Homebound set to open Dharamshala International Film Festival

Filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan’s movie Homebound, which was lately chosen as India’s contender for the Oscars 2026, will open the upcoming version of the Dharamshala International Film Festival. The 14th version will open with Ishaan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa-starrer Homebound and shut with Anuparna Roy’s Venice prize winner Songs of Forgotten Trees.

DIFF will happen from October 30 to November 2. The competition continues its partnership with Sydney Film Festival, welcoming two Australian movies and their filmmakers: Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese’s queer sci-fi Lesbian Space Princess and Gabrielle Brady’s The Wolves Always Come at Night, Australia’s Oscar submission.

Programming highlights embrace Bhutan’s Oscar entry I, The Song by Dechen Roder; Rohan Parashuram Kanawade’s Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner Cactus Pears; Rich Peppiatt’s Irish-language Kneecap; and Raoul Peck’s documentary Orwell 2+2=5.

The lineup additionally options Spanish director Carla Simon’s Romeria; Hlynur Palmason’s Cannes entry The Love That Remains; Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni’s Cutting Through Rocks; Prabhash Chandra’s Alaav; Kunsang Kyirong’s 100 Sunset; and Tannishtha Chatterjee’s Busan-debuting Full Plate, starring Kirti Kulhari and Sharib Hashmi.

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The competition will characteristic a masterclass by acclaimed filmmaker Kiran Rao. Actor Adil Hussain can even conduct a session on how performers can deliver authenticity to their characters throughout various cultural contexts. Speaking in regards to the upcoming version, competition Directors Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam mentioned, “We never set out to become one of the most prominent independent festivals in the country. We simply believed that meaningful cinema deserved a home in the mountains.”

DIFF has grown organically over 14 years – not by way of flash or hype, however by way of the fervour of filmmakers, the belief of our audiences, and the neighborhood that returns yr after yr. That’s what makes it so significant,” they added. Programming director Bina Paul has curated a lineup that features Andrey Tarkovsky’s son, Andrey A Tarkovsky, presenting the documentary Andrey Tarkovsky: A Cinema Prayer, in individual, that includes uncommon archival footage of the legendary Russian filmmaker. He will discuss in regards to the work and legacy of his father.