Film Festivals in India Explained: IFFI vs IFFK vs MAMI
Every winter, a certain kind of movie lover just disappears for a week. You’ll find them in a dark hall in Goa or Thiruvananthapuram, watching a Chilean drama at 9 a.m. and a Japanese indie at midnight. That’s the world of film festivals in India, and no box office tracker ever covers it.
Here’s the problem. People throw around “IFFI”, “IFFK” and “MAMI” like you’re supposed to already know the difference. Most of us don’t. Mumbai makes it messier, because MAMI and MIFF are two completely different festivals with confusingly similar names.
So who runs each one? When does it happen? What does a pass cost, and which one actually deserves your leave days?
The timing couldn’t be better. IFFI’s 57th edition opens in Goa on 20 November 2026. IFFK’s 31st edition follows in Kerala on 11 December. Two big festivals, back to back.
Film Festivals in India vs Award Shows: The Quick Difference
First, clear up the most common mix-up. A film festival is not an award show.
An award show is one night. Stars walk the carpet, envelopes open, trophies go home. If that’s your thing, we’ve already broken down the major film award shows in India, from IIFA to Zee Cine, plus how the National Film Awards work.
Film festivals in India work differently. Each one is a curated screening event that runs for days. Programmers pick the films. Juries judge the competition sections. Delegates (that’s you, with a badge) watch film after film in packed halls.
- Award show: one evening, a ceremony, mostly films you’ve already seen.
- Film festival: a week or more of screenings, often of films you can’t watch anywhere else yet.
- Who’s in the room: at a festival, regular paying delegates sit next to filmmakers and critics.
Why should you care? Because the films are the whole point. IFFK’s 2025 edition alone screened 206 films from 82 countries across 16 theatres. Your local multiplex isn’t showing most of those. Your OTT app probably isn’t either.
The other thing to understand is who runs the festival. That decides its whole personality. This guide covers a central government festival (IFFI), a state academy festival (IFFK), an industry-run trust (MAMI) and a government documentary festival (MIFF). Same country, four very different moods.
IFFI Goa: The Government-Run Veteran
The International Film Festival of India is the old-timer of film festivals in India. It first ran on 24 January 1952. That’s decades before IFFK (1996) or MAMI (1997) existed.
Goa has been IFFI’s permanent home since its 35th edition in 2004, with Panaji as the base. NFDC, which sits under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, runs it jointly with the Goa state government.
That sarkari backing shows in the scale. The 55th edition in 2024 showcased over 180 international films from 81 countries, including 15 world premieres. The 56th ran from 20 to 28 November 2025. This year, IFFI 57 runs on the exact same dates: 20 to 28 November 2026.
What you actually get at IFFI
- A competitive section, judged by a jury.
- Indian Panorama, a separate section that runs alongside the competition.
- Panels. Film Professional delegates get free access to panels along with screenings.
- Ceremonies you probably won’t see. The opening and closing nights need separate invitations, so your delegate badge won’t get you in.
The vibe
IFFI feels official. It’s the government’s festival, and you’ll sense that structure everywhere. Some years that can feel a little stiff.
We don’t mind. For a first festival, a bit of structure helps. Plus, it’s Goa in late November. Even the gaps between screenings feel like a holiday.
IFFK Kerala: The Delegates’ Festival
If IFFI is the government flagship, the International Film Festival of Kerala is the one film nerds plan their December around.
IFFK started in 1996, with its first edition held in Kozhikode. Today it runs in Thiruvananthapuram. The Kerala State Chalachitra Academy organises it on behalf of the state government’s Department of Cultural Affairs.
Look at the 30th edition, from 12 to 19 December 2025:
- 206 films from 82 countries
- 16 theatres across the city
- An opening night at Nishagandhi Auditorium
- Guests including Chilean director Pablo Larraín
That’s a serious lineup for a state-run festival.
The Golden Crow Pheasant
IFFK’s top prize is the Golden Crow Pheasant, worth Rs 10 lakh for the best feature. The director and producer split it equally. In 2025 it went to the Japanese film Two Seasons, Two Strangers, directed by Sho Miyake.
A Japanese indie taking the top prize at a Kerala festival? That tells you exactly what IFFK cares about. World cinema comes first.
