenage women by way of bike coaching and opposing baby marriage, however faces backlash that threatens her identification.
Alaav – Prabhash Chandra (India)
Alaav is an intimate but unsentimental portrayal of 63-year-old Bhaveen, a loyal son and sole caregiver to his 95-year-old mom in Delhi, capturing each the tenderness and emotional complexity of caregiving.
100 Sundown – Kunsang Kyirong (Canada)
A poignant drama about two younger Tibetan-Canadian girls in Toronto navigating friendship and cultural expectations.
The Love That Stays – Hlynur Pálmason (Iceland)
A stark but tender exploration of affection and reminiscence set in opposition to Iceland’s haunting winter landscapes, this function is making waves on the worldwide competition circuit after its premiere at Cannes 2025.
Songs of Forgotten Bushes – Anuparna Roy (India)
Closing our competition and lately honoured with the Orizzonti Award for Greatest Director on the 2025 Venice Movie Pageant, this poignant Mumbai-set movie follows a migrant actress and part-time intercourse employee who sublets her condominium to a newly arrived call-centre employee, as a quiet, fragile bond kinds between them amid the isolation and hustle of city life. It will function the closing night time movie.
Andrey Tarkovsky: A Cinema Prayer – Andrey A. Tarkovsky (Russia, Italy, Sweden)
A deeply private documentary concerning the nice filmmaker, crafted and offered in individual by Tarkovsky’s son, providing uncommon archival footage and meditations on cinema, religion, and creative legacy.