15TH DELHI INTERNATION FILM FESTIVAL CONCLUDED

15^TH DELHI INTERNATION FILM FESTIVAL CONCLUDED

10-MAY-ENG 1

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

DELHI------------------------The 15th Delhi International Film Festival (DIFF 2026), organized in collaboration with the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), concluded on a grand note on Friday. Renowned actress Rituparna Sengupta attended the closing ceremony as the Chief Guest and presented awards to outstanding films in the competitive section.

The film ‘A New Postbox: Tales from Partition’—set against the backdrop of the Partition of India and directed by Dr. Sachchidanand Joshi—was accorded a special honor. The film was lauded for its sensitive portrayal of the human suffering and memories associated with the Partition.

This year, the festival screened 177 films hailing from 51 countries across the globe and 21 states within India. Russia, China, and various African nations were accorded a special status as ‘Focus Countries,’ thereby giving a new direction to international cultural dialogue.

During the festival, a special panel discussion titled “Making Films is Easy, Selling Them is War”—focused on the challenges of film production and distribution—was organized. The session featured insights from NSD Director Chittaranjan Tripathy, Dean of Academics Salim Arif, theater artist Arvind Gaur, and Joginder Mahajan, General Secretary of the Motion Pictures Association. The discussion was moderated by senior journalist Reema Gautam.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, various speakers remarked that the Delhi International Film Festival has evolved beyond being merely a showcase for films; it has now emerged as a pivotal platform for dialogue and collaboration between world cinema and diverse cultures.