Pranav Birje | The News Bulletins
The Yellowstone International Film Festival (YIFF) has unveiled its much-anticipated lineup for the 2025 edition, promising an expansive, inclusive, and diverse cinematic showcase that bridges continents, cultures, and creative voices.
This year’s festival will take place in Mumbai from November 13 to 20, presenting over 100 films from across the world, including more than 50 Asian and Indian premieres. The festival’s program spans a wide spectrum of categories, including International and Indian Feature Films, Shorts, Documentaries, LGBTQIA+ Cinema, and Short Docs.
The festival will present a range of awards across categories including Feature Films, Documentaries, Documentary Shorts, Live Action Shorts (Indian and International), and Animated Shorts. The entries will be evaluated by a distinguished panel featuring filmmakers Nicholas Eliopoulos and Marta Cunningham, acclaimed actor and singer Alison Fraser, and award-winning producer Mariana Méndez Alejandre.
Among the highlights of this year’s lineup are several acclaimed international titles making their Indian and Asian premieres. Festival favourites like Caravan by Zuzana Kirchnerová, Têtes Brûlées by Maja Ajmia Zellama, I’ve seen all I need to see by Zeshaan Younus, Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day by Ivona Juka and Aisha can’t Fly by Morad Mostafa are set to have their Indian premieres at the festival.
Meanwhile, 100 Sunset by Kusang Kyirong, Thinestra by Nathan Hertz, and Aurora by Raintolk and Andres Maimik will mark their Asian premieres at YIFF 2025.
Celebrating the best of Indian independent cinema that reflect the evolving landscape of contemporary Indian storytelling, the festival will also feature the Indian premieres of Chewing Gum by Abhay Sharma, Kaisi Yeh Paheli by Ananyabrata Chakravorty, among others.
In the documentary segment, YIFF 2025 brings together an outstanding lineup of global and Indian voices. The festival will screen Hot Docs favourite Saints and Warriors by Patrick Shannon, Arushi Nigam’s Dream Factory, alongside the world premiere of Untouchable: Laughing Out Caste, a powerful and deeply moving documentary by Manjeet Sarkar and Mike Noone.
The festival’s short film section will also feature some of the year’s most celebrated works from the global festival circuit, including Cannes winner I’m Glad You’re Dead Now by Tawfeek Barhom, Cannes selection Across the Waters and DISC by Viv Li, and TIFF winner I Fear Blue Skies by Salar Pashtoonyar, among others.
Speaking about this year’s program, Tushar Tyagi, Founder of the Yellowstone International Film Festival, said “Cinema is one of the few art forms that speaks a language everyone understands. At YIFF, our goal has always been to create a space where stories from every corner of the world can be seen, heard, and celebrated. This year’s lineup reflects that belief and that film has the power to connect cultures, challenge perspectives, and remind us of our shared humanity.”
Adding to this, Anshika Singh, Festival Director, shared saying “We’ve curated a program rooted in merit and inclusivity, spotlighting films that rarely find theatrical space due to their form, scale, language, or politics. Our goal is to create a democratic platform where under-seen films meet engaged audiences. We look forward to unveiling exciting sessions soon and invite everyone to discover a new generation redefining cinema.”
With its distinctive blend of international prestige and independent spirit, YIFF 2025 promises to be a vibrant meeting ground for filmmakers, audiences, and storytellers from across the globe. The Festival will be held from November 13-20, with PVR Dynamix, Juhu, serving as the main screening venue along with Gaysi, Veda Kunba and Veda Blackbox and masterclasses and discussions being held across the city.