New Delhi: Delhi’s first International Film Festival (IFFD) opened with a quiet but deliberate assertion— Delhi will chart its own path on the global cinema map rather than compete with established film hubs like Mumbai. That distinction, filmmaker and IFFD director Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra stressed, is precisely the point.As thousands of cinephiles streamed into venues across the city, Mehra said Delhi would script its own cinematic identity—one shaped by its layers of history, politics and lived memory—rather than compete with India’s established film hub.The inaugural edition of the IFFD 2026, a week-long event that runs till March 31, was inaugurated by chief minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday, who described the city as a rising “creative capital” with a distinctive storytelling energy.Speaking to TOI, Mehra, known for ‘Rang De Basanti’, said: “Delhi has one of the oldest living histories, and that reflects in its stories.” The festival prioritises participation and diversity over competition, with entries from India and abroad, he added.Mehra said the aim is not to rival other film destinations but to build a platform rooted in Delhi’s legacy. Calling the festival a beginning, he said IFFD will “100 per cent” be held annually and will grow gradually, much like major global festivals that took decades to evolve. IFFD, he said, may take about seven years to become an important stop on the cinema circuit.He added that organising the first edition came with no major challenges, crediting Delhi govt and coordinated work across departments for smooth execution. The festival, he said, is a long-standing idea that finally found institutional backing.Mehra also argued that the continued labelling of films as “women-centric” misses the point in 2026, noting that women-led narratives already feature strongly across contemporary cinema.A key highlight is a panel titled “Women in Cinema: Voice, Power, and the Future of Storytelling”, featuring leading women filmmakers and creative professionals. The discussion will examine the evolving roles of women on and behind the screen, and explore how to build a more inclusive film ecosystem. IFFD, earlier this month, had partnered with Women in Film India, led by Academy Award–winning producer Guneet Monga. As part of this initiative, a programme titled “Her Lens” has been launched to bring women storytellers and women-centric narratives to the global stage.Organised by the Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation in association with the Delhi government, IFFD is being held across multiple venues. More than 125 Indian and international films will be screened, alongside gala premieres, panel discussions, masterclasses and cultural events.