IFFK 2026: the 31st edition
The 31st IFFK runs from 11 to 18 December 2026 in Thiruvananthapuram. Filmmakers had until 10 September to submit. They’ll hear back by 28 October. The festival wanted features longer than 70 minutes and charged no submission fee.
For regular viewers, the delegate fee matters more than any of that. We couldn’t verify a 2026 figure from a reliable source, so we won’t guess one. Check iffk.in before you plan anything.
The vibe
We call IFFK the delegates’ festival, and we mean it as a compliment. The crowd sets the mood here, not the red carpet. You’re watching back-to-back screenings with people who care deeply about cinema. If you want a full week of world cinema with zero glamour filter, this is it.
MAMI Mumbai: The Industry-Run Festival (and Why It Isn’t MIFF)
MAMI is Mumbai’s own festival, and it has had a rocky few years.
The Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image started in 1997 as a not-for-profit public trust. It took the “MAMI Mumbai Film Festival” brand in 2009. Look at the chairpersons and you’ll see how closely Bollywood has backed it:
- Shyam Benegal (1999 to 2014)
- Kiran Rao (2015 to 2019)
- Deepika Padukone (2019 to 2021)
- Priyanka Chopra Jonas (since 2021)
The rough patch
Here’s the honest timeline. In 2023, MAMI made a full physical comeback with a 10-day festival. Then it lost its Jio sponsorship. The 2024 edition became a “period of transition”, scaled down to venues like Regal Cinema and PVR Juhu.
In 2025, MAMI called off the festival entirely to restructure. Its July 2025 announcement promised a 2026 return with a new logo, a new team and stronger support for independent cinema. Shivendra Singh Dungarpur now leads as interim festival director.
So is MAMI happening in 2026?
As of 4 October 2026, we haven’t found confirmed dates for the 2026 festival. Watch mumbaifilmfestival.org and MAMI’s social channels.
One warning. You’ll see “October 27 to November 5” floating around online as MAMI’s 2026 dates. Those dates come from the 2023 edition. Don’t book anything based on that.
MAMI hasn’t gone quiet, though. Along with a new brand identity, it launched MAMI Independent. These are weekly screenings every Wednesday at 7 p.m. at PVR Lido, Santacruz, which started on 25 February 2026. If you live in Mumbai, that’s your festival fix while you wait.
MAMI vs MIFF: same city, totally different festivals
This is where most people get confused. MIFF, the Mumbai International Film Festival, has nothing to do with MAMI.
- Who runs it: NFDC, under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. MAMI is an independent trust.
- What it shows: documentaries, short fiction and animation, not mainstream features.
- 2026 edition: the 19th MIFF ran from 15 to 21 June 2026 at the NFDC Complex in Mumbai.
- Prize money: about Rs 55 lakh in cash awards. The Golden Conch for Best Documentary alone carries Rs 10 lakh.
- Bonus: the WAVES Doc Bazaar ran alongside it from 16 to 18 June 2026.
So if someone says they “went to the Mumbai film festival in June”, they mean MIFF. If they say MAMI, ask which year.
IFFI vs IFFK vs MAMI vs MIFF: Side-by-Side
Here’s the whole picture of India’s major film festivals in one table. Screenshot it.
| Festival | Who runs it | City | 2026 Dates | Started | Headline Prize | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IFFI | NFDC + Goa government | Panaji, Goa | 20–28 Nov | 1952 | Competitive section, plus Indian Panorama | First-timers, students |
| IFFK | Kerala State Chalachitra Academy | Thiruvananthapuram | 11–18 Dec | 1996 | Golden Crow Pheasant (Rs 10 lakh) | World-cinema marathoners |
| MAMI | MAMI, an industry-backed public trust | Mumbai | Not announced yet | 1997 | Not covered here | Mumbai locals, indie fans |
| MIFF | NFDC (I&B Ministry) | Mumbai (NFDC Complex) | 15–21 June (over) | Not covered here | Golden Conch, Best Documentary (Rs 10 lakh) | Documentary, shorts and animation fans |
The organiser column tells you the most. The government festivals feel organised and official. The state academy festival feels like a city-wide film club. And a trust-run festival lives or dies by its sponsors, as MAMI’s last few years show.
