India’s IFFI Goa Festival Sets 15-Film Golden Peacock Competition Slate

The 55th International Film Festival of India ( IFFI ) has unveiled its main competition lineup, with 15 features vying for the Golden Peacock award carrying an INR4 million ($47,000) prize purse, notably featuring nine films directed by women.

Among the world premieres are Manijeh Hekmat and Faeze Azizkhani's Iranian drama "Fear & Trembling," exploring an older woman's struggles with isolation, and Nikhil Mahajan's "Raavsaheb," an Indian crime thriller examining man-animal conflict in tribal lands.

The slate includes festival circuit standouts like Louise Courvoisier's "Holy Cow" (France), which nabbed the Un Certain Regard Youth Prize at Cannes 2024, and Saulė Bliuvaitė's "Toxic" (Lithuania), winner of the Golden Leopard at Locarno 2024. Bogdan Mureșanu's Romanian revolution drama "The New Year That Never Came" arrives fresh from winning Venice's Horizons and FIPRESCI awards.

The lineup also includes Belkis Bayrak's "Gulizar" (Turkey), which played at Toronto and San Sebastian, and George Sikharulidze's "Panopticon" (Georgia-U.S.), which earned an Ecumenical Jury special mention at Karlovy Vary. Singapore's Nelicia Low won Best Director at Karlovy Vary for her psychological thriller "Pierce," which is also in the Goa competition.

The Indian contingent features Blessy's "The Goat Life," adapted from the bestselling novel "Aadujeevitham," and Aditya Suhas Jambhale's political thriller "Article 370."

Other international entries include Iciar Bollaín's "I Am Nevenka" (Spain), which won the Euskadi Basque Country Award at San Sebastian, Lotfi Achour's "Red Path" (Tunisia), Sophie Deraspea's Toronto winner "Shepherds" (Canada-France), Jiri Madl's Czech Oscar entry "Waves," and Meryam Joobeur's Berlin premiere "Who Do I Belong To" (Tunisia-Canada).

Veteran Indian filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker ("Lagaan," "Swades") heads the jury, joined by Singapore director Anthony Chen (Cannes Camera d'Or winner for "Ilo Ilo"), British-American producer Elizabeth Karlsen ("Carol," "The Crying Game"), Spanish producer Fran Borgia ("A Land Imagined," "Stranger Eyes"), and Australian editor Jill Bilcock ("Moulin Rouge!," "Romeo + Juliet").

The festival runs Nov. 20-28 in Goa, India, with awards to be presented for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor (Male), Best Actor (Female), and Special Jury Prize.