The Waterfront Indie Film Festival (WIFF) Mumbai launches its literature vertical with a two-day programme at SOCIAL Versova, bringing authors, playwrights and screenwriters together to explore how stories travel from the written word to stage and screen.

At a time when stories constantly travel between page, stage and screen, the Waterfront Indie Film Festival (WIFF) Mumbai expands its engagement with storytelling by foregrounding the written word that so often becomes cinema.

As the festival’s year-long programme unfolds through 2026, beginning with its first two-day gathering on 11-12 March at SOCIAL Versova, WIFF introduces a dedicated literature vertical that brings authors, filmmakers, critics and audiences into a shared space of conversation.

The idea is simple yet profound: before cinema becomes an image, it begins as an idea. That idea is shaped through writing — through memory, research, imagination and craft. With WIFF LIT, the festival places the spotlight on this often overlooked but vital stage of storytelling, inviting audiences to explore how narratives evolve from the written word into performance and moving images.

WIFF Mumbai: Creating A Space For Dialogue

WIFF Mumbai was founded in 2025 by Vinta Nanda and Shantanu Ray Chaudhuri, with Deepa Gahlot and Avneesh Mishra as part of the founding team. Conceived as an intimate and thoughtful cultural platform, the festival was designed as a space where films are not merely screened but discussed, questioned and contextualised.

In a media landscape increasingly driven by speed and consumption, WIFF’s philosophy centres on dialogue — conversations that allow audiences and creators to engage deeply with the stories that shape our cultural imagination.

In 2026, the festival expands further with the addition of two distinguished voices from the world of publishing and journalism — Prema Govindan and Sathya Saran — who join to shape and lead the literature vertical. Together they bring decades of experience across publishing, journalism, cinema, television and literary criticism, strengthening WIFF Mumbai’s commitment to nurturing a vibrant exchange between literature and cinema.

At the heart of this initiative lies a shared belief: that stories shape cities, cultures and communities.

Mumbai itself is a city built on narratives — from the theatre traditions of its stages to the cinematic histories of its studios and the literary voices that have documented its spirit.

Day One: Television Memories, Translation And Theatre

The festival’s opening event on 11 March 2026 at SOCIAL Versova begins with Doordarshan Diaries, where Sheila Chaman revisits the golden era of Indian television in conversation with Gajra Kottary. The session reflects on a time when public broadcasting shaped the storytelling imagination of an entire nation.

Later in the morning, legendary writer Javed Siddiqui will discuss Shadows On The Wall, translated by Fatima Rizvi, in a conversation moderated by Sathya Saran. The discussion promises to explore the intersections of literature, translation and memory.

The afternoon session brings playwright Nadira Zaheer Babbar into focus. In conversation with Sathya Saran, Babbar — who has written eighteen Hindi plays — will reflect on the craft of playwriting and the enduring power of theatre as a living, breathing storytelling form where language, performance and audience converge.

The day concludes with a Networking Adda, an informal space for writers, filmmakers, students and audiences to meet, exchange ideas and build creative connections.

Day Two: Screenwriting, Cultural Biographies And Mumbai Memories

The second day of WIFF LIT, on 12 March 2026, begins with a session on the art of screenwriting. Mihir Chitre will discuss Screenwriters Inc., his book featuring conversations with thirty-three masters of screenwriting, in dialogue with Prema Govindan.

This will be followed by Sathya Saran discussing her acclaimed books on some of India’s most beloved cultural figures — including Gulzar, Guru Dutt, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Jagjit Singh and S.D. Burman — in a conversation moderated by Vinta Nanda. The session promises insights into how biography, memory and cultural history intersect in storytelling.

The festival concludes with Joy Bimal Roy speaking about his book Ramblings of a Bandra Boy, in conversation with Prema Govindan. The discussion will explore Roy’s reflections on Mumbai, cinema and the lived experiences that inspire storytelling rooted in place and memory. 

Building A Year-Long Storytelling Community

WIFF LIT is envisioned as more than a two-day programme. It marks the beginning of a continuing dialogue between literature and cinema.

The March gathering is the first in a series of monthly engagements that will unfold through the year, building momentum toward the larger October edition of the Waterfront Indie Film Festival Mumbai, where filmmakers, authors, publishers, screenwriters, critics and audiences will come together in celebration of storytelling across mediums.

In a city that lives and breathes stories, WIFF Mumbai 2026 offers a space where readers, writers, filmmakers and audiences gather to celebrate the written word — the quiet beginning of the cinema we remember.

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