How to Attend Film Festivals in India: Passes, Fees and Tips
Good news first. Getting into film festivals in India costs less than you’d think, and one big pass costs nothing at all. Here’s what we could verify.
IFFI delegate registration
You register online at my.iffigoa.org. The official IFFI FAQ lists three delegate categories:
| Category | Fee | What the FAQ Lists |
|---|---|---|
| Film Professionals | Rs 1,180 (incl. 18% GST) |
Online accreditation, an extra ticket, free access to panels and screenings |
| Cine Enthusiasts | Rs 1,180 (incl. GST) |
Standard delegate registration |
| Student Delegates | Free | An allowance of 4 tickets per day |
Read the fine print before you pay:
- Registrations are non-transferable and non-refundable.
- The opening and closing ceremonies need separate invitations.
- There’s no fixed end date for delegate registration, so don’t wait for a deadline. Register early.
- Made a mistake on your form? Email [email protected].
One caution. The FAQ page we checked still mentions last year’s registration opening date. Confirm that 2026 registration is live before you plan around it.
That student pass is the real paisa vasool deal. Four free tickets a day, for nine days. Hard to beat.
IFFK registration
IFFK handles its own delegate registration through the official site, iffk.in. We couldn’t confirm the 2026 fee from a reliable source. Go straight to the official site rather than trusting a number from a random forum.
MAMI registration
Nothing to register for yet, because the 2026 festival has no dates. Follow MAMI’s official channels. Until then, the Wednesday MAMI Independent screenings at PVR Lido are your best way in.
Tips for any film festival in India
- Register the day it opens. IFFI has no fixed deadline, which makes it easy to procrastinate. Don’t.
- Plan your day around the ticket limit. Students at IFFI get 4 tickets a day. Choose them like a fantasy cricket team.
- Mix it up. Pick one buzzy premiere, then one film from a country you’ve never watched before. That second one is often the film you’ll talk about for months.
- Skip the ceremony FOMO. You need a separate invitation at IFFI, so plan your days around screenings instead.
- Check dates on the official site before booking travel. Festival dates can shift from year to year.
Which of the Film Festivals in India Should You Pick?
Here’s our honest take. No diplomatic “they’re all great” answer.
You’re a student or on a tight budget → IFFI. The free student pass settles it. Goa, nine days, four films a day, zero rupees for the badge. Paisa vasool, no debate.
You want to binge world cinema all week → IFFK. Over 200 films from more than 80 countries last year, a whole city of theatres, and a top prize that went to a Japanese indie. That’s a festival with taste.
You live in Mumbai → MAMI, but manage expectations. The festival’s 2026 comeback still has no dates. Start with MAMI Independent on Wednesdays and keep an eye out for the announcement.
You love documentaries, shorts or animation → MIFF. This year’s edition is already over, so watch NFDC’s channels for news of the next one.
Our pick if you can only do one in 2026? IFFK. IFFI is easier, and its student deal is unbeatable. Still, a December week in Thiruvananthapuram is hard to top when last year’s lineup spanned 82 countries. Going for the first time? Do IFFI in November, then decide if you’re ready for Kerala in December.
More Film Festivals in India Worth Knowing
The big four grab the headlines, but they’re not the only film festivals in India. Here are a few names worth bookmarking. We haven’t verified current dates for these, so check each official site before you plan anything.
- Kolkata International Film Festival. A natural stop if Bengali cinema is your thing. New to it? Start with our guide to Bhojpuri, Punjabi, Gujarati and Bengali cinema.
- Jaipur International Film Festival. Worth a look if you’re in Rajasthan or fancy a festival trip somewhere new.
- KASHISH Pride Film Festival. The “Pride” in the name tells you its focus. A very different lens from the big general festivals.
- Dharamshala International Film Festival. A festival trip to the hills instead of a metro.
And if trophies interest you more than screenings, our Filmfare Awards explainer covers the other side of Indian cinema’s calendar.
The Last Word: Go to at Least One
A lot of us watch films alone on a phone now. A festival flips that. You sit in a dark hall with hundreds of strangers and watch something from a country you’ve never visited. Then you argue about it over chai.
IFFI opens on 20 November. If you’re a student, the badge costs you nothing. Check that registration is live, block those nine days, and tell us your schedule in the comments.
So which one are you picking this year, Goa or Kerala?