Festivals

FESTIVALS: WATERFRONT INDIE FILM FESTIVAL BEGINS

by Editorial Desk March 23 2025, 12:00 am Estimated Reading Time: 7 mins, 15 secs

The inaugural event of the Waterfront Indie Film Festival launched in Mumbai’s Aram Nagar, uniting filmmakers, industry experts, and cinephiles to celebrate independent storytelling and foster creative collaboration. The #Newsdesk reports…

The Waterfront Indie Film Festival kicked off its first pre-festival event on March 20, 2025, at Sathe’s Café in Rangshila Theatre, Aram Nagar, Versova—Mumbai’s creative hub for independent cinema. Co-founded by Deepa Gahlot, Shantanu Ray Chaudhuri, and Vinta Nanda, and established by The Daily Eye in collaboration with Rangshila founded by Avneesh Mishra, WIFF aims to create a year-long platform for indie filmmakers through screenings, workshops, and panel discussions. The festival’s distinguished advisory board includes renowned filmmakers, critics, educators, and curators who champion bold, diverse, and underrepresented stories. WIFF will culminate in a full-scale film festival from October 4–6, 2025.

A Promising First Step: Waterfront Indie Film Festival Kicks Off at Sathe’s, Rangshila Theatre, Aram Nagar

The first event in a vibrant series leading up to the Waterfront Indie Film Festival (WIFF) — scheduled for October 2025 — was held on March 20th, 2025, at Sathe’s Café, nestled in the creative heart of Rangshila Theatre, Aram Nagar, Versova. Known as Mumbai’s bohemian cradle of independent cinema, Aram Nagar played the perfect host for this inaugural celebration of storytelling, craft, and courage.

Sathe’s, a quaint café on the ground floor of Rangshila Theatre, became the hub of indie film energy. With an ambiance that encourages conversations over coffee and cinema, the space buzzed with filmmakers, cinephiles, actors, writers, students, and cultural professionals including Dolly Thakore, Karan Gulliani, Suhail Abbasi, Rajshree Urf Raju, Gurpal Singh, OP Shrivastava, Rashmi Lamba, Ranjit Rodricks, Aseem Bajaj, Gargey Trivedi, Aparajita Roy Sinha and more. As for the delectable food the café serves — you’ll have to go there to know more.

A Festival Born of Passion and Purpose

WIFF is envisioned as a festival for the indie spirit — an inclusive, democratic, and diverse platform that champions powerful stories from the margins. Conceived as a space where independent filmmakers can screen their work, meet peers, engage with mentors, and gain visibility, the festival is scheduled to take place from October 4–6, 2025. But it’s more than just three days in October — WIFF is a movement, with monthly meetups, screenings, discussions, and workshops in the run-up to the main event.

The festival is co-founded by Deepa Gahlot, theatre and film critic, author, and curator, also the Director of WIFF; Shantanu Ray Chaudhuri, editor, publisher, and author known for his deep engagement with cinema and literature; and Vinta Nanda, writer, filmmaker, and founder of The Daily Eye, an independent media platform at the intersection of culture and cinema. Together, they bring decades of experience, passion, and vision to the initiative.

Spearheaded by The Daily Eye in collaboration with Rangshila Theatre, WIFF is the result of a unique partnership built on mutual respect for creativity and community. Rangshila’s vibrant space in Versova — long known as a crucible for actors and theatre practitioners — now expands its scope to include independent cinema, creating a permanent home for storytelling that goes beyond the mainstream.

Introducing the WIFF Advisory Board

Festival co-founder Vinta Nanda introduced the WIFF Advisory Board — a collective of thought leaders, practitioners, and visionaries who will guide the festival’s direction and ethos. Present at the launch event were Avneesh Mishra, actor, filmmaker, theatre director and the dynamic founder of Rangshila Theatre; Sridhar Rangayan, trailblazing filmmaker, LGBTQIA+ rights activist, and Founder of KASHISH Pride Film Festival; Anupama Mandloi, producer and consultant, formerly Managing Director of Fremantle India; and Jamshed Mistry, international lawyer and founder of the International Legal Alliance. All four brought their distinct perspectives into the room, setting a warm and purposeful tone for the festival's future.

Also introduced were advisory board members who could not be physically present but shared their support and solidarity. Amit Behl, a respected actor and theatre artist who formerly served as General Secretary of CINTAA, is known for advocating ethical practices and fair representation in the performing arts. Amitava Nag, an acclaimed author, editor of Silhouette, and sharp voice in Indian film criticism, contributes a critical eye and literary sensibility to the board. Anjali Monteiro, documentary filmmaker, media educator, and academic, brings deep-rooted experience in research and visual storytelling to the collective. Bina Paul, one of India's most esteemed film editors and former Artistic Director of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), is a seasoned curator and mentor to many.

Joshy Joseph, an award-winning documentary filmmaker and author, lends his poetic lens to the advisory team. Kabeer Khurana, a young filmmaker and TEDx speaker who founded the Indie Film Circuit, represents the aspirations of a new generation of storytellers. Parthajit Baruah, noted film historian, author, and documentary filmmaker, brings with him a valuable regional and archival perspective on cinema from the Northeast and beyond. Selvaggia Velo, founder of the River to River Indian Film Festival in Florence, Italy, although not formally on the advisory board, was present and participated as a key international voice at the panel discussion. Rita Meher, Co-founder and director of Tasveer, Seattle, a film festival for South Asian filmmaker in the United States, soon to join the advisory board, sent her best wishes to team WIFF.

Finally, Nina Lath Gupta, former Managing Director of NFDC, seasoned producer, and Founder-CEO of Cinevesture, adds a powerful dimension to the advisory team with her experience in content curation, financing, and building systems that support alternative cinema. With this stellar lineup of advocates, practitioners, and pioneers, the WIFF Advisory Board stands as a testament to the festival’s inclusive and far-reaching vision.  

Screenings and Conversations: A Thoughtful Start

The afternoon began with the screening of two sharply observed short films — P for Paparazzi by Divya Kharnare and Thursday Special by Varun Tandon. Kharnare’s film explored the gritty, unseen world of celebrity photographers through the lens of a soft-spoken Nepali shutterbug named Manoj. The film raised compelling questions about exploitation, identity, and the blurred lines between media and voyeurism. Tandon’s Thursday Special was a slow-burn reflection on intimacy, aging, and longing, told with maturity and restraint. Both films demonstrated what indie cinema does best — telling human stories with honesty and empathy.

Following the screenings, Deepa Gahlot moderated a lively and thoughtful discussion. Divya Kharnare was asked about the inspiration behind his subject and how he found Manoj. He responded by sharing real-life observations from the paparazzi hubs outside film venues. Varun Tandon spoke about how his script came to be, the casting choices he made, and the challenges of creating the atmosphere the story required on a limited budget.

Panel Discussion: Reclaiming the Space for Indie Filmmaking

After a break for networking and lunch, the gathering reconvened for a compelling panel discussion focused on reclaiming space for indie filmmaking in an increasingly polarised cinematic marketplace. Deepa Gahlot opened the session by reflecting on how independent cinema in Hollywood evolved outside studio systems — not unlike the early days of Indian parallel cinema — and how, over time, these spaces have come under pressure from commercial giants.

Festival Directors Selvaggia Velo and Sridhar Rangayan shared their experiences from the global festival circuit. Velo spoke about the important role festivals play in elevating diverse voices and giving filmmakers international exposure. Rangayan spoke passionately about the global success of Anora, an indie film that recently won the Oscar for Best Film, showing that independent films still have the power to break through and connect with global audiences.

Filmmaker Leena Yadav, who has worked in both Bollywood and independent spaces, offered a realistic take, stating that while she values the freedom of indie filmmaking, the reach and impact of mainstream platforms are hard to ignore — which is why she continues to engage with them, even if it sometimes means compromising on creative choices. Panchali Chakraverty, speaking from her experience in marketing and sales, presented an encouraging outlook. She revealed that efforts are underway to create small cinemas with lower ticket pricing, which will make indie films accessible to wider, more diverse audiences.

The discussion opened up to the audience, with one young filmmaker asking if it’s time for festivals to move away from celebrity-focused curation and return to a cinema-first approach. The response from the panel — and the room — was a unanimous and resounding yes.

This is only the beginning!

Submit your films to: https://filmfreeway.com/WaterfrontIndieFilmFestival 

Follow the movement on Instagram at @WIFFMUMBAI @headlines_thedaileye and for upcoming events, filmmaker features, and submission calls.