“IFFD is a cinema festival that promotes creativity, creates opportunities, & firmly places Delhi on the global cultural map”: CM Rekha Gupta

New Delhi: 21 March 2026- Tourism Minister of Delhi,  Kapil Mishra, on Saturday shared details about the organisation of Delhi’s first International Film Festival, Delhi (IFFD) 2026. He informed that under the leadership of Chief Minister  Rekha Gupta, the festival will be organised by the Delhi Government and Delhi Tourism Department from March 25 to 31 at Bharat Mandapam.

The Cabinet Minister stated that  Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has also extended her best wishes for the event. She described IFFD as a cinema festival that promotes creativity, creates opportunities, and firmly establishes Delhi on the global cultural map.

The Minister further informed that more than 2,000 entries have been received from countries around the world for this festival. Out of these, 140 films have been selected for screening for cinema lovers.
Along with international films, the festival will showcase the diversity of India through selected films from Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Marathi, Bhojpuri, Punjabi, Haryanvi, North-Eastern and Bengali cinema. Additionally, some major Bollywood films will also be screened. Notably, the screening of “Dhurandhar 2” will be a major attraction of the festival.

Kapil Mishra said that over the past year, the Delhi Government and Delhi Tourism have made several significant efforts to promote art, culture and tourism in the capital. These include a grand drone show at India Gate during Diwali, large-scale arrangements for Chhath Puja and Kanwar Yatra, as well as celebrations of Teej. Initiatives such as Bhajan Clubbing in Delhi University have also been undertaken to connect the younger generation with culture and tradition. Shortly Bhajan Clubbing at JNU will also be organised.

Grand celebrations were also organised during Navratri, receiving overwhelming support and blessings from the people of Delhi.
The Tourism Minister added that this International Film Festival is being organised for the first time in Delhi, and the Delhi Government has decided to make it an annual event to establish the capital as a major cultural and film hub.

Kapil Mishra stated that the International Film Festival, Delhi has three primary objectives. The first is to advance the vision of  Prime Minister  Narendra Modi regarding the Orange Economy and Creators Economy by developing Delhi as a hub for live entertainment. The festival aims to provide a global platform to young talents associated with theatre, art, direction, camera, animation, AI and other creative fields, enabling their work to be seen worldwide.

The second objective is to showcase Delhi’s world-class infrastructure for hosting global events—developed during the Prime Minister’s tenure—including Bharat Mandapam, Yashobhoomi, Kartavya Path, National War Memorial, the new Parliament building, and the Prime Minister’s Museum.

The third key objective of the festival is to establish Delhi as a preferred destination for film shooting.