Festivals

SEVEN DAYS OF EXTRAORDINARY CINEMA

by Editorial Desk November 13 2026, 12:00 am Estimated Reading Time: 4 mins, 8 secs

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The Waterfront Indie Film Festival (WIFF) Mumbai returns for its second edition from 30 November to 6 December 2026, bringing together independent cinema, diverse voices, new perspectives and conversations that celebrate the transformative power of storytelling.

Conceived as a platform for discovery, diversity and dialogue, WIFF under the leadership of Shantanu Ray Chaudhuri, Co-founder and Festival Director, and Vinta Nanda, Co-founder and Executive Director, is more than a film festival. It is an evolving cultural community that connects filmmakers, artists, writers, industry professionals and audiences through cinema and its many intersections with society, identity, literature and contemporary life.

This year, WIFF expands its canvas significantly, presenting approximately 150 films from 25 countries. Its program brings together established masters and emerging filmmakers, experimental voices and stories from communities whose experiences are often underrepresented on mainstream screens.

With screenings and events across Third Bell Studios, Silk Road Cafe, Versova SOCIAL and PVR INOX, Citi Mall, Andheri West, the festival will transform Versova and its surrounding creative neighbourhood into a vibrant meeting ground for cinema and culture.

Celebrating Aparna Sen: A Retrospective

One of the major highlights of WIFF 2026 is a special retrospective celebrating the extraordinary cinematic journey of Aparna Sen, an actor and filmmaker whose work has consistently challenged conventions and explored the complexities of human relationships, gender, identity and society.

The retrospective brings together five landmark films: 36 Chowringhee Lane, Sati, Mr. and Mrs. Iyer, The Japanese Wife and Parama. Together, they offer an opportunity to revisit the distinctive cinematic language and remarkable range of a filmmaker whose work continues to resonate across generations.

The celebration will also feature a special screening of Suman Ghosh's documentary Parama: A Journey with Aparna Sen, offering an intimate portrait of the filmmaker. Adding another dimension will be the launch of Aparna Sen's photography book, My Gaze, accompanied by an exhibition of photographs from the collection. A special conversation with Aparna Sen and distinguished guests will explore her creative journey, her films, photography and the art of looking at the world.

Indigenous Visions: Stories from Our Adivasi Heartland

Curated by Anjali Monteiro and K.P. Jayasankar, this special package presents fiction and documentary films, predominantly by indigenous filmmakers from India's central and eastern heartland.

Drawing from communities across Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal, the films explore indigenous identities, languages, cultural memory, displacement, environmental concerns and resistance. They offer alternative perspectives on development, land, community and the relationship between people and nature.

French Classic Cinema

In partnership with Institut Français India, WIFF presents a selection of significant works from French cinema, curated by filmmaker Sharad Raj, celebrating filmmakers whose artistic innovations have shaped world cinema.

The program includes Alain Resnais's Hiroshima mon amour, Agnès Varda's Cléo from 5 to 7, Marguerite Duras's India Song and Claude Chabrol's The Unfaithful Wife. Five short films – Montsouris, Ville éternelle, L'attente, No Good and Les Grandes Vacances – complete this special showcase.

Conversations That Shape Independent Cinema

WIFF's industry program brings together filmmakers and professionals to examine the creative possibilities and practical challenges of working independently.

A Cinematography Panel, curated and moderated by acclaimed cinematographer Shanti Bhushan Roy, will explore the evolving visual language of independent cinema, from lighting and composition to emerging technologies, virtual production and new approaches to image-making.

A panel on The Challenges of Independent Filmmaking, curated by Kabeer Khurana, will bring together producers who have navigated funding challenges, unconventional distribution models and industry barriers to bring independent films to audiences.

Another important conversation, Experimental and Disruptive Storytelling, will examine how filmmakers can challenge established narrative conventions and retain their artistic convictions in an increasingly algorithm-driven entertainment landscape.

Literature, Culture and New Voices

The festival's expanding cultural program includes the Mahashweta Devi Centenary Celebration, curated by Joshy Joseph and Parthajit Baruah, honouring the extraordinary literary legacy of one of India's most significant writers. This will be accompanied by Page to Screen conversations, curated by Sathya Saran and Prema Govindan, exploring the relationship between literature and cinema.

Two panels by Sushma Gaikwad's WmmComm, an industry roundtable curated by Anupama Bose, and the Cine Dance programme, in partnership with Achintya Bose, Sonya Jain and Anupama Bose's Nilaya, will further open up spaces for learning, exchange and collaboration. International industry dialogues featuring participants from India, France and Western Australia will extend the festival's conversations beyond national boundaries.

A Festival That Builds Community

Rooted in the creative energy of Versova, WIFF brings cinema into an accessible, community-oriented cultural space. Its multiple venues encourage audiences to move between screenings, conversations, exhibitions and informal encounters with filmmakers and artists.

At its heart, WIFF is committed to creating a sustainable ecosystem for independent cinema – one that encourages emerging talent, celebrates established practitioners, makes space for diverse narratives and brings audiences closer to the people and ideas behind the films.

From 30 November to 6 December 2026, Mumbai will once again become a meeting place for stories that challenge, move, provoke and inspire. Welcome to Waterfront Indie Film Festival Mumbai 2026.