Actors, filmmakers, writers and artists from across the country will come together for the 16th edition of IFP, scheduled for October 24 and 25 at Mehboob Studios in Mumbai. This year’s line-up includes Keerthy Suresh , Radhika Apte, Rana Daggubati , Mrunal Thakur, Sobhita Dhulipala , Huma Qureshi, Nithya Menen and Pratik Gandhi, alongside National Award-winning filmmaker Vetrimaaran and several other names from the creative industries. Spread across two days, the festival will feature conversations, masterclasses and workshops covering cinema, streaming, writing, music, advertising and digital storytelling.
Filmmaker Vetrimaaran will talk about his approach to cinema and the process of making films in a session titled Making of a Modern Auteur. Rana Daggubati will look beyond his work as an actor and discuss his efforts to support new talent in More Than a Star: On Nurturing the New Wave.
Huma Qureshi will revisit the roles and career decisions that have shaped her as a performer in Many Lives of Huma Qureshi. Mrunal Thakur will also look back at her journey from television to Hindi and Telugu cinema in Making Her Mark, while Sobhita Dhulipala is among the actors set to feature at the festival. Keerthy Suresh and Radhika Apte will share the stage for On Playing Power Ft. AKKA. The conversation will focus on their characters in the upcoming Netflix series Akka and what it takes to portray women who hold power. Nithya Menen will discuss her approach to acting in Becoming Kanmani. Advertising filmmakers Prakash Varma and Amit Sharma will come together for What Makes a Good Ad? Other sessions will look at independent music, improvisation, photography, design and digital storytelling, making the festival a meeting point for people working across different creative fields. Radhika Apte also spoke about what makes the festival special to her, linking its emphasis on creative exchange to her work on Akka. What makes it special is the energy of people coming together to share ideas, challenge conventions and learn from one another. I’ve always believed that creativity thrives when diverse perspectives meet, and IFP is a great example of that. With Akka, my upcoming series with Netflix and Yash Raj Films, I’ve had the opportunity to be part of a distinctive story and a world shaped by compelling characters and complex dynamics. For Huma Qureshi, IFP offers an opportunity to connect with fellow artists and encourage people who are just starting out. What I love about the festival is the energy it creates around storytelling and the opportunity it gives artists to come together, exchange ideas and inspire one another. As someone who has constantly explored different forms of storytelling through acting, writing and production, I truly value spaces that encourage experimentation and new voices. I’m really looking forward to being part of IFP, meeting young and emerging creators, and having meaningful conversations around the creative process, cinema and the many possibilities that storytelling can open up. Its 16th edition continues that approach, with a programme spanning films, streaming, writing, music, advertising and the arts.
I’m looking forward to being part of IFP 2026, engaging with emerging talent and exchanging ideas on storytelling and performance. IFP began in 2011 as a 50-hour filmmaking challenge.
She said, “IFP has built a wonderful community of creators, storytellers and artists who are constantly pushing themselves to think differently and create fearlessly. Sharing her thoughts on the upcoming edition, she said, “IFP has always felt like a space that celebrates creativity in its most honest and exciting form.
Since then, it has grown into a platform that brings together creators from different parts of the world and across a range of disciplines.
