DIFF 2025: India's Oscar selection 'Homebound' to kick off 14th Dharamshala International Film Festival, full lineup announced

Mumbai: Neeraj Ghaywan’s ‘Homebound,’ recently selected as India’s official entry for the Oscars 2026, will open the 14th edition of the Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF) later this month. The festival, scheduled to run from October 30 to November 2, will conclude with Anuparna Roy’s ‘Songs of Forgotten Trees,’ which won an award at the Venice Film Festival, according to Variety.

Starring Ishaan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa, ‘Homebound’ leads a diverse lineup that reflects DIFF’s continued focus on meaningful, independent cinema. This year, the festival will also extend its ongoing partnership with the Sydney Film Festival, featuring Australian entries ‘Lesbian Space Princess’ by Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese, and ‘The Wolves Always Come at Night’ by Gabrielle Brady, Australia’s official Oscar submission.

Other programming highlights include Bhutan’s Oscar contender ‘I, The Song’ by Dechen Roder; Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner ‘Cactus Pears’ by Rohan Parashuram Kanawade; ‘Kneecap,’ an Irish-language film by Rich Peppiatt; and Raoul Peck’s documentary ‘Orwell 2+2=5.’ International selections also feature Carla Simon’s ‘Romeria,’ Hlynur Palmason’s Cannes entry ‘The Love That Remains,’ and ‘Cutting Through Rocks’ by Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni.

From the Indian slate, the lineup includes Prabhash Chandra’s ‘Alaav,’ Kunsang Kyirong’s ‘100 Sunset,’ and Tannishtha Chatterjee’s ‘Full Plate,’ which premiered at Busan and stars Kirti Kulhari and Sharib Hashmi.

The festival will host a masterclass by filmmaker Kiran Rao and an acting workshop by Adil Hussain on achieving cultural authenticity in performance. One of the major highlights will be the presence of Andrey A. Tarkovsky, son of the legendary Russian director, who will present ‘Andrey Tarkovsky: A Cinema Prayer’ — a documentary featuring rare archival footage — and speak about his father’s legacy.

Festival directors Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam said DIFF’s growth over 14 years has been driven by passion rather than publicity. “We never aimed to be one of the country’s most prominent independent festivals; we simply believed that meaningful cinema deserved a home in the mountains,” they said. Programming director Bina Paul has curated this year’s selection with a focus on creativity, collaboration, and community — the spirit that continues to define DIFF.

With inputs from ANI