About The Event
Welcome to the Waterfront Indie Film Festival (WIFF) – where cinema goes beyond the screen and transforms into a movement.
From October 2nd to 6th, Aram Nagar, Versova, Andheri West at Rangshila, Silk Road Cafe, Versova Social and Maverick Studios will come alive with stories, voices, and experiences that celebrate authentic cinema from India and across the world.
🎬 Screenings • 🎤 Panels • 🎭 Performances • 🎹 Masterclasses
🔥 Why You Can’t Miss WIFF 2025
🔹 Star-studded Panels & Mentors: Hear from visionaries like Hansal Mehta, Sudhir Mishra, Rohan Sippy, Tushar Hiranandani, Pratik Gandhi, Surveen Chawla, Gauri Shinde, R. Balki, Javed Jaffrey, Saeed Mirza, Hemant Chaturvedi, Sandra de Castro Buffington, Piyush Roy and many more.
🔹 Unmissable Screenings: From award-winning Marathi gem Shyamchi Aai to global voices like Marching in the Dark, Feminist Fathima, and Humans in the Loop (Closing Film).
🔹 Exclusive Masterclasses: Cinematography with Shanti Bhushan Roy, storytelling for change with Sandra de Castro Buffington & Piyush Roy (powered by RV University), impact storytelling with Anupama Mandloi, cinema history with Hemant Chaturvedi, and sound design with Bishwadeep Dipak Chatterjee.
🔹 Adda Sessions: Conversations with Jaaved Jaaferi, Saeed Mirza, Amole Gupte, Gauri Shinde, R. Balki, and more.
🔹 Awards & Performances: The festival wraps with an unforgettable Awards Night followed by a Gala at Versova Social.
📅 Program Highlights
Thursday, 2nd Oct – The Grand Opening
WIFF Select: Micro Shorts (11 films, 22 min)
WIFF Select: In Transit (6 films, 93 min) + Q&A, Curator: Kabeer Khurana
Workshop: Cinematography – The Craft of Frame, Light & Movement with Shanti Bhushan Roy
Opening Film: Feminist Fathima (100 min + Q&A)
A star-studded start you don’t want to miss!
Friday, 3rd Oct – Stories that Resonate
WIFF Select: Contemporary North East Cinema (5 films, 210 min) + Q&A, Curators: Parthajit Baruah & Joshy Joseph
Workshop: Producing the Future – Rashmi Lamba, Maneck Dastur, Jamshed Mistry, Gayathiri Guliani, Arfi Laamba
Screening: Red Hot Nation (65 min + Q&A)
WIFF Select: Young Voices, New Visions (10 films, 108 min) + Q&A
Adda 1
The Many Faces of Jaaved Jaaferi
Storytelling Across Mediums – Prahlad Kakkar, Suchitra Krishnamoorthi, Rajesh Mapuskar (Facilitator: Kabeer Khurana)
Directors’ Panel: Hansal Mehta, Sudhir Mishra, Rohan Sippy, Tushar Hiranandani (Moderator: Shravan Shah)
India Gold: Shyamchi Aai (Marathi, 140 min + Q&A)
Screening: Monarch of the Blue Mountain (58 min + Q&A)
Saturday, 4th Oct – Voices of Now
Hearth and Home (Alaav) (123 min + Q&A)
I Am Revathi (Njan Revathi) (115 min + Q&A)
Fiction Shorts Package 1 (6 films, 167 min + Q&A)
WIFF Select: Community Cinema (10 films, 200 min + Q&A)
Masterclass: Impact Campaigns – Storytelling that Etches Lasting Change with Anupama Mandloi, Aranya Sahay, Poorvi Bhat, Miriam Chandy Menacherry, Kashmira Patil
India Gold: Puskara (Odia, 124 min + Q&A)
Adda 2: Emerging Voices in Indian Cinema – with Ida Ali, Giaa Singh Arora, Vidar Joshi, Saad Nawab, Simar Singh (Facilitator: Kabeer Khurana)
Hemant Chaturvedi – Encounter with Cinema History + Chhayaankan (138 min + Q&A)
Writers’ Panel: Anahata Menon, Adhir Bhatt, Karan Sharma, Purva Naresh, Rahul Ved Prakash (Moderator: Shravan Shah)
WIFF Select: Queer Cinema (5 films, 169 min + Q&A, Curator: Sridhar Rangayan)
Workshop: Sound Design with Bishwadeep Dipak Chatterjee
Marching in the Dark (110 min + Q&A)
Fiction Shorts Package 2 (7 films, 159 min + Q&A)
Waterdrop (90 min)
Ghaath (126 min + Q&A)
Sunday, 5th Oct – Closing Notes
Sally! (90 min), Beline (84 min + Q&A)
Docu & Experimental Shorts – 1 (8 films, 146 min + Q&A)
Masterclass: Conscious Storytelling – Sandra de Castro Buffington with Dr. Piyush Roy, Brahmanand Singh, Barnali Ray Shukla
Taarikh (87 min + Q&A)
Fiction Shorts Package 3 (5 films, 126 min + Q&A)
What Will People Say? (40 min) + What If I Tell You (54 min) + Q&A
Adda 3 (2–4 PM)
Topic: Brands and independent cinema — unlocking potential by unleashing synergies
Moderator: Gokul Krishnamoorthi
Panelist: Indira Baikerikar / Mitrajit Bhattacharya / Sonal Dabral (TBC) / Karthi Kumar Marshan
India Gold: Rapture (Garo, 128 min + Q&A)
Actors’ Panel: Pratik Gandhi, Priya Bapat, Amit Sial, Surveen Chawla, Shweta Basu Prasad (Moderator: Shravan Shah)
The Investigator (143 min + Q&A)
In the Name of Fire (Swaaha) (99 min + Q&A)
Nukkad Naatak (107 min + Q&A)
Fiction Shorts Package 4 (7 films, 152 min + Q&A)
P for Paparazzi (27 min) + Fanatics (56 min) (83 min + Q&A) followed by P for Panel with Paparazzis (60 min)
Kuch Sapney Apne (123 min + Q&A)
Monday, 6th Oct – Curtain Down
Body (142 min + Q&A)
Fiction Shorts Package 5 (5 films, 126 min + Q&A)
Sangeeta Manisha (72 min) + About My Father (75 min) (147 min + Q&A)
ASOH: Soul of the Hills (51 min) + The Artist (50 min) + Slaves of the Empire (51 min) (152 min + Q&A)
Victoria (84 min + Q&A)
Docu & Experimental Shorts – 2 (6 films, 107 min + Q&A)
Flowers in a Hailstorm (29 min) + In Their Own Time (114 min) (143 min + Q&A)
Warm Film (Topli Film) (92 min)
Closing Film: Humans in the Loop (74 min + Q&A)
Awards Ceremony
✨ Festival concludes with heartfelt goodbyes, memories, and promises for the future.
🎟️ Be Part of the Movement
The Waterfront Indie Film Festival 2025 isn’t just about watching films – it’s about experiencing the pulse of indie cinema in India’s cultural capital.
👉 Book your tickets now and be part of India’s boldest indie film festival.
✨ Stories stay, moments fade – but memories at WIFF last forever.